Show Notes
Welcome back to the show, and welcome to a brand-new week of reflection, presence, and practice. Today, Jeff takes a moment to revisit how My Daily Thread came to be—a project born not just from an idea, but from lived experience, spiritual curiosity, and a deep yearning for integration. The story begins in 2003, on Jeff's second trip to India. He travelled to Mysore, a city known worldwide as a hub for the physical practice of yoga, to study the Āṣṭāṅga Yoga posture system as taught by the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. At the time, Jeff was working as a critical care paramedic—a role that demanded everything: mind, body, and spirit. The stress of that job carved out a need, a yearning for healing, and the physical āsana practice became a sanctuary. It offered the complete package—a sense of union across all levels of being. But while in India, Jeff noticed something striking. The locals didn't equate yoga with elaborate posture sequences. Instead, they associated yoga more with dhyāna—meditation. This gap between Western and traditional Indian understandings of yoga sparked a deeper inquiry. Jeff was led to study with Dr. M.A. Jayashree, a scholar matriarch, and her cousin Narasimhan, a direct disciple of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Under their guidance, he began chanting the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali and diving into the philosophical richness that underpins the practice. The journey moved from the mat into the mind and heart, into the subtle realm of inner knowing. This was the real beginning of the daily thread: the recognition that the teachings must be anchored into now. That yoga is not just something we do, but a way of being, moment by moment. As the Gnostic Gospel of St. Thomas reminds us, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you." The heart of this teaching is yogic—it points us inward, urging us to live from the quiet depths of our own puruṣa, our inner Seer. So here we are today, trying to live more fully and expansively in each moment. Bringing our awareness into the ratnamālā—the garland of moments strung together into a beautiful tapestry we call life. This is My Daily Thread: the practice of showing up with attention, presence, and intention. When we do this—when we draw the light of awareness inward—we also begin to radiate that light outward. We find clarity, peace, and a sense of connectedness. And from that grounded place, we become a source of peace for others. We hope this resonates with you, and that this week you too can pull your awareness inward, anchor yourself in the present, and begin threading your own daily moments into something beautiful.
More from My Daily Thread
Svādhyāya is usually translated as "self-study." In this episode, looks at it as a mirror, and asks whether we're willing to look into it honestly. Snow White's Evil Queen asks the mirror who's the fairest of them all. It's a fair question. She just doesn't want the real answer. She wants flattery. But the mirror can only tell the truth, and that tension is where the teaching lives. A little Sanskrit Svādhyāya is made of two parts: sva = one's own, the self adhyāya = going into, study, reading, a lesson (from adhi + i, "to go toward, to go over") So svādhyāya is literally "going into one's own." It can mean studying scripture, repeating a mantra, or turning honest attention on yourself. In Patañjali's Yoga Sūtras, svādhyāya is one of the five niyamas, or personal observances, listed in Sūtra 2.32 (śauca, santoṣa, tapas, svādhyāya, īśvara praṇidhāna). It's also one of the three parts of kriyā yoga in Sūtra 2.1, along with tapas and īśvara praṇidhāna. Sūtra 2.44 says that through svādhyāya we come into connection with what we hold sacred. In this episode: Where the mirrors in your life come from: an honest (and hopefully kind) friend, a scripture, a mantra, a teacher Why our first instincts get in the way: defensiveness when criticized, resentment when disappointed, envy when someone else succeeds Why those reactions are often pointing at the very thing we need to see Finding the pause, and what to do inside it A reframe from Kabbalah teacher David Ghiyam: pause, then tell yourself, "What a gift." Jeff's body-based version: notice the fight/flight/freeze response, exhale fully, let the exhale be the pause, hold the breath out for a moment, then bring kind curiosity and say, "This is a gift." Try this for the next couple of days: Notice the trigger (defensiveness, resentment, envy, inadequacy). Exhale fully. Let the exhale be the pause. With kind curiosity, say to yourself: "This is a gift." Let it settle into your system and your day. Question to carry with you: Are you willing to look in the mirror and see yourself as you are? Thanks to Madonna for the inspiration on the Kabbalah study. Welcome to My Daily Thread, a little snippet of wisdom from the yoga and meditation masters to start your day. Om, Peace, Out!
