• E123: How Clinging Creates Ego and Suffering

    Michael Singer — October 23, 2025

    Human beings walk around with a fishbowl over their head full of thoughts about themselves. Instead of naturally processing outside experiences as they come in, we trap the ones...

  • The Michael Singer Podcast

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  • Insights At The Edge

    Tami Simon’s in-depth audio podcast interviews with leading spiritual teachers and luminaries. Listen in as they explore their latest challenges and breakthroughs - the leading edge of their work.

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Subscribe to The Michael Singer Podcast

Join the New York Times bestselling author of The Untethered Soul, The Surrender Experiment, and Living Untethered for this free series of curated teaching sessions, recorded at his Temple of the Universe yoga and meditation center.

Meet Your Host Michael Singer

Michael A. Singer is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Untethered Soul, The Surrender Experiment, Living Untethered, and several popular Sounds True programs, including the Living from a Place of Surrender online course. In 1971, while pursuing his doctoral work in economics, he experienced a deep inner awakening and went into seclusion to focus on yoga and meditation. In 1975, he founded Temple of the Universe, a yoga and meditation center where people of any religion or set of beliefs can come together to experience inner peace. Through the years, he has made major contributions in the areas of business, the arts, education, health care, and environmental protection. Author photo © Timothy Davis

Most Recent

E85: You Are Not Who You Think You Are

You are not your thoughts, emotions, or experiences—you are the conscious awareness behind them. Identifying with these inner phenomena creates a disturbed inner world that you mistakenly try to fix with the outside world. Spiritual growth involves changing your relationship with your mind and emotions by releasing their past stored blockages and rediscovering the stillness, clarity, and joy of your true nature.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

Michelle Cassandra Johnson and Amy Burtaine: The Wisdo...

More and more people are waking up to the very real dangers that humanity is facing as a result of a declining honeybee population. Yet as we join the refrain, “Save the bees!” Michelle Cassandra Johnson and Amy Burtaine pose a profound and extraordinary question: What if it’s the bees who are trying to save us? 

In this eye-opening conversation with the coauthors of the new book The Wisdom of the Hive, Tami Simon speaks with Michelle and Amy about bees as psychopomps who come to us with guidance; the spiritual lineage of bee priestesses; sustainability and respect in bee tending; hive consciousness and the concept of the superorganism; bees as an indicator species and the consequences of colony collapse for humanity; tending bees in a way that aligns with how they want to live; experiencing the power of the hum; the healing properties of the hive; how opening a jar of honey can turn into a shamanic journey; the waggle dance; the adaptability of bees and the various roles they play over their lifespan; the queen and her brilliance; becoming less fearful of bees (and what to do when one lands on you!); bees as a model of faith and trust; the question bees have for each one of us: What is the medicine I can offer?; how bees demonstrate gratitude, contentment, and equanimity; the swarm; meaning, connection, creativity, and contribution; the polarity of the dark and the light; the gift of “a box of sweetness”; why “the more you give away, the more you have.”

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

E84: Unconditional Love Is Who You Are

The true meaning of Mother’s Day is to celebrate the idea of unconditional love—a love that does not judge or withhold. Most humans misunderstand this because the mind judges everything, creating inner resistance and leading to closure of the heart. Spiritual growth is the process of learning how to stop judging by understanding the root of judgment: past experiences stored in the personal mind that we couldn’t handle. By consistently relaxing through these blockages, instead of resisting their release, they will dissolve naturally, allowing the spiritual energy to rise. This culminates in the realization that God is love, and our own consciousness is that same ocean of love.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

 

Customer Favorites

Karla McLaren:Making Friends with Anxiety … and All ...

Karla McLaren is an award-winning author, social science researcher, and empathy pioneer. Her work focuses on a “grand unified theory of emotions,” in which she moves us beyond looking at some emotions as negative and some as positive, and instead helps people see the genius that lives inside every single emotion. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Karla about managing the multiple emotions that many of us are experiencing as we navigate both a pandemic and a time of societal transformation. Tami and Karla also discuss the importance of creating a community that shares an “emotional vocabulary,” the four keys to unlocking the wisdom of our emotions, and much more.

