From Near-Death to Spiritual Awakening: The Power of Presence in Crystal's Path to Creating SoulPod. A Conversation with Crystal Cassidy (Epi.#218)

Exploring the Depths of Spiritual Awakening and Energetic Healing with Crystal

Join us for an enlightening conversation with Crystal, a Reiki master and spiritual practitioner with a rich background in various modalities, including meditation and Kriya Yoga. In this episode, we dive deep into the moving energy, awakening journeys, and the subtle interplay of mind, body, and spirit. Crystal shares her profound personal experiences with Reiki, Kundalini awakening, and a transformative near-death experience. We also explore the importance of community and consciousness in spiritual practice. Tune in for an inspiring and mystical dialogue that could shift your perspective on reality and self-awareness.

00:00 Introduction and Welcoming Crystal
00:19 Crystal's Spiritual Journey and Reiki Practice
02:02 Exploring Energy and Intuition
04:26 The Power of Kriya and Kundalini Yoga
08:04 Meditation and Presence
25:55 Thoughts, Awareness, and Neuroplasticity
40:26 Crystal's Near-Death Experience and SoulPod
44:07 Conclusion and Future Plans

Bio:

Crystal Cassidy is the CEO and founder of SoulPod, a soulfullness app where you can find powerful structure to become more aware of your inner world, and then transform it.  Her spiritual journey started around age 12 when she was introduced to meditation while training to become a world champion martial artist. Since then, Crystal has become a certified Reiki Master, breathwork facilitator, meditation guide, and kundalini yoga in

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Transcript

crystal: [00:00:00] Welcome, Crystal. Thank you. Happy to be here with you today. 

shilpa: I'm very happy to be here, or happy to have you as well. Um, so I've been wanting to talk to you for quite some time and finally have my show. I'm just so fascinated. Your background is so rich in spirituality and your journey, and as I mentioned just before I hit record, um, you even practice Reiki, right?

crystal: Yeah, yeah. I, um, Um, I've been on the awakening journey for a long time, but meditation was my kind of first, first modality into my spiritual journey. But as I got more and more into it, I became fascinated with the perception of energy and you're in my own practice. I was like, okay, something's happening here.

energy's moving. I also, uh, trained in the sciences. So I was like, how do we explain this? [00:01:00] And I had received Reiki from somebody, um, a beautiful practitioner when I was healing from a, from a health issue, which I think is the way a lot of people meet Reiki is they're looking to heal. And I could feel the.

shift as the practitioner was working on me. So I was like, this is so interesting. Like that piqued my interest. I could feel something moving. Sometimes people feel heat change in temperature. Um, you can also have visions if your eyes are closed, like it starts to bubble up some things. And so that initiated my curiosity into Reiki.

And I went on a deep dive and very long story short became a Reiki master. 

shilpa: Oh, yeah, that's fascinating. I, I would love to hear about. That aspect and maybe even tying it to your, your journey on [00:02:00] the spiritual path. Um, but actually you really piqued my curiosity when you say when you feel the energy moving, is it just in one area?

Is it more in the subtle body? I'm just curious about that. 

crystal: Yeah, it's a really good question. And I think a very. Nuanced answer. I mean, for me in my, in my practice now, I can feel the energy centers harmonize. I can feel that physically. Um, sometimes that's a sensation of variations of tingling in, in the body.

Sometimes it's a sensation of, it almost feels like water moving in a certain area, but it's not really water, but it's a sensation of flow, at least for me. Um, yeah. And when I'm practicing or I'm, I'm providing energy as a vessel, so Reiki very much views the, the [00:03:00] practitioner that's providing as a vessel, you're just allowing this Reiki, this loving energy to flow through you.

So it really helps to kind of take the personality and the ego out of it. I'm just a vessel and I'm allowing it to, to move into somebody with increased ease. A lot of times when I especially work with Reiki, it's a heat, but it's not like a, like a, a stovetop heat. It's this inner heat and energy, and I typically feel that in my, in my hands, deep in my hands.

