Take Back Your Mind

Today Michael welcomes back Light Watkins. Light is a bestselling author, speaker, meditation teacher, and host of The Light Watkins Show. He's known for practical teachings on presence, minimalism, and "tortoise-style" transformation—consistent, bite-size shifts that fit real life. His books include Bliss More, Travel Light, and his newest, The Year You Transform. He's spoken for Fortune 500 companies, leads a global community (The Happiness Insiders), and even lived five years from a single backpack to walk his talk (you can watch his previous TBYM episode on that here: https://youtu.be/J26_6xo2Rvs?si=zcBw3EIuOnK0wRZe) 
Conversation Highlights include:
-Reframing change as something you accommodate and practice, not a dramatic life overhaul.
-The "tortoise approach" as a way to bring the experience you want into your current life instead of chasing it somewhere else.
-Habits designed for busy days so it's easy to show up consistently even when time is tight.
-Minimalism in practice means removing what doesn't serve, so attention and energy return to what matters.
-Process over outcome—where steady preparation lets inspiration take the mic when it matters most.
-Presence instead of escapism by telling true aspiration from crisis-driven impulse, and acting from calm clarity.
-Simple, repeatable practices that produce improvements you can measure—not just feel-good moments.
-A try-along sequence using breath and stillness to settle the nervous system in minutes.
-Ten micro-challenges that build adaptability through small, daily doses of healthy discomfort.
-A no-complaints week that reveals hidden negativity loops and invites a more generous way of speaking.
Next, Michael leads a guided meditation that leaves you grounded, clear, and ready to act from what's Real.
🪷 Connect with Light and check out his events and community here: https://www.lightwatkins.com/ and across social media.
✍️Love Take Back Your Mind? This podcast grows through your support. If you've been inspired by an episode, we'd love to hear from you! Consider leaving a 5-star review or drop a comment. It helps others join this journey of growth and connection
🎧 Never miss an episode!
Be sure to Subscribe or Follow the show and turn on notifications so you're the first to know when new episodes drop every Wednesday and Friday.
✨ What's your Life Question?
Have questions about your relationships, finances, life purpose, or how to understand  world events through a spiritual lens? Submit your Life Question to [email protected] — your question could be featured in an upcoming episode to inspire others on their journey!
🌐 Stay connected with Michael: Visit https://michaelbeckwith.com/ and sign up to receive occasional inspiration and updates—and as a gift, you'll receive his powerful guided meditation, "Raise Your Vibration and Be Untouchable." Explore even more at https://agapelive.com/.
📱 Follow Michael on social media for daily wisdom:
Facebook: @Michael.B.Beckwith
https://www.facebook.com/Michael.B.Beckwith 
IG: @michaelbbeckwith
https://www.instagram.com/michaelbbeckwith/ 
TikTok: @officialmichaelbeckwith  
https://www.tiktok.com/@officialmichaelbeckwith 
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqMWuqEKXLY4m60gNDsw61w 
🌟 Support the podcast by supporting Agape! Take Back Your Mind is brought to you by more than just great conversations—it's powered by purpose! Our primary sponsor is the Agape International Spiritual Center. Founded in 1986, Agape is committed to individual transformation and to being a beneficial presence on the planet. Discover more here: https://agapelive.com/.
If this show uplifts your spirit, please help us keep it going:
💖 Donate at https://agapelive.com/ and mention "podcast"
📱 Or text GIVE to 424-321-6243 with "podcast" in the message
Your generosity helps us to keep sharing meaningful conversations that uplift and transform!
Our secondary sponsor is NutriRise, the makers of Michael's AdaptoZen high-vibe nutrition and supplement line, designed to nourish your body temple from the inside out. Check them out here: https://nutririse.com/collections/adaptozen. 🌿

Today, our first letter comes from Nancy who wonders whether awakening to her True nature requires embracing her shadow as fully as her light. She asks if spiritual wholeness means accepting destructive tendencies, or transcending them.
Our next letter comes from Rade in Macedonia. Writing from prison, Rade shares how a life of crime has given way to a sincere spiritual practice and a surprising sense of inner freedom. He asks how to truly transform his life and align his future with service, integrity, and spiritual Truth.
