Dave & Hanna try to explain tantra

Dave & Hanna try to explain tantra

Connect with Dave, my guest: https://www.instagram.com/dadima.ayurveda.yoga/ what we said at the end: vijnañabhairava tantra  Connect with me, Hanna, your host:  Instagram: @grace.pilled [http://www.instagram.com/grace.pilled] hannawilliams.com [http://www.hannawilliams.com/](bookings, conflict school, etc) patreon.com/gracepilled [http://patreon.com/gracepilled] (join as a free member to get access to a collection of talks!) What is Tantra, really? In this episode, I sit down with David Yoss for an ambitious conversation: attempting to explain the vast world of classical Tantra in a single sitting. What began as a tongue-in-cheek challenge quickly became an exploration of just how difficult Tantra is to define. Far from being a single religion, philosophy, or practice, Tantra is a diverse family of traditions that has shaped Hinduism, Buddhism, ritual practice, yoga, mysticism, and devotional life across South Asia for over a thousand years. Together, we explore some of the key themes that appear across Tantric traditions, while also discussing the historical and cultural forces that have shaped modern understandings (and misunderstandings) of Tantra in the West. Topics include: • Why scholars still struggle to agree on a single definition of Tantra • The meaning of the word "Tantra" and its relationship to sacred texts and revelation • Mantra as a living embodiment of divine power rather than a symbolic prayer • Initiation, lineage, and the role of the guru in Tantric practice • Ritual, puja, visualization, and worship in the "temple of the mind" • The subtle body, chakras, nyasa, and the installation of mantras within the body • Dualistic and nondual Tantric philosophies • Why Tantra is often associated with transgression and what that actually means • Left-handed and right-handed approaches to Tantric practice • Siddhis, spiritual attainments, and the distinction between liberation and worldly goals • The historical development of Tantra and its relationship to Hinduism and Buddhism • How colonialism and Victorian attitudes toward sexuality influenced Western perceptions of Tantra • The origins of Neo-Tantra and how it differs from classical Tantric traditions Whether you're completely new to Tantra or have been practicing for years, this conversation offers a broad introduction to one of the most influential, misunderstood, and fascinating spiritual movements in human history. Or at least our best attempt at explaining it in ninety minutes.

art as spiritual practice [w/ Kayla Radhika Miller]

Connect with my guest, Kayla: www.instagram.com/kayla.radhika www.kaylaradhika.ca www.patreon.com/cw/KaylaMiller493 Connect with me, Hanna, your host:  Art store: distantplanetdesign.etsy.com Instagram: @grace.pilled [http://www.instagram.com/grace.pilled] hannawilliams.com [http://www.hannawilliams.com/](bookings, conflict school, etc) patreon.com/gracepilled [http://patreon.com/gracepilled] (join as a free member to get access to a collection of talks!) In this episode of Gracepilled, I’m joined by multidisciplinary artist, mystic, and tantric yoga teacher Kayla Radhika Miller for a wide-ranging conversation about the relationship between art and spiritual practice. Together, we explore what happens when creativity stops being mere self-expression and starts becoming a genuine path of perception, devotion, and transformation. We talk about beauty as a force that interrupts the thinking mind, the parallels between artistic discipline and mantra practice, and how the creative process can train us to see reality more clearly. We also explore the tension between technique and surrender, why frustration is often part of both spiritual and artistic growth, and the difference between making something “correct” versus making something truly alive. Along the way, we dive into tantra, perception, abstract art, devotional practice, artistic limitation, self-portraiture, color theory, AI art, and the mysterious question of whether art can carry transmission. Kayla brings a rare blend of depth to this conversation through her background in tantric yoga, Kashmir Shaivism, expressive arts facilitation, and art history, and together we reflect on how creativity itself can become a doorway into relationship with the sacred. This episode is for artists, seekers, and anyone interested in the deeper spiritual function of beauty, perception, and creative practice.