And a lot of times the person receiving feels that as well. 

shilpa: That's so fascinating. Um, I'll come back to that in a moment with about it because my husband's always said that when I give him a back massage or something, I'll just kind of intuitively know where it's Hurting. And I didn't know it was a thing until [00:04:00] recently, but I would just be like, Oh, you know, I feel like there's like a little point right here I need to work on.

crystal: Yeah, I think that's, that's 100 percent the energy speaking to you through your, your intuition. And if you're open to it, it can guide you in like really profound and it seems magical ways. 

shilpa: Wow. I'd love to tie that back to intuition. Now, I'm, I want to hear more about, um, your, because you mentioned heat and energy and I'm a practitioner of Kriya Yoga.

I don't know if you've Oh 

crystal: yeah. Me, me as well. Yeah. I love Kriya. It's one of my, one of my favorite. Yeah. 

shilpa: Oh, then we'll go deeper in that as well. But I was just thinking, you know, maybe you could go into more about the energy around yoga. 

crystal: Yeah. Ooh. Juicy. Yeah, I think, I mean, and you let me know what you think too, but, um, [00:05:00] yoga, obviously such a profound modality and what I love about Kriya and Kundalini yoga.

is that it's really this, um, beautiful harmonization between the spiritual body and the physical body. And so, at least for me, it's not as much about the stretching and the movement, although that is a part of it and a very helpful, powerful foundation. It's about this awakening of your spiritual body, your energy bodies, and your your energy centers, chakras, whatever you want to call them, but there's this intersection between the physical and the spiritual.

And it feels like to me with, with Kriya and Kundalini, especially that it's working with that intersection and awakening to your, your spiritual superpowers, I like to call them, but it's very potent practice. And I credit it with, um, helping me heal from [00:06:00] from severe illness. So it holds a very, very powerful spot in my heart.

shilpa: Yes, I can understand that. And from the perspective of moving energy, Kriya Yoga, for me, the most simplest explanation is that it helps release energy. And, um, when I say the word opens up the chakras, I feel like it gets so esoteric, it's hard for even myself to fully understand. 

crystal: Yeah, 

shilpa: but It is about moving energy through meditation and as well as, you know, you can do when you say yoga, often it's thought of as physical movement to release energy, but Kriya goes deeper.

crystal: Yeah. Have you ever experienced the, um, I think Kundalini awakening, but [00:07:00] that, that movement through the spine is, is that been a part of your, your practice? 

shilpa: Um, I'm conscious of, um, I, I'm, I've been told that the way to truly practice the techniques is to go deep in the spine, and being the cerebral kind of too much intellectual person sometimes.

I'm at the crossroads because I, what I practice is very esoteric, but intellectually, I'm too cerebral. Sometimes I'm my own worst enemy, because I'll be like, Hmm, how do I get into the spine? Because, you know, it's, 

crystal: it's, yeah. Right. But, oh my gosh, I'm, I'm right there with you with the science side. I can get into analysis and, and a lot of times, unfortunately in the spiritual work, once that analytical brain takes back over, it kind of pops you out of the, the experience.

And so it's, I totally, uh, empathize with, with that. I'm [00:08:00] constantly trying to quiet my analytical mind and just experience it. But you're so right going back to your comment that, um, When we say something like in Kundalini or Kriya where you're connecting with the energy center and you're allowing more energy to flow, the energy is already always flowing.

In my opinion, it's just you're opening the channels, um, consciously through breath, meditation, mantra movement. and allowing more energy to flow in and building more harmony with your, your spiritual body. And it sounds, it sounds very mystical, but I think. You know, what I always tell people is that it sounds mystical until you experience it for yourself.