Finally, Michael leads a guided meditation for the pause that refreshes.
✍️Love Take Back Your Mind? This podcast grows through your support. If you've been inspired by an episode, we'd love to hear from you! Consider leaving a 5-star review or drop a comment. It helps others join this journey of growth and connection
🎧 Never miss an episode!
Be sure to Subscribe or Follow the show and turn on notifications so you're the first to know when new episodes drop every Wednesday and Friday.
✨ What's your Life Question?
Have questions about your relationships, finances, life purpose, or how to understand  world events through a spiritual lens? Submit your Life Question to [email protected] — your question could be featured in an upcoming episode to inspire others on their journey!
🌐 Stay connected with Michael: Visit https://michaelbeckwith.com/ and sign up to receive occasional inspiration and updates—and as a gift, you'll receive his powerful guided meditation, "Raise Your Vibration and Be Untouchable." Explore even more at https://agapelive.com/.
📱 Follow Michael on social media for daily wisdom:
Facebook: @Michael.B.Beckwith
https://www.facebook.com/Michael.B.Beckwith 
IG: @michaelbbeckwith
https://www.instagram.com/michaelbbeckwith/ 
TikTok: @officialmichaelbeckwith  
https://www.tiktok.com/@officialmichaelbeckwith 
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqMWuqEKXLY4m60gNDsw61w 
🌟 Support the podcast by supporting Agape! Take Back Your Mind is brought to you by more than just great conversations—it's powered by purpose! Our primary sponsor is the Agape International Spiritual Center. Founded in 1986, Agape is committed to individual transformation and to being a beneficial presence on the planet. Discover more here: https://agapelive.com/.
If this show uplifts your spirit, please help us keep it going:
💖 Donate at https://agapelive.com/ and mention "podcast"
📱 Or text GIVE to 424-321-6243 with "podcast" in the message
Your generosity helps us to keep sharing meaningful conversations that uplift and transform!
Our secondary sponsor is NutriRise, the makers of Michael's AdaptoZen high-vibe nutrition and supplement line, designed to nourish your body temple from the inside out. Check them out here: https://nutririse.com/collections/adaptozen. 🌿

Niraj Naik is a former U.K. pharmacist who left the pill-for-every-ill treadmill after a debilitating autoimmune illness forced him to rethink healing from the ground up. He restored his health through breathwork, meditation, music, and nutrition—and founded SOMA Breath, a method that fuses ancient pranayama with modern science and rhythm-based music to reduce anxiety, boost resilience, and reconnect people with purpose. With protocols now under study at Cambridge University, his mission is to awaken the body's "inner pharmacy," one breath at a time. Note: This episode includes a brief instance of explicit language.
Conversation Highlights include:
-After years as a pharmacist, Niraj kept seeing patients take more prescriptions yet feel worse—so he stepped away to find a better way.
-A personal health crash was the turning point; when surgery and heavy meds were the only options, Niraj looked for a "third path" rooted in breath, meditation, and lifestyle.
-The first structured sessions—slow nasal breathing and longer, calmer exhales—gave immediate relief, revealing the body's "inner pharmacy."
-Why Niraj chose the name SOMA: rather than reach for substances, create bliss from within by syncing breath, awareness, and the nervous system.
-What sets SOMA apart: a sequence of protocols (focus, sleep, pain, emotional balance) that pair rhythm, breath-holds, and intention in a safe, step-by-step way.
-Music isn't just a soundtrack—it's the metronome guiding rhythmic breathing and gentle, timed hypoxic holds to build resilience and CO2 tolerance.
-In the quiet after an exhale, the mind goes still; Niraj calls this window "scientific prayer," a moment to plant intentions and rewire patterns.
-Early data—and ongoing studies at Cambridge—point to rapid, measurable shifts that can be replicated, not just one-off miracles.
-A simple try-along: nose-only breathing, a four-count rhythm, and a soft hum to raise nitric oxide and calm the system within minutes.
Next, Michael leads a soothing guided practice—grounding listeners in love, gratitude, and an embodied sense of peace.
