Life’s journey is paved with many challenges, but you’d be amazed at how walking a path of enlightenment can quite literally lighten the load.
In this episode, Charlyn welcomes Brahmani Liebman, a lifelong student of yoga and meditation. She began her studies in the 70s and spent decades learning yogic and Buddhist teachings from Kripalu's original ashram in Sumneytown. Over the years, the practices extended beyond their professional settings and found their way into her home life and marriage.
The conversation covers a diverse range of topics, including meditation and mindfulness. But a central thread runs throughout: self-discovery. Brahmani opens up about her entry to yoga, sharing the moments and feelings that led her to the ashram and, later, the wisdom that’s kept her focused decades later. The five mind states—desire, aversion, worry, sloth, and doubt—that she learned early on at a Buddhist retreat are just one example.
Then she digs deeper. Most people have a hard time maintaining mindfulness in their everyday lives, but Brahmani has mastered it. Here, she talks about how trust has shaped her biggest decisions, including leaving her husband and young children for a month just to train at Kripalu and her decision to open her own yoga studio. Years later, that same instinct became her north star when it came time to grow her small studio into something much bigger. In the final moments, Brahmani tells the story of a house fire that destroyed nearly everything she and her husband owned, except a small Buddha statue left standing on the front step.
The key takeaway from this episode is a question Brahmani asks often: What’s needed? The answer is never the same. But the act has become a symbol for something much bigger. At the end of the episode, she offers a closing reflection for listeners: You are exactly where you need to be, so keep living love.
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