And until that point, it's just experimentation. It's like, okay, can I, can I sense my, my root chakra? Can I sense that first center at my perineum? And [00:09:00] Visualizing with your mind's eye or some people that can't visualize it's the, the act of sensing, can you just sense that area and you kind of start there and then once you have that moment where the mystical becomes practical, then you're like, Oh, now, now I get it on another level, you know, but it's, it's a constant unfolding.

shilpa: It's, it's constant for me, and I practice it as a non negotiable morning and night. Love it. It's, it's been part of my lifestyle my whole life, only as I've gotten older, I've gotten a little more, um, I, I wonder if I would use the word intentional, like I'm a little I don't know if I'm mature about my understanding of it or approach to it, but one phrase, I have all these key phrases that come up in my mind when I'm practicing because they help me kind of get the analytical mind [00:10:00] to say, okay, I gave you just enough information now stay quiet.

Well, one of them is where attention goes, energy flows. 

crystal: Love it. Yeah, 

shilpa: sometimes my mind will be like, what's happening? Let's, let's get in on the action. Are you doing, are you doing enough? And I'm like, just shut up. Energy is flowing. 

crystal: I love that. 

shilpa: But it's subtle. 

crystal: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. One thing I say to myself, um, especially when you come up against that resistance, in the analytical mind or even in the body, especially in meditation.

You know, when you're, when you're sitting there and your mind's, you know, you're thinking about your grocery list or the, the meetings I have later, or, um, you know, I have this twinge in my shoulder that all of a sudden I didn't realize was there. It's, it's this constant feedback a lot of times. Um, [00:11:00] But one thing, and it sounds so simple, but for me, it was a big breakthrough in my spiritual practice is I'm not going anywhere.

And I would say that to myself, we're, we're sitting right here, like, even if my mind is moving thought to thought without. Shaming myself or judging the thought, but also asserting to my mind and my body. We're, we're not getting up until this meditation is over. And it's so interesting to me how the body will start to trust you and respond and, and stop resisting as much.

But that took me quite a bit of time to, to get to that point. 

shilpa: I, I agree. It's taken me a long time and it's, Very subtle micro, uh, um, improvements. 

crystal: Yes. 

shilpa: I know you wouldn't say 1%. It's like a fraction of 1%. And, um, again, I try and I, maybe you've been there is [00:12:00] that I, once I give information to the mind and it starts to go in the background a little bit, I also remind myself.

That what is best for my soul's highest purpose is to drop in the heart, trust the intuition and trust the process because it's a process to then say, okay, I'm stepping out and observing the breath. 

crystal: I love that. Trust the process. That is such a good affirmation and mantra on your journey because to your point, it's, I think a lot of people expect this big moment in the spiritual journey or what we call the awakening, but the, the awakening is the entire process.

It's it's Transcribed It takes time. It's like going to the gym and thinking you're going to lift those 400 pounds or I don't go to the gym. You can tell, [00:13:00] whatever that is that you want to lift, um, that you're going to be able to do it on day one. And it's like, no, there's, there's the diet, there's the, the preparation, there's the stretching, there's the consistency.

And increasing your duration, um, and your, your cardiovascular ability, like there's so much that goes into building the body that you want that the same thing applies with your mind. There's, there's a lot that goes into it, but even those, those, um, micro kind of Progress that you're making. It's so impactful, even at the very beginning, it's like I was talking to somebody who is really new and meditation.

And we were talking about the concept of presence. And he was like, you know, I think he had a moment where there was space, just this little bit of [00:14:00] space, a little bit of a visual as well. That was really calming in his mind's eye. And I'm like, that's, that's why we do what we do is for that moment. And you can start to expand that and expand it and you can sit in it for, for as long as you want at some point, but yeah, it's a journey, but it's such a worthwhile journey.

I think the ultimate journey, honestly. 

shilpa: Oh, there's so much you said that just. created this, um, space in my head of information, like, oh, I have to share this with her. One is like, often when I want to describe the analogy of that peace that is felt, that euphoric level of presence, Um, there's a metaphor that I use, which is almost like a digital metaphor.

Like, let's say you're zooming in on a picture or zooming in on a bit of music and you take your fingers and you keep expanding on the screen with your finger [00:15:00] and you get to that one little tiny microscopic space, whether it's in the music or the the pixel. That's kind of like what your mind is doing.

