Ep. 181 - Simon Borg-Olivier - Yoga: The Flow of Life & Happiness

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Hey everybody! Episode 181 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with Simon Borg-Olivier. Simon was recommended to me by a listener of the podcast and I was very happy to connect with him. We spoke about his varied life and journey and really focused on his lifelong practice of yoga. Simon has a very nuanced and rooted view of this practice and much more than just sitting on a mat. We spoke about its history, his journey with Pattabhi Jois, Iyengar, and Desikachar, his time in India and China, Qigong, and many other things well. Simon is a great sharer of wisdom and I really enjoyed this conversation and think you will gain much it. Even if you’re not a “yoga” practitioner, Simon has so much wisdom to share. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!

This episode is sponsored by Real Mushrooms (https://realmushrooms.com) As listeners, enjoy a discount of 25% off your first order at checkout using the Discount code: UNIVERSE

YouTube: bit.ly/YT-UW

Rumble: bit.ly/Rum-UW

Apple : bit.ly/Appl-UW

Spotify: bit.ly/Spot-UW

“Simon Borg-Olivier, MSc, BAppSc (Physiotherapy), APAM c-IAYT, has studied and taught traditional posture, movement, breathing, and meditation, with great masters from Tibet, Japan, India, and China for 60 years. Simon is a physiotherapist, research scientist, and university lecturer. He has often been invited to teach at conferences internationally since 1990. He is co-founder of YogaSynergy, one of Australia’s oldest yoga schools. Simon combines modern medical science with traditional practices to create loving connections within the self for internal health and happiness as a model for how we are in the world.”

To learn more about or contact Simon, visit his website at: https://simonborgolivier.com

To view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_w

I will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:

February 15-March 15: Sacred Valley of Peru

June 7-14: Remote Online Dieta

July 10-27: Westport, Ireland

November 2-30: Sacred Valley of Peru

If you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.org

Integration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.com

Patreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithin

YouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerks

PayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanik

Website: https://jasongrechanik.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanik

Facebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcast

Music: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H

Photography: Alessandro Sigismondi (featuring Simon Borg-Olivier).

Source: https://www.universewithinpodcast.com

Ep. 180 - Jason Grechanik - Nature's Pharmacy: Understanding the Power of Plant Medicines

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Hey everybody! Episode 180 of the show is out. This episode is a podcast I was interviewed on called Beyond the Pills hosted by Josh Rimany. I was really happy with the interview. It was fairly concise and covered a lot of aspects of my work, predominantly with tobacco and tree medicines. We also spoke about ayahuasca, dieta, and some of Josh’s insights as well. I hope you all gain from this episode. Consider checking out and supporting Josh’s work as well. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!

YouTube: bit.ly/YT-UW

Rumble: bit.ly/Rum-UW

Apple : bit.ly/Appl-UW

Spotify: bit.ly/Spot-UW

“For many years, Jason has had a deep interest in plants as medicine. After studying various modalities, he has lived, studied, and worked in the Amazon and Andes for more than a decade. He runs plant medicine dietas in Peru and throughout the world, weaving Amazonian tobacco traditions with Celtic tree wisdom. He facilitated ayahuasca retreats for many years at the renowned Temple of the Way of Light. He also hosts a podcast called The Universe Within Podcast. He is married with a son. Jason is an Eagle Scout. In his free time, he enjoys practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (he is a brown belt), spending time in nature and at home, woodworking, riding his motorcycle, and solitude.”

