{"podcast":{"title":"Deconstructing Yourself","slug":"deconstructing-yourself-57243","podcast_index_feed_id":57243,"rss_url":"https://rss.art19.com/deconstructing-yourself","website_url":"https://deconstructingyourself.com","image_url":"https://content.production.cdn.art19.com/images/42/27/fa/ba/4227faba-743f-4b34-8a46-5ad37ffbd99f/a8f04bc49fa95ff9c41dc54dbf496cd3611bdf06e6fc984a359899ae116e4a2de4a208efded4b6a6271986a4f51fe4494a55c22f381a7d91659fb1ca60cae3cc.jpeg","author":"Michael W. Taft","episode_count":112,"summary":"Dedicated to liberation in all its forms, Deconstructing Yourself is passionate about fearlessly investigating, attempting, and questioning all things to do with awakening, meditation, mindfulness, brain hacking, consciousness, neurofeedback, and more. Your host Michael W. Taft interviews some of the most interesting thinkers, authors, and teachers around, as well as other offerings. In this hard-hitting, radical, and fun podcast we look at secular post-, non-, un- Buddhism, Vajrayana, nondual Hindu Tantra, philosophy, the neuroscience of the sense of self, neurofeedback and the consciousness hacking movement, aspects of artificial intelligence, entheogens, and much more. If you’re looking for fresh directions, free from dogma and conformism, think of the Deconstructing Yourself podcast as the radical cafe where you can hear from the most interesting luminaries either from the outside edges of dharma, or a fresh take from more traditional teachers. If you’re interested in more, check out the Deconstructing Yourself website at https://deconstructingyourself.com .","last_synced_at":"2026-06-21T06:18:15.814279+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/deconstructing-yourself-57243"},"episode":{"title":"Chasing the Serpent’s Tail with Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Anya Foxen","slug":"chasing-the-serpent-s-tail-with-sravana-borkataky-varma-and-anya-foxen","published_at":"2025-12-02T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/deconstructing-yourself-57243/chasing-the-serpent-s-tail-with-sravana-borkataky-varma-and-anya-foxen","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/deconstructing-yourself-57243","url":"https://rss.art19.com/episodes/638ccaa0-c5dd-44e7-a4b2-27a68cb1ae74.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0","audio_url":"https://rss.art19.com/episodes/638ccaa0-c5dd-44e7-a4b2-27a68cb1ae74.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0","summary":"Join host Michael Taft as he talks with Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Anya Foxen about the wild history of Kundalini—from it’s ancient Tantric roots to modern global yoga culture—including subtle-body maps, spontaneous awakenings, and so-called “Kundalini syndromes.” They explore how different traditions define the serpent power, when experiences become breakdowns or breakthroughs, the role of teachers and lineages, and why “energy” can’t be reduced to either neuroscience or fantasy. Along the way they dive into siddhis, the imaginal realm, goddess-centered practice, and what actually changes in your life and psyche when this mysterious force wakes up. Sravana Borkataky-Varma specializes in Hindu traditions, in particular, she delves into topics such as esoteric rituals and bodily concepts, especially in relation to Hindu śākta tantra traditions, often referred to as goddess tantra. She adopts a research methodology that blends social anthropology—examined from an outside perspective—with elements of reflexive autoethnography that reflect her personal experiences. As an educator, she holds the position of Instructional Assistant Professor at the University of Houston. She has formerly taught at Harvard Divinity School, Rice University, to name a few. Sravana is committed to building communities that bring together individuals from various religious backgrounds who aspire to lead lives marked by kindness and compassion. The Serpent's Tale: Kuṇḍalinī, Yoga, and the History of an Experience, Embodied Pedagogies in the Study of Religion: Transforming the Classroom , are two of her recent books, among many other books and articles. More information about Sravana can be found on her website, https://sravanaspeaks.com/ Anya Foxen is a historian and comparativist scholar of reli…","meta_description":"Join host Michael Taft as he talks with Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Anya Foxen about the wild history of Kundalini—from it’s ancient Tantric roots to mode…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3047,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/deconstructing-yourself-57243/episodes/chasing-the-serpent-s-tail-with-sravana-borkataky-varma-and-anya-foxen/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/deconstructing-yourself-57243/chasing-the-serpent-s-tail-with-sravana-borkataky-varma-and-anya-foxen.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}