It's like expanding everything that you see and feel that space. Does that make sense? 

crystal: It does. Yeah. That's, that's really beautiful. It's seeing, it's seeing through the fabric, you know, as Alan Watts says, the fabric of the universe itself, which is you, you know, and it's, when you have that space, you can see, you can see down to the pixel.

You can see up to the highest vantage point, like the, the perception that you're able to access once you can work with presence. Which is really the only moment we ever have anyways, we forget, you know, the past is in our imagination, and the future is, is something that we're trying to anticipate, [00:16:00] but like, the moment of presence, you're not making any assumptions, you're just aware of that pixel.

And there's, there's no judgment around it or the, the deepest presence and I, that transcendent dimension. I mean, the ultimate fascination that I, that I have is of those levels of consciousness because that's really what you're doing is you're shifting the level of consciousness that you're operating in from this dimension into a higher dimension.

shilpa: And then when we think about it, then, I mean, I'm reminded just the way you were describing it as well, is that. And time is really just a human construct and these concepts of what really we think of as past present, they trigger fear, which is on the mind and ego level, which distorts information. 

crystal: Ooh, yeah.

shilpa: So the moment we're able to really get into [00:17:00] that space. That's where that bliss lives and what if it's all bliss? Oh my gosh, I got 

crystal: chills What if it's all bliss? 

shilpa: What if it's all bliss? Of course You know, then all I have to do is turn on my iPhone or listen to the news which I try not to 

crystal: Yeah, I think I mean, what you bring up is so timely and important, and I think so many people, myself included, have been struggling with this, which is the moving into the past and the present as though it is, um, especially the future, is Already written.

And so a lot of what I do in my own practice right now is release my anything drawing my awareness into the future, where whether I'm trying to anticipate plan that's all going to be built on the known until I can [00:18:00] access the unknown, which I think you access through meditation. And then you can remember or know deeply within yourself that really anything's possible.

It's not written in cement. You know, there, there is a new world here that you're a part of, that we're all a part of, of creating through our awareness. And so if we can release the, the planning and the analysis and the worry and really just come back to ourselves. I think that is one of the most powerful things that we can do right now as a collective is to build that awareness of right now, what's real right now, access the dimension of the unknown and create through how you feel and You, you mentioned bliss.

I, I used to hear that word and I was like, I don't know what bliss is, you know, it's like, but then I had experienced a [00:19:00] couple of years ago, um, where I emerged into bliss and I was like, Oh, this is what they talk about. Like it's beyond joy. It's this like transcendent. I mean, so hard to explain with words.

Right. But it's, yeah. Once you experience that, you're like, that's where I want to hang out. Like, how do we get back to that? But it's, it's just such a powerful state of consciousness. 

shilpa: There's so much you also said right there, like just talking about, and maybe these weren't your words, but collectively we are experiencing some level of, or a great level of stress.

And especially. Depending on your perspective, politically or what have you, it's, it's, it's difficult not to, um, shut it out. You don't want to shut it out because you want to be a conscious being, but it is. [00:20:00] One of those situations, I feel like part of me wants everyone to meditate, you know, so we can collectively increase our resonance and vibe because again, this sounds hokey and I'm the analytical mind wants to like beat me up and say, No, this isn't true.

But, you know, I hear, well, your perspective in where you place attention shifts your reality. And so if you were to start focusing on that space, that energy. Where peace and presence resides, expanding on that, then what if we're able to shift the reality collectively? What if? What if, right? I mean, I'd like to, I'd like to 

crystal: believe that.

I think it's, I mean, I [00:21:00] think it's a really powerful thing to contemplate. Which, you know, and a spiritualist, we love to talk about quantum physics. And I, I was lucky enough to, um, one of my events, a quantum physicist from Stanford came, came to one of my events and I was just like, I was like, can we talk?