Stretch Your Heart and Say What You Mean

Join Sounds True’s Tami Simon in conversation with author and teacher Oren Jay Sofer, as he shares his innovative method for productive discourse and authentic connection. In “Stretch Your Heart and Say What You Mean,” Tami and Oren explore how contemplative practice is an essential ingredient for healthy conversations and relationships, and vice versa; three foundations for mindful communication; the practice of pausing a conversation; the art of the “do-over”; the power of intention in conversation; curiosity, humility, and kindness; how focusing on what matters transforms reactivity and allows us to speak our truth; the shift from projecting blame to identifying and expressing our needs; the heart of compassion and nonviolence—seeing one another in a deeper way; three layers of needs—physical, relational, and spiritual; freeing our hearts from animosity and hostility, and becoming a force for loving unification; and more.

The Surprising Power of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniq...

In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Dawson Church about Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and the technique known as “tapping”—and its amazing efficacy in trauma healing and post-traumatic growth. Tune in to this hope-giving, possibility-expanding conversation that explores bringing energy therapies into mainstream primary care, the proven effects of tapping acupuncture meridians to calm limbic activity, the history of tapping and the steps involved in practice, the importance of self-acceptance, avoiding retraumatization through memory reconsolidation and emotional extinction, the impacts that tapping has on our brain waves and sleep patterns, resilience and post-traumatic growth, meditation practice and the experience of “bliss brain,” the power of compassion, and much more.

Timeless Classics

Most Recent

E3: The Yoga of Letting Go – Staying True to You...

How do we free ourselves from the endless pull of external events and the turmoil of our thoughts and emotions—to return to the seat of the true self? Like a balloonist seeking to rise skyward, the key is to stop fighting the ropes that are holding us down, and to practice the moment-by-moment yoga of letting go. When we do, we cease to be an instrument of the personal self and start being a liberated expression of the divine will.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E2: Cultivating the Discipline to Free Yourself

Once we realize that the higher self lies beyond our thoughts and emotions, we’ve taken an important first step. But anyone who’s had this insight knows that the journey has just begun. “If you think you can quickly free yourself from the power of the mind and the heart,” Michael Singer teaches, “you are in for a surprise.” Here, he guides us into the work of freeing ourselves through our choices and our continual commitment to spiritual practice.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E1: Living From a Deeper Part of Your Being

What do you truly want? Wealth? Recognition? A perfect relationship? At our core, reflects Michael Singer, what we really want is to be happy: to dwell in a place of joy, love, and freedom from fear. In this episode, he shows how our thoughts and emotions lead us astray with solutions and goals… and how to experience the deeper, complete part of our being that transcends both external events and the misguided perceptions and tendencies of the mind.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com. 
© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

S3 New Year’s Bonus: Every Day Gets Lighter When...

What do you plan to do with your “next lap around our star”?

Nearly everyone, Michael Singer observes, will do the same thing they do every other year of their lives: try to get what they want and avoid what they don’t want. And they’ll be just as unhappy.

Why do we do this? Can’t we liberate ourselves from this no-win situation? Here, Michael shines an optimistic light on the New Year.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.
© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

S3 E5: Experiencing Love and Joy Instead of Fear and D...

“When your personal self isn’t taking over,” teaches Michael Singer, “your heart is full and your mind is clear.” So what stops this from happening? Our fears and our desires.

In this episode, Michael shows us how to replace the never-ending pursuit of what you think will make you OK with that which will actually fill you with unconditional love and joy.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.
© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

S3 E4: Releasing the Burden of Worry

Why do we find ourselves worrying all the time? 

According to Michael Singer, it often comes down to the desperate request our hearts have made to the thinking mind:

“Protect us from bad events by dreaming up every scary possibility—then warn us about them all… constantly!” 

In this session, Michael shows us how to transform worry into inner freedom.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.
© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

Listener Favorites

E118: You Are Not Your Mind: The Journey Back to Self

The spiritual journey explores the fundamental question of identity—not who you think you are, but who you truly are: consciousness itself. Ego, the false concept of self, is created when the mind clings to certain events and forms rigid preferences, desires, and identities around them. True freedom lies in ceasing to store these inner impressions and letting the energy of Shakti rise unimpeded into a state of unconditional joy and well-being.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E98: The Guru Within: Returning to Consciousness

True spiritual masters are not mystical icons, they are beings who have transcended the distractions of mind and emotion to rest in the constant ecstasy of pure consciousness (Sat Chit Ananda). This is in drastic contrast to the suffering we incur by allowing our preference-driven mind to control our lives. The path back is simple but profound: begin by noticing the reactive nature of your mind, then work on relaxing and releasing those impulsive reactions. Stop always needing life to match your preferences, and instead, learn to honor and appreciate life as a miraculous gift.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E70: Beyond the Self-Concept: Returning to Spiritual T...

