The Ancient Road Home

33. Everything is Perfect & Your Desires Are Sacred

My Yiayia (grandmother) came to Australia at 16 with nothing. By 90 she had built a full life through hardship, faith and relentless work. When asked what she wished for on her birthday she didn't hesitate. I wish for everyone to have my luck. This is my wish. This episode explores what she was actually pointing at. The ancient Vedic teaching of Purna, the wholeness that is never missing, and why one of the biggest blocks to creating the life you want is that you've learned to mistrust what you actually desire. The path isn't out there somewhere. It's right under your feet. And your desires aren't a distraction from your path but the beacons to follow all the way to the life you dream about. If something in today's episode resonated, I'd love to hear from you. Whether you have a question, a topic you'd like me to explore, or you're interested in being a guest on the show, reach out directly. You can find me on Instagram at @_soma.vidya or send me an email at hello@soma-vidya.com [hello@soma-vidya.com]. I read everything and I genuinely appreciate you being here.

32. 3 Traps That Keep You Stuck on the Spiritual Path

Most people don’t get stuck on the spiritual path because they’re not trying hard enough. They get stuck because they’re given fragments… practices, experiences, and beliefs that feel meaningful in the moment, but don’t actually teach them how to move through life with clarity. In this episode, I share what I’ve come to see after years of disciplined practice, direct experience, and walking through many layers of spirituality, from traditional yogic paths to modern teachings and everything in between. We explore just some of the subtle traps that keep sincere seekers circling, why working with energy alone isn’t enough, and why the real shift happens when you begin to understand your own consciousness and the structure of the reality you’re moving through. This is the kind of spirituality that doesn’t pull you away from life, but allows you to meet it fully, with steadiness, clarity, and a deeper sense of direction. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing the work but still not fully landing, this conversation will help you see why. Leave a comment and let me know what other traps you see or maybe you disagree with me? Let's start a conversation! — Read more through my Substack: Law & the Lotus https://thelawandthelotus.substack.com/ Instagram: @_soma.vidya Email: hello@soma-vidya.com

31. Metacognition: Why Psychology Is Catching Up to Ancient Wisdom

We’re living in a time of unprecedented insight. We understand trauma, the nervous system, attachment, somatics, and emotional regulation. We know why we are the way we are — and yet many of us still feel stuck, reactive, or exhausted by carrying so much knowledge that doesn’t seem to translate into real-life change. In this episode, we explore metacognition — the psychological term now gaining attention for what ancient traditions have been teaching for millennia: that suffering doesn’t come from a lack of information, but from unconscious thinking. First named in modern psychology in the 1970s, metacognition refers to our ability to observe how we think, not just what we think. And research is now showing that this capacity is one of the strongest predictors of learning, emotional regulation, and real behavioural change. But this isn’t new. This is the heart of yogic philosophy, mindfulness in Buddhism, Vedic-based understanding of prajñāparādha, and even the Socratic method in ancient Greek philosophy. Different languages, different cultures — the same insight: wisdom arises not from accumulating knowledge, but from cultivating clear perception and Right View. In this episode, we explore why so many people feel intellectually overloaded, why “knowing more” no longer works, and why learning how to think — how to see clearly in real time — may be the next evolutionary step in personal and spiritual development. We’ll also explore how metacognition restores discernment, helping you respond to life as it unfolds rather than forcing yourself to follow external rules or ideals, and I’ll share a simple way you can begin practising this capacity in everyday life. This is not about chasing the next trend. It’s about remembering what has always mattered. Welcome back to The Ancient Road Home. If you have questions, reflections, or would like to inquire about being a guest on the podcast, you’re warmly invited to reach out. 📩 Email: hello@soma-vidya.com 📷 Instagram: @_soma.vidya

30. Living the Both/And: Embracing Paradox with Prashanthi Amarnath

In this episode of The Ancient Road Home, I’m joined by debut author Prashanthi Amarnath for a rich and expansive conversation on the power of paradox. Drawing from the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching and her book Embracing Paradox, Prashanthi invites us to release the need to choose between opposites and instead learn how to hold both at once — effort and surrender, clarity and uncertainty, structure and flow. We explore how true freedom doesn’t come from fixing or controlling life, but from accepting the moment as it is and allowing life to move through us. Together, we unpack how embracing paradox softens our grip on fixed outcomes, brings greater clarity to modern life, and opens the door to a deeper sense of ease, trust, and presence. This conversation is a reminder that life isn’t meant to be solved — it’s meant to be lived, fully and honestly, in all of its contradictions. 📘 Learn more about Prashanthi’s book, Embracing Paradox, here:👉 find it on your local Amazon website. If this conversation sparked something for you, I’d love to hear from you. If you have questions, reflections, or feel called to be a guest on The Ancient Road Home, you’re warmly invited to reach out. 📩 Email: hello@soma-vidya.com 📷 Instagram: @_soma.vidya

29. How to Create Lasting Change: Reorientation > Resolution

Is your New Year’s resolution feeling more like a sentence than a fresh start? You’re not alone. The cycle of setting goals only to watch them fade by February isn’t a personal failure—it’s a sign that we’re using the wrong map for change. In this 2026 inaugural episode, we explore a radical alternative to the willpower grind: reorientation. Drawing from the deep wells of Tantric, Buddhist and Yogic philosophy, we’ll unpack why lasting transformation doesn’t begin with doing, but with seeing. We’ll journey through: * Shunyata (Emptiness) as the Ground: Discovering the open, fluid space within which real change becomes possible. * Samyak Drishti (Right View): Learning what it means to correct your perception, not just your behaviour. * The Alchemy of Embodiment: How to move a philosophical truth from your intellect into your nervous system, so change flows naturally, without force. This is a conversation about ending the inner civil war of self-improvement. It’s about trading the brittle checklist for a clear, compassionate lens—and allowing your life to reorganise itself from the inside out.  Deepen Your Journey: The companion essay to this episode,"The 2026 Awakening: Swap Your Resolutions for These," expands on these ideas with seven tangible entry points for your own practice. Read it here [https://thelawandthelotus.substack.com/p/the-2026-awakening-swap-your-resolutions?r=1p1d70] We’d Love to Hear From You: What’s one view or story you feel ready to reorient? What questions are left hanging from today's episode? Share your reflections with us on Instagram @_soma.vidya, email us hello@soma-vidya.com, comment on Spotify or reply to the Substack post. Subscribe to The Ancient Road Home wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every week.