To learn more about or contact Jason, visit his website at: https://NicotianaRustica.org

To view Josh’s podcast on YouTube, visit: https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondThePills

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To view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_w

I will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:

February 15-March 15: Sacred Valley of Peru

June 7-14: Remote Online Dieta

July 10-27: Westport, Ireland

November 2-30: Sacred Valley of Peru

If you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.org

Integration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.com

Patreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithin

YouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerks

PayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanik

Website: https://jasongrechanik.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanik

Facebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcast

Music: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H

Source: https://www.universewithinpodcast.com

Ep. 179 - Eva Hooft - Somatics, Healing & the Mind

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Hey everybody! Episode 179 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with Eva Hooft. Eva has an interesting story of being diagnosed with a number of childhood ailments that persisted into adulthood. After following a career in modeling she began to become disillusioned by her diagnoses and began a search into more holistic and integrative therapies. We spoke about her journey and a number of topics including her background, yoga, somatics, liver detoxification, mineral balancing, functional medicine, the power of the mind and beliefs, and much more. It was a really interesting conversation and I think her knowledge from her own discoveries, many interests, and what she has found working with others really shines. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!

YouTube: bit.ly/YT-UW

Rumble: bit.ly/Rum-UW

Apple : bit.ly/Appl-UW

Spotify: bit.ly/Spot-UW

This episode is sponsored by Real Mushrooms (https://realmushrooms.com) As listeners, enjoy a discount of 25% off your first order at checkout using the Discount code: UNIVERSE

"I am a holistic health coach, detox +mineral balancing practitioner. I also work as an emotional release, energy medicine, and breath work practitioner. I've guided hundreds of clients through my Realignment Method, a multidimensional process that blends detoxification, nervous system work, mineral balancing, emotional release, and energy healing."

To learn more about or contact Eva, visit her website at: https://www.evahooft.com/

To view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_w

I will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:

January 2026: our second Remote Dieta

February 2026: Sacred Valley of Peru

July 2026: Westport, Ireland

November 2026: Sacred Valley of Peru

If you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.org

Integration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.com

Patreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithin

YouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerks

PayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanik

Website: https://jasongrechanik.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanik

Facebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcast

Music: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H

Source: https://www.universewithinpodcast.com

Ep. 178 - Thomas Hatsis - Psychedelic Mystery Traditions, Witches & Magic

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Hey everybody! Episode 178 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with Thomas Hatsis. Thomas’ books were recommended to me a few times and he was introduced to me through a mutual friend, Peter Boghossian. Thomas wrote two very good books that I am familiar with (as well as a number of others) called The Witches Ointment and Psychedelic Mystery Traditions. We spoke about these themes including the foundation of Western mystery traditions, their potential entheogenic roots, plant medicines, magic, witches, and a lot of other really interesting topics. Thomas is doing very good work and I trust you all will gain a lot from his wisdom. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!

YouTube: bit.ly/YT-UW

Rumble: bit.ly/Rum-UW

Apple : bit.ly/Appl-UW

Spotify: bit.ly/Spot-UW

“Thomas Hatsis is a historian, public speaker, community organizer, host of the Psychedelic Historian YouTube channel, and author of five books in the field of psychedelic history and practice, The Witches Ointment: The Secret History of Psychedelic Magic (2015), Psychedelic Mystery Traditions: Spirit Plants, Magical Practices, Ecstatic States, (2018), Microdosing Magic: A Psychedelic Spellbook (2018), LSD: The Wonderchild: The Golden Age of Psychedelic Research in the 1950s (2021), and Psychedelic Injustice: How Identity Politics Poisons the Psychedelic Renaissance (2025). Since 2015, Hatsis has gone on several countrywide book tours, spoken at a number of conferences, and appeared on three GaiamTV shows. During that time, he also co-founded a vibrant psychedelic society, Psanctum, in Portland, Oregon. Through Psanctum, he hosts a weekly open mic, a monthly integration circle, a monthly Psychedelic Speaker Series, the bimonthly Psychedelic History series, organized two psychedelic conferences, and opened a thrift store, Psanctum Thrift—the first store to raise funds for folks who seek psychedelic-assisted therapy (now legal in Oregon) but have financial barriers. In 2023, Hatsis had the honor of receiving the last thirty-four boxes of the Timothy Leary archive to catalogue, digitize, and preserve.”