🪷 Connect with Niraj and SOMA Breath here: https://nirajnaik.com/ and
https://www.somabreath.com/, and across social media.
✍️Love Take Back Your Mind? This podcast grows through your support. If you've been inspired by an episode, we'd love to hear from you! Consider leaving a 5-star review or drop a comment. It helps others join this journey of growth and connection
🎧 Never miss an episode!
Be sure to Subscribe or Follow the show and turn on notifications so you're the first to know when new episodes drop every Wednesday and Friday.
✨ What's your Life Question?
Have questions about your relationships, finances, life purpose, or how to understand  world events through a spiritual lens? Submit your Life Question to [email protected] — your question could be featured in an upcoming episode to inspire others on their journey!
📱 Follow Michael on social media for daily wisdom:
Facebook: @Michael.B.Beckwith
https://www.facebook.com/Michael.B.Beckwith 
IG: @michaelbbeckwith
https://www.instagram.com/michaelbbeckwith/ 
TikTok: @officialmichaelbeckwith  
https://www.tiktok.com/@officialmichaelbeckwith 
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqMWuqEKXLY4m60gNDsw61w 
🌟 Support the podcast by supporting Agape! Take Back Your Mind is brought to you by more than just great conversations—it's powered by purpose! Our primary sponsor is the Agape International Spiritual Center. Founded in 1986, Agape is committed to individual transformation and to being a beneficial presence on the planet. Discover more here: https://agapelive.com/.
If this show uplifts your spirit, please help us keep it going:
💖 Donate at https://agapelive.com/ and mention "podcast"
📱 Or text GIVE to 424-321-6243 with "podcast" in the message
Your generosity helps us to keep sharing meaningful conversations that uplift and transform!
Our secondary sponsor is NutriRise, the makers of Michael's AdaptoZen high-vibe nutrition and supplement line, designed to nourish your body temple from the inside out. Check them out here: https://nutririse.com/collections/adaptozen. 🌿

Today, our first letter comes from Tara: As a new mom, Tara is caught between keeping her heart open and protecting herself from constant criticism by her partner's family. How can she practice compassion and enforce healthy boundaries without continuing to get hurt?
Our next letter comes from Lebo in South Africa: Lebo feels anxious and diminished around family who value status and achievement over spirituality. How can they stay true to their deeper purpose without guilt or fear when their identity is so intertwined with family and culture?
Finally, Michael leads a meditation on coming into a Divine state of being and slowing down the aging process:  "You're not looking for the fountain of youth. You're looking for the fountain of You."
✍️Love Take Back Your Mind? This podcast grows through your support. If you've been inspired by an episode, we'd love to hear from you! Consider leaving a 5-star review or drop a comment. It helps others join this journey of growth and connection
🎧 Never miss an episode!
Be sure to Subscribe or Follow the show and turn on notifications so you're the first to know when new episodes drop every Wednesday and Friday.
✨ What's your Life Question?
Have questions about your relationships, finances, life purpose, or how to understand  world events through a spiritual lens? Submit your Life Question to [email protected] — your question could be featured in an upcoming episode to inspire others on their journey!
📱 Follow Michael on social media for daily wisdom:
Facebook: @Michael.B.Beckwith
https://www.facebook.com/Michael.B.Beckwith 
IG: @michaelbbeckwith
https://www.instagram.com/michaelbbeckwith/ 
TikTok: @officialmichaelbeckwith  
https://www.tiktok.com/@officialmichaelbeckwith 
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqMWuqEKXLY4m60gNDsw61w 
🌟 Support the podcast by supporting Agape! Take Back Your Mind is brought to you by more than just great conversations—it's powered by purpose! Our primary sponsor is the Agape International Spiritual Center. Founded in 1986, Agape is committed to individual transformation and to being a beneficial presence on the planet. Discover more here: https://agapelive.com/.
If this show uplifts your spirit, please help us keep it going:
💖 Donate at https://agapelive.com/ and mention "podcast"
📱 Or text GIVE to 424-321-6243 with "podcast" in the message
Your generosity helps us to keep sharing meaningful conversations that uplift and transform!
