From Self-Improvement to Reverence (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7)

Are you collecting yogic wisdom… or in a relationship with Divine mystery? Today we're opening into Chapter 7 of the Bhagavad Gita, and it's a true turning point. The first six chapters have been so much about discipline, self-mastery, and effort… but here, we pivot into the bhakti arc: relationship with the divine.

Before we drop into the verses, I frame the big shift this chapter is asking of us — and I weave it through a distinction that changes everything: jnana (intellectual knowing) vs vijnana (realized, embodied knowing).

Here are the 5 biggest takeaways from this episode:

🔹 The pivot from self-effort to reverence + relationship (and why this is such good news if you're tired of over-efforting)

🔹 Jnana vs vijnana: reading about truth vs living it in your nervous system, your body, your actual life

🔹 Krishna's reveal: not "worship me as a personality," but recognize the animating intelligence of reality (taste in water, light in sun + moon, Om…)

🔹 The gunas as weather patterns — and bhakti as remembering the "sky" behind them

🔹 The radical reframe: awakening isn't a solo achievement… it's participatory — you're being met

If you're loving this deeper dive into yogic texts, come join me inside the Uplifted Membership for the Yoga Sutras Book Club — it's where we keep studying together (with prompts, practices, and community) so the teachings move from your head into your life.

💖 Join the membership today and get all the details on our next call → https://www.brettlarkin.com/uplifted/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=uplifted

FREE Practice: The Healing Power of Divine Love | VINYASA FLOW HEART OPENING

Relevant Blog: What Are The Gunas In Yoga? A Complete Overview

Relevant to Today's Episode:

✅ History of Yoga

📚 Healing with Somatic Yoga Book

🔮 300-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training

🐍 Yoga for Self Mastery

🌀 Somatic Yoga Life Coaching

💫 Somatic Certification

🎧 Also Listen to:

#297 – What is Samkhya Philosophy and How is it Different from Yoga?

#364 – Dissecting The 8 Limbs and Their Origins

#404 – What If I Fail? Krishna's Answer to Your Inner Critic (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6)

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