Like, can we have a conversation? Um, and really what we're talking about when we talk about the unknown in the, in the field of possibilities, which is a spiritual term for. What we now know to be the quantum field, um, and in that field, there exist waves, so they haven't yet differentiated. They exist as wave and particle, they're, they're all possible, literally all possibilities.

And we now know, we now know for a fact that observation, and this is the big debate in this, in the scientific realm right [00:22:00] now, some level of observation, we don't quite understand exactly what that is, uh, causes the, the state. To shift and become a particle and the wave is, is the, the possibility. So when you talk about where energy, where your focus goes, energy flows, I think there's a reason why we have that saying, and I think we're starting to understand scientifically why, why that is.

And the more we understand it scientifically, the more it's kind of reaffirming, which is interesting how that tends to happen. So I, I think it's something really powerful for people to contemplate and you can talk about, you know, many worlds theory and timeline jumping and, and whatnot. But if there is some element of what we perceive through our limited human senses as our reality could be shifting [00:23:00] based on what we're observing.

And observation may be a form of thought, I would say, emotion, maybe even more so. That becomes very interesting for us to take seriously. And if that were true, this is what I love to think about, if that were true, really that where your focus, where your focus goes, energy flows, how would you live your life differently?

That's, that's a very, uh, big question. 

shilpa: And that ties into something that I've been giving a lot of No pun intended energy to the last few years of my life is, um, something I'd heard about from my groom. I, my groom is Burma Hansa 

crystal: Yogananda. 

shilpa: No way. 

crystal: Yeah. Yeah. I'm very, I'm very, yes, he is very much. At least one of my guides, very, he, [00:24:00] I have a whole story we could talk about with him, but 

shilpa: yeah, let's, let's do that.

Um, yeah. So I wanted to, I, so he, oh gosh, I lost the train of thought. What was I saying? It was something that he talks about. 

crystal: Yeah. You were saying your, your guru talks about energy flow. 

shilpa: Yeah, it was something you just said and I was going to, oh gosh, the thought just escaped me. Maybe I'll come back in a moment.

But you had just said something. And, um, I think the general point I was trying to make is that we We gosh, we create our energy. I mean we create we create our reality based on our thoughts And I've been hearing this your thoughts have power and he he talks about that And I've been a member or a member a disciple from a very young age 

crystal: But 

shilpa: I remember at a young age I would listen to things and again the [00:25:00] analytical mind would say well why why why everything was was a why?

crystal: yeah, 

shilpa: and like watch your thoughts from like I remember that from a young age. I was, I read him saying that. I go, well, What am I supposed to do? They're my thoughts because I don't feel like they're my thoughts. They're I'm like watching these thoughts and you're telling me to watch them and I don't like all of them.

Yeah, right, but yeah Now I have a different perspective on it. Yeah There's collective thoughts that are probably entering my psyche There's thoughts that I have that are unconscious and there are thoughts that are looping thoughts I need to shift out of because It's an energy that's going to only sometimes bring me down.

crystal: Yeah. 

shilpa: How do we manage these thoughts? Because thoughts are energy. Everything is energy. 

crystal: Yeah. Yeah. Thoughts are, I mean, that's kind of the, [00:26:00] I mean, it's an ongoing, I'm constantly working with my thoughts, even after being a meditator for a long time, over, over a decade, daily. And so, That's that I think people can also rest easy that that's, I mean, I don't know if rest easy is the right word, but it's always going to be something that you're interacting with because we're in the human form and our personality in this dimension of time and space, uh, that's how we orient to this, this reality is through thought.

So it's not about getting rid of the thought. I think it's about. transforming the thought into something that serves you. And the first part of that is, as you well know, is building the awareness in the first place of what it is you're actually thinking. And I think a lot of times when people first get into meditation, they're surprised they're like, and this can be a hard part where you're like, why am I [00:27:00] thinking that thought?

Like I, I wasn't aware I was judging myself so harshly or that I was hung up on something that happened five years ago and that's still a thought that I'm having. So step one is just without judgment to the best of your ability, it's becoming aware of those thoughts. And realizing that I, I forget what the exact percentage is, but I want to say it's close to 90%, if not more, of our thoughts each day are repetitive.