Our secondary sponsor is NutriRise, the makers of Michael's AdaptoZen high-vibe nutrition and supplement line, designed to nourish your body temple from the inside out. Check them out here: https://nutririse.com/collections/adaptozen. 🌿

Today, Michael welcomes Dr. James V. Hardt, founder of the BioCybernaut Institute and a pioneer in brainwave feedback for spiritual growth, healing, and performance. For decades James has studied the electrophysiology of advanced meditative states, guiding thousands through seven-day training sessions that convert electroencephalography (EEG) activity into musical tones so people can raise alpha, access theta, and develop coherence. His research links brainwave change with measurable gains in creativity, IQ, anxiety relief, and what he calls true transformation.
Conversation Highlights Include:
-How the journey began for James as a college physics major who tried early feedback and entered profound non-drug altered states, prompting him to find his life's calling.
-Why real-time feedback matters: you immediately know if your practice is deepening or if you're just going through the motions.
-What a seven-day training involves—orientation, scalp sensors, mood check-ins, baselines, and listening to layered musical tones that mirror your own brain activity.
-How progress is built: begin with alpha for relaxed focus, then layer theta for insight and delta for deep restoration; with continuous feedback, patterns that once took decades of meditation can start to appear in days.
-What an "ego attack" can feel like mid-week, and how naming classic hindrances—doubt, drowsiness, distractibility, aversion, boredom, forgetfulness—helps loosen their grip.
-Measurable outcomes you can point to: sustained IQ gains and roughly 50% creativity boosts in trained groups compared with no-change controls.
-A step-by-step forgiveness practice you can see on electroencephalography: alpha drops when contacting the pain, then rises as compassion and release take hold—often followed by real-world reconnection.
-Trainable markers for "angel" and "halo" patterns seen in advanced meditators; why coherence matters and how feedback separates imagination from genuine insight.
-James's presentation at the Vatican on his angel brainwave data, his *free ebook,* _The Art of Smart Thinking_, and more!
Next, a guided meditation centering on love and gratitude to feel grounded, open-hearted, and present.
🪷 Download James's free ebook, The Art of Small Thinking, here: https://biocybernaut.com/bonus. View his Vatican presentation on his angel brainwave data here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lQ87OlmWsSRs-4CQ1BuQ6LdRkUfg0-dd/view. And learn more about BioCybernaut Institute here: https://biocybernaut.com/.
✍️Love Take Back Your Mind? This podcast grows through your support. If you've been inspired by an episode, we'd love to hear from you! Consider leaving a 5-star review or drop a comment. It helps others join this journey of growth and connection
🎧 Never miss an episode!
Be sure to Subscribe or Follow the show and turn on notifications so you're the first to know when new episodes drop every Wednesday and Friday.
✨ What's your Life Question?
Have questions about your relationships, finances, life purpose, or how to understand  world events through a spiritual lens? Submit your Life Question to [email protected] — your question could be featured in an upcoming episode to inspire others on their journey!
📱 Follow Michael on social media for daily wisdom:
Facebook: @Michael.B.Beckwith
https://www.facebook.com/Michael.B.Beckwith 
IG: @michaelbbeckwith
https://www.instagram.com/michaelbbeckwith/ 
TikTok: @officialmichaelbeckwith  
https://www.tiktok.com/@officialmichaelbeckwith 
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqMWuqEKXLY4m60gNDsw61w 
🌟 Support the podcast by supporting Agape! Take Back Your Mind is brought to you by more than just great conversations—it's powered by purpose! Our primary sponsor is the Agape International Spiritual Center. Founded in 1986, Agape is committed to individual transformation and to being a beneficial presence on the planet. Discover more here: https://agapelive.com/.
If this show uplifts your spirit, please help us keep it going:
💖 Donate at https://agapelive.com/ and mention "podcast"
📱 Or text GIVE to 424-321-6243 with "podcast" in the message
Your generosity helps us to keep sharing meaningful conversations that uplift and transform!
Our secondary sponsor is NutriRise, the makers of Michael's AdaptoZen high-vibe nutrition and supplement line, designed to nourish your body temple from the inside out. Check them out here: https://nutririse.com/collections/adaptozen. 🌿