Have you noticed that you live with a personal mind that is shaped by your past experiences? In that mind, you develop a self-concept of how life should be. This ego-mind leads to tremendous suffering and distorted views of truth. True spirituality involves recognizing that you are not your thoughts or experiences, but the consciousness that observes them. By ceasing to identify with your ego and facing reality without resistance, you can awaken to a deeper truth and experience lasting peace and fulfillment.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E80: Wavelets of Consciousness: The Field of Mind Expl...

The mind is a field of infinite energy that generates thoughts like wavelets or ripples in a lake. These wavelets are transient and harmless unless we hold them in place by focusing undue attention on them. Held in place, these wavelets freeze and become the mental patterns of our ego and belief systems, which distort our perception from then on. Liberation comes from learning to relax and not resist energy as it passes through, and by letting go of the older patterns as they arise.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E113: The Perfect School: Life as the Path to Liberati...

The purpose of life is to release the inner blockages (samskaras) that obscure the natural flow of energy and keep us trapped in patterns of fear, desire, and resistance. External events are not punishments but opportunities to see and let go of what is stored within, transforming suffering into growth. Liberation comes through non-resistance, relaxation, and surrender—using every moment of life as a chance to purify and return to the wholeness of the Self.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

 

E103: From Preference to Presence: The Journey Beyond ...

We create tremendous suffering by shrinking our world to the narrow confines of our personal preferences. They have the effect of locking us in a house of our own building wherein we don’t realize there is a whole universe outside that house. Through sincere inner work, we can expand our awareness beyond the limits of ourselves into a world of peace, clarity, and selfless giving.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

Timeless Classics

E97: Spirituality Is Awareness—Not Beliefs or Concep...

Spirituality is about realizing that all experiences, thoughts, and emotions are just objects that consciousness is aware of. It is awareness that gives meaning to the object, but we get fixated on the object itself. By learning to remain centered as the objects of consciousness pass before you, you can stop being pulled down into suffering and begin to rest naturally in your true seat of Self. Ultimately, when you surrender completely, your individual consciousness merges into Universal Consciousness, revealing a state of boundless peace and love.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E98: The Guru Within: Returning to Consciousness

True spiritual masters are not mystical icons, they are beings who have transcended the distractions of mind and emotion to rest in the constant ecstasy of pure consciousness (Sat Chit Ananda). This is in drastic contrast to the suffering we incur by allowing our preference-driven mind to control our lives. The path back is simple but profound: begin by noticing the reactive nature of your mind, then work on relaxing and releasing those impulsive reactions. Stop always needing life to match your preferences, and instead, learn to honor and appreciate life as a miraculous gift.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E99: Why Spiritual Experiences Are Not Enough

Spiritual liberation is not about attaining extraordinary experiences; it is about releasing the internal blockages that keep us from a permanent state of well-being. The cause of suffering is not life—it is our belief that life must be what we want in order for us to be okay. We can learn to let go of this constant sense of lacking by releasing the stored blockages from our past. When this purification takes place, we become open, peaceful, and capable of living with unconditional joy regardless of circumstances.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

S1 E1: Ceasing to Be Caught in the Waters of Mind

The natural state of the mind is like calm, still water, teaches Michael Singer. The practice of spiritual surrender—to “relax and release” our resistance to whatever arises in our experience—is the pathway to enjoying serenity of mind no matter what the universe throws your way. In this podcast, Michael Singer uses the analogy of an aquatic bird maintaining its balance on rough water to illustrate what to do and what not to do if we want to stay poised and upright when life gets turbulent.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.
© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

S1 E2: Doing the Real Work to Free Yourself

According to Michael Singer, the only one stopping you from experiencing the heights of divine ecstasy and freedom is you. In this podcast, he describes the real work of the spiritual path as the process of removing our inner blockages and self-made obstacles in order to uncover the natural states of bliss and spiritual liberation that are our birthright. He also discusses discovering “witness consciousness,” the cause of karma, the art of relaxing and releasing resistance to our experience, and more.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.
© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

S1 E3: Giving Meaning to the Time Between Your Birth a...

The time that we have between our births and our deaths is a great gift. What we do with this time and how we give our lives meaning is the subject of this podcast with Michael Singer. Here, Singer discusses