why I went all-in on Human Design

free human design resource:  www.hannawilliams.com/humandesign get a written analysis from me  [https://www.hannawilliams.com/product-page/human-design-chart-analysis-written] join me on patreon In this solo episode of Gracepilled, I share the deeply personal story of how Human Design entered my life during a period of burnout, confusion, financial instability, and spiritual identity crisis. What began as skepticism toward a “channeled” system eventually became a profound framework for understanding individuality, authenticity, energy, relationships, and the spiritual process itself. I explores my experience discovering I am a Projector, the strange synchronicities that pulled me deeper into the system, and why Human Design ultimately felt less like a departure from my tantric background and more like another way of studying God, consciousness, and human behavior. Along the way, I reflect on burnout culture, deconditioning, differentiation, spiritual integrity, relational dynamics, openness and sensitivity, and the liberating power of radically accepting what you actually are instead of trying to become something else.

the life you want is on the other side of conflict [ft. Monika Alanna]

REGISTRATION FOR CONFLICT SCHOOL OPENS JUNE 16TH! Connect with me, Hanna, your host:  Instagram: @grace.pilled [http://www.instagram.com/grace.pilled] hannawilliams.com [http://www.hannawilliams.com/](bookings, conflict school, etc) patreon.com/gracepilled [http://patreon.com/gracepilled] (join as a free member to get access to a collection of talks!) Connect with Monika Alanna  Instagram:  @rooted.relating (coaching/grief counseling) [https://www.instagram.com/rooted.relating] @magicksalt (handmade jewelry, art, writing) [https://www.instagram.com/magicksalt] www.magicksalt.com [https://gracepilled.simplecast.com/episodes/www.magicksalt.com] In this episode, Monika and I sit down for a deeply personal conversation about conflict, honesty, intimacy, self-betrayal, nervous system regulation, and what it actually means to love another human being truthfully. We explore the ways our childhoods shaped our relationship to conflict, why so many people fear honest conversations, and how relational rupture can sometimes become the doorway to deeper intimacy, self-awareness, and transformation. We talk about family systems, tone policing, “canaries in the coal mine,” heartbreak, staying too long, leaving too late, and the difficult reality that sometimes love asks us to confront truths we desperately wish were not true. Throughout the conversation, we return again and again to the idea that conflict is not inherently destructive. In many ways, conflict is the mechanism through which real connection becomes possible. We discuss how nervous system regulation impacts our ability to listen, why most people black out during difficult conversations, the difference between abusive communication and emotional intensity, and how learning to tolerate discomfort may actually be the pathway to the intimacy most people claim to want. We also speak candidly about our own lives and relationships: what it means to feel unseen, how people carry old wounds into present relationships, the stories we tell ourselves after heartbreak, and the strange grace that can emerge when we stop avoiding difficult truths. This episode is philosophical, emotionally raw, funny at times, and deeply rooted in the belief that the life we want often exists on the other side of the conversations we are most afraid to have. Conflict School begins July 28th. This year, the course will be six weeks long instead of four, giving us much more room to go deeper into the anatomy of conflict, communication, nervous system work, rupture and repair, relational dynamics, and actionable skills that can radically transform the way you engage with disagreement and intimacy. Registration opens June 16th. From June 16th–23rd, we’ll be offering an early bird rate of $200 for the full six-week program. After that, the price increases to $250. More details will be available on my website soon. Let’s get into it.

mysticism, chronic illness & the collapse of certainty [w/ Sophie Strand]

guest info: www.sophiestrand.com/ www.instagram.com/cosmogyny/ www.substack.com/@sophiestrand GO BUY HER BOOKS!!!! host info: www.hannawilliams.com www.patreon.com/gracepilled www.instagram.com/gracepilled In this episode of Gracepilled, I sat down with writer and “neo-troubadour animist” Sophie Strand for a sprawling conversation about mysticism, illness, ecology, beauty, paradox, and what it means to stay openhearted in a world that often feels unsafe. Together we explore Sophie’s unusual upbringing around Buddhist monks, interfaith spirituality, rescued animals, and ecological thought, as well as the role chronic illness played in dismantling simplistic spiritual narratives about healing, fairness, and transcendence. The conversation moves through topics like animism, Joan of Arc, climate anxiety, Groundhog Day as a spiritual text, mystical experience, riddles and parables, the difference between beauty and glamour, and why the deepest spiritual truths often live inside contradiction rather than certainty. This episode is ultimately about surrender: not as passivity, but as the willingness to remain in relationship with reality even when there are no guarantees, no explanations, and no “happy ending” waiting at the end of suffering. You can find Sophie’s work through her books, essays, and Substack.