Let’s Begin Spring With A Reflection

The Winter is behind us. We recently visited the Catskills in NY, and as we traversed through a quiet hike, we came across this beautiful quote by the first prominent personality to bring Eastern philosophy to America - Swami Vivekananda. It was carved into a rock as a coffee table decoration in the very library he used to study.

In the repetition of the loud rain, we found some silence to reflect. As nature soaks in the water to blossom in the coming weeks, how can we do the same? What does it mean to flourish or blossom from within? Similar to our observation of plant life, more often than not, we recognize and celebrate the flowers and fruits. But, this Spring, let’s spend some time to recognize the seed within. That silence which holds the potential. That awareness which is the root of fruition.

Through a consistent recognition of this, our blossoming is rooted and inevitable. Who knows, maybe spending more time alone in nature allows us to see that seed more clearly…

Recent Conversations & More To Come!

In our recent conversations, we spoke with Hanuman Dass, Chandra Easton, Dr. Edwin Bryant, & Nina Rao. In our two-part episode with Dr. Bryant, he spoke candidly about his own journey as well as the necessity of using the depths of the intellect in determining a spiritual path. Truly an honor to spend that much time with a scholar-practitioner like that! Similarly, Rao spoke about finding a consistent practice and relentlessly pursuing it, without an expectation of the end result.

Stay tuned for our coming conversations. We are hoping that you can join us in understanding and applying the philosophies of now that the esteemed guests share. Feel free to reach out with questions, notes, and reflections of your own!

The Mantra We Learned

We noticed that Rao spoke extensively about finding a practice and then sticking with it. In the Yoga Sutras, the canonical text written by Patanjali about the framework and practivce of Yoga, the sage describes how practice should be: sa tu dīrgha kāla nairantarya satkārā ‘sevito dṛḍhabhūmiḥ

What dos this mean? Well, he is explicating that a practice becomes firmly grounded in our life when done with consistency, without end, and deep devotion. First, this made us ask ourselves whether we even have a consistent practice to begin with? We have discipline as it concerns our work or athletic lives, but is there one that we do rigorously to look within? One that forces us to be more present? More often than not, our conditionings and notions do not allow us to recognize that we lack this internal exercise.

Furthermore, from Rao’s discussion, we noticed that she highlighted that we frequently obsess over the end result of a practice - in any sphere of our lives (e.g. family, spiritual, athletic, professional, etc.). Rather, we learned that the peace is in the practice itself, once we find it.

When we seek joy and a reflective presence in the practice, the regularity becomes inherent. Thus, this period’s Philosophy of Now is, ‘The practice is the peace.’

In The Philosophy of Now podcast, we speak with thought leaders and innovators to learn about their mantras and perspectives for being present, or what we like to call - their philosophies of now.

We’ve already learned from a diverse range of phenomenal personalities like Sri M, Henry Shukman, Swami Sarvapriyananda, Sid Sriram, Acharya Prashant and Nandita Das.

A Note From A Founder

Keshav Pandya, our founder, is a journalist, author, and educator. His background at various media outlets like The Daily Show and NBC drove him to not only study the landscape, but contribute to a generation overwhelmed by information and mental health. His passion for spiritual traditions, wellbeing, and creative content led him to develop The Philosophy of Now. He is humbled and pleased to have you join our family - he is truly grateful that you are now part of The ROOTS Movement!

Join Us On This Journey!

We hope The Philosophy of Now serves to be a unique podcast - one in which the listener feels fully present and truly immersed in the conversation. One in which the guest, interviewer, and listener share a collective learning space.

So let’s begin this journey of contemplation and seeking together! The new season of the Philosophy of Now podcast launched February 11th. Join us weekly for new episodes.