295. Saucha, Madonna and a Jewish New Year What are you carrying forward that you don't need to carry anymore? Old stories. Attachments. Expectations. Fear of not being enough. Things we still think we need to prove. In this episode of My Daily Thread, we continue exploring śauca (saucha), the first niyama in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Saucha is often translated as purity or purification. But this isn't about a bad person needing to become good. It's about clearing away some of what clouds the mind so we can become clearer about our intentions—and about where we're actually trying to go. Because before we start moving toward a goal, it's worth asking: What is my goal? And am I clear about why I'm moving toward it? Yoga Sutra 2.41 Here's the Sanskrit we're working with: sattva-śuddhi-saumanasyaikāgryendriya-jayātma-darśana-yogyatvāni ca And the translation we're using: "Moreover, one gains purity of sattva, cheerfulness of mind, one-pointedness, mastery over the senses, and fitness for Self-realization." Now that sounds pretty good. Who doesn't want a little more clarity? A more cheerful mind? Better focus? A little more mastery over the things that pull us in twelve different directions? Let's look at a few of those Sanskrit words. Sattva-śuddhi Sattva — clarity, luminosity; the quality of mind associated with balance and discernment. Śuddhi — purification, cleansing. This is where saucha becomes more than simply cleanliness. We're creating greater clarity in the mind. Saumanasya This is a beautiful word. It can be translated as cheerfulness, gladness, pleasantness or good-mindedness. I love that Patanjali connects purification with cheerfulness. This isn't purification for the sake of becoming rigid or severe. Something gets lighter. Ekāgrya Eka — one. Agra — point or tip. So ekāgrya is one-pointedness—the ability to gather the mind rather than having it scattered in twelve different directions. Ātma-darśana-yogyatva This is the big one. Ātma — Self. Darśana — seeing, vision, realization. Yogyatva — fitness, readiness, being capable or prepared. The idea is that purification and clarity prepare us to see more deeply who we actually are. Madonna, Kabbalah and a Spiritual New Year And then, because this is My Daily Thread, somehow we get from Patanjali to Madonna. I recently listened to Madonna speaking with Jay Shetty about her study of Kabbalah. It inspired me to look a little more deeply into that tradition myself. And around Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, another thread appears: Reflect. Learn. Let go. Begin again. Different traditions and different language, but there's something here that brings me right back to saucha. What from the past year needs to be left behind? What old story, attachment, expectation or fear is clouding your intention? And what are you choosing to move toward? Maybe we can use this moment to usher in our own Spiritual New Year—learning from what has passed, leaving behind what no longer serves us, and moving forward with greater clarity of intent. Om, Peace, Out!
Śauca — Sutra 2.40 Sanskrit (Transliteration) śaucāt svāṅga-jugupsā parair asaṁsargaḥ English Translation From purity arises a natural distaste for excess attachment to one's own body and for contact with what clouds clarity. Plain-language meaning When purity develops: Obsession with the body loosens
शौचसन्तोषतपःस्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि नियमाः Niyamas 1:32. śauca-santoṣa-tapaḥ-svādhyāya-īśvara-praṇidhānāni niyamāḥ In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Niyamas are the inner disciplines of yoga. If the Yamas describe how we relate to the world around us, the Niyamas describe how we relate to ourselves. They are practical, grounded practices—not moral rules or spiritual ideals to perfect. They're ways of organizing our inner life so that clarity, steadiness, and freedom become possible. Patanjali offers five Niyamas. Each one is a practice of attention. Each one asks us to take responsibility—not for controlling life—but for shaping the quality of our inner experience. Today, we'll briefly name each Niyama and then explore them one by one, not as theory, but as lived practice. The Five Niyamas – Concise Setups 1. Saucha — Cleanliness Saucha is about clarity and purification—of the body, the mind, and the environment we live in. It asks a simple question: What am I allowing in? 2. Santosha — Contentment Santosha is the practice of being at peace with what is, without giving up the desire to grow. It's learning to stop arguing with reality. 3. Tapas — Disciplined Effort Tapas is the steady heat of practice—the willingness to stay with discomfort in service of growth, not punishment. It's where transformation happens. 4. Svadhyaya — Self-Study Svadhyaya is honest self-reflection. It's the courage to look inward, notice our patterns, and learn from them rather than run from them. 5. Ishvara Pranidhana — Surrender Ishvara Pranidhana is the practice of letting go—of control, of ego, of the belief that we're doing this alone. It's trusting something larger than our personal will.
Man in the Arena In this episode, Jeff reads and reflects on one of the most enduring passages on courage and participation: Theodore Roosevelt's "Theodore Roosevelt'" from his 1910 speech Citizenship in a Republic. This reflection isn't about winning, achievement, or public success. It's about something far more intimate and challenging — the willingness to step into the arena of our own lives, imperfectly and honestly, rather than standing safely on the sidelines as critics of ourselves or others. Through the lens of the Yoga Sutras, this episode explores how Roosevelt's words echo ancient yogic teachings, particularly: Abhyāsa — steady practice over time, even when we fall short