The repetitive loops of thought, literally pathways in our brains that we're used to walking down that are constantly going. And it takes some effort to change those pathways. But as you build the awareness, the cool thing is, Is once you have an awareness of the thought you've already transformed it, whether you know it or not, like once I've realized I'm thinking about, uh, [00:28:00] something that happened last year and I'm worried about it, I've already transformed that thought.

So I think that's really important and helpful to remember, um, and then give yourself so much grace because you're working, you're having to work with your biology, which is your brain and your neural pathways. And. You know, at the end of every day for me, when I'm doing my evening meditation, I like to think about, okay, what thoughts have I wired today that feel really good?

And which ones do I want to leave behind? Which ones am I going to rewire tomorrow? And I think about that at the end of the day to kind of wipe the slate clean. Um, and feel very satisfied with my efforts because it's not always, you know, the process of awakening. I think a lot of people like to think it's just like straight up, but it's, it's really a spiral and you're kind of going around and around, but you're, but you really are elevating even when you might not know it, [00:29:00] you're still.

building a new foundational layer of consciousness, even if you think that you're struggling at certain times or plateauing at certain times. So that's, that's a very long answer to, to your question. 

shilpa: Oh, I, I love the way you articulated because I completely got it. I, I, I feel like the, um, my progress, so to speak, sometimes feels like no progress.

crystal: Yeah. 

shilpa: Or I feel like, gosh, I'm so slow. I've been, I've been exposed to this my whole life and I've been iteratively micro chipping away at techniques and practices and it's non linear. 

crystal: Mm hmm. 

shilpa: Um, what's helped me is understanding awareness like you were saying also integrating new pieces of knowledge that is coming to our generation like [00:30:00] neuroplasticity as soon as i understood that then rather than getting really mad or frustrated um i often remind myself okay it's the mind's job to do x because we are in the past you know In survival mode, and the brain has been genetically programmed to help us, and that's why there's negativity and fear, because I, I'm often like, well, I've been reading, you've probably read, there's so many negative thoughts that go through our mind.

Where do they come from? Why are they there? I don't want to be negative. 

crystal: Yeah, none of us do. But to your point, it keeps us, keeps us safe. Our, our lizard brain, our the, you know, the, the limbic system is designed to anticipate things that could hurt us. And it makes total sense that we have that, that [00:31:00] capacity.

Um, But the I think the evolution is that you build the ability to choose what you think is dangerous. And that's goes for both like thoughts, as well as the physical experience that you can say, you know what that email that was like somebody was a little, you know, sassy or whatever is, is that really something that needs to activate my nervous system that I need to develop a story or can I release the judgment.

And let it go and send compassion, both for myself and the other person. So it's, I think the awakening journey is so much an increased ability to choose what things mean and how you think about them and how you feel. And that's the transformation. 

shilpa: Yeah. And, um, recognizing that those, that micro effort you're making.

is, like you expressed it [00:32:00] so beautifully earlier, the shift is occurring, the neural pathways are being set. And I love what you said earlier about how the fact that, let's say you think something and you're like, I, you know, I can think for myself, like, gosh, I didn't handle that well. Or, why do I go into this loopiness and I've done that in every predicament in life where it's leading me to this point.

Well, the fact that I thought about it may be I'm now breaking the cycle. 

crystal: A hundred percent. Yeah. Yeah. You're already breaking that loop that's been in place by your awareness. So that's, that's like, that's what it's all about in, in my mind. 

shilpa: Yeah. And some of it seems like, are we locked in the mind and then recognizing can we detach from the mind and recognizing that A lot of these things that we're giving energy to, we're giving energy to it [00:33:00] and what if we could Rechannel that energy like you you as Reiki master must really get that We can rechannel that energy To our heart space our intuition, right?

crystal: That's such a good point that you bring up and I like that you use the word re channel. I love that. Re channel because that is what happens. It's like, it's not one thing happening and then, you know, you have awareness of the thought and then, you know, it's, it's, it's. I don't know if I'll say this in the right way, but it's all happening at once.

And when that happens and you start to rechannel this energy, that's when you start having mystical experiences or big breakthroughs in your, in your meditation that you may not have seen coming because. I think a lot of times people don't realize that's what they're doing is [00:34:00] rechanneling that energy.

And if you're channeling it into your spiritual practice, for example, or your creative pursuits, like if you're writing a book or developing something that you've always wanted to develop, if you're releasing the heaviness, which is the lower vibration, Um, that allows that wave to become something more, we call it a higher vibration, which has more possibility and so much more energy.

So I think that's where, you know, I had a, I guess you could call it spontaneous Kundalini awakening and meditation, um, back in 2010 or so. But I'm convinced that even though I didn't really know what a Kundalini awakening was at the time until it happened to me. I think it's because I had released and rechanneled a lot of energy, and that's, that's how it happens.

shilpa: And I'm curious, because [00:35:00] the things we're talking about are very subtle, like the Kriya yoga energy and the Kundalini. When you had your experience, was it an energetic flow through the chakras, or was it a just I don't know, like a, like a nudge, or was it a like, I don't know, like a spark, like, hey, I should do, and then fill in the blank.

crystal: Um, good question. It was a full sensory experience. So I was, In my meditation, um, and all of a sudden I had what felt like an ignition at the very base of my spine. So the, the idea that that's like a fiery energy totally makes sense to me. Um, and as it moved for me, and I don't know why this is, but for me it moved slowly over time.

So it was my first center, second [00:36:00] center, at first. And I had a profound feeling of oneness with everything, which you often hear. And for those of you who have had that feeling of oneness, you know what I'm talking about. You never forget it. It's no longer a conceptual understanding of oneness. It's a knowing.

And then everything changed from, from that point on. And then over the years, it moved into my third center, my heart. And I was, I asked one of my teachers, I was like, why is it hanging out in my heart? Like for a while, and he was like, well, the heart's not a bad place to hang out, is it? And I was like, okay.

So I felt, um, I felt like for my process, that was really, really great. And. For me, when it moved into each center, I developed a deeper understanding of that center, and there was a different experience in each, in each one. And [00:37:00] one thing I like to tell people, because it often starts in the first center, and it can feel like a, um, like a sexual experience, to be honest with you.

And I, I was talking to, I had called up, uh, at an ashram and I was like, can I talk to somebody about this? Because I don't, and they explained to me, and I love sharing this is that it's not necessarily sexual energy. It's that center, which is a plexus of energy that's interacting with nerves is overflowing into the tissues and the nerves around it.

And sure enough, they were totally right. Like when it got to my. solar plexus, I got nauseous because it was so much energy that it was affecting the tissues around that center. And of course you have spiritual mental experiences that happen with each one of those mini awakenings, you could call them that.

But yeah, that would, that was a wild [00:38:00] experience that you can't really explain until you, until you experience it. 

shilpa: And how long did it last for you? 

crystal: It's still going. 

shilpa: Yeah. 

crystal: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It, it moves. Um, and I, I think it'll be a lifetime of developing a relationship with how that energy moves. Yeah. 

shilpa: I think it's a blessing because then you're more present and aware of something that's so much bigger than you.

crystal: Yeah. 

shilpa: And I think especially again, going back to the climate of things in our world these days, I think we need that reminder. 

crystal: Yeah, absolutely. You're so much more powerful than you think you are. And you're not even really who it is that you think you are, because that's built off the known. And I think.

That's one thing that's so powerful on the spiritual journeys when you release fear and, you know, we can [00:39:00] talk, we can talk quite a, at length about the fear of the awakening, right? Because it, it's, um, It's not going to come on in a way that you expect, because then that would be the known. And so there, there has to be, especially once that energy gets to the crown, I mean, you're, you're jumping off the cliff into the abyss and letting go of everything you think you know about yourself at that point.

But even a little bit of the release of the fear of the unknown will greatly impact. Your ability to cultivate that awareness and that energy, but I, I agree with you. I think right now, I really do believe that something's happening on the collective level as far as an awakening. Um, and we're a part of it and I'm, I'm very happy to be here actually at this time on the planet.

shilpa: It's a very interesting time. I mean, I suppose every generation, somebody says, this is the interesting time, but I [00:40:00] feel like this is the right time for me. This 

crystal: is the, yeah, 

shilpa: you know, 

crystal: yeah. I think this is a unique time in our species history. 

shilpa: Yes. Yes. And just seeing it unfold. Um, I definitely would love you back in the future because that is like, holy groovy, cool, cool conversation that I can't have often unless there are guests like you on my podcast.

But I have to ask, okay, two or three things before we wrap up. Um, one, I want to know about SoulPod. 

crystal: Oh yeah. Yeah. 

shilpa: And I want to know more about what you're doing at the moment, and Yogananda. 

crystal: Mm. Oh my gosh. Yeah, that's Yogananda, um, a teacher that I was, uh, learning meditation from mentioned the autobiography of a, of a yogi.

And that book changed my life. I mean, it's so, it's [00:41:00] so coded. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. Um, And I felt a kinship with him on a lot of levels and started to, to practice Kriya Yoga, started to build a meditative relationship with him on a, on a couple levels. Oh no. Oh, sorry. I've got a meeting coming up and it just popped in here.

Um, and so, you know, when I was, Very sick. I had a near death experience, uh, in 2020, and I, this is a longer story, but I had a moment where I wasn't sure if I was going to physically pull through and I could see the timelines. I could feel the different timelines where I did pull through and I maybe didn't and I had to at some point just surrender in a way that I had never surrendered before and it was very scary and, um, and as soon as I surrendered, again, this all happened at one time.

Talk [00:42:00] about re channeling energy. I had the experience of surrender profoundly. And something came into the room and was there, and I'm quite sure it was him and his energy. It's what it felt like. And I could feel the activation of my first center, my My third eye and my heart and it was just this profound mystical healing experience When I was in between worlds and I knew I was gonna be okay from from that point on So I I have a very personal kind of maybe unique and I'm sure we all do.

I'm sure you do Relationship with him, but I think he's doing amazing work in the spiritual realm for us and then Soul pod. So real quickly, soul pod is, um, I'm the founder and CEO of soul pod. And so [00:43:00] when I retired from biotech, which is my second love, I wanted to build something that was for those of us who want to go deeper into our spiritual journey and maybe embrace the mystical.

a little bit more than we have. I think the science is great and mindfulness is great, but I, I wanted to bring in more of the woo woo to be honest with you. And so our, our content in soul pod is built into journeys. So it's not a big catalog. We take you through a personalization process and we figure out what breath work, what meditation, what themes are you working on right and we, um, serve up a really powerful 30 day journey for you with other people.

So one thing for me is I got lonely on the spiritual journey. I was like, all these things are happening and I have nobody to talk to about them. So we wanted to create community that you could travel with as well. So we're having so much fun building, [00:44:00] continuing to build SoulPod and, um, would love to see you in the app.

shilpa: I will, I definitely will look into that. And, um, I'd love to have you back. And I would love to, yeah. Even go deeper into your, your, your journey, the one you described and the near death experience. Um, that's not something that I've been able to hear much about, but obviously I believe in it. Yeah. But still, you are just so 

crystal: Awesome.

Thank you. Thank you. So are you. It's, it's so fun to, to chat with somebody who's like soul rather than like minded, you know? So it's, um, it's my pleasure being here and thank you for having me. 

shilpa: Absolutely. And what a lovely expression, like soul. Yeah, that's great. Well, Crystal, I will reach out again in the future, very near future if possible.

Have a wonderful day and [00:45:00] thank you for being my guest today. 

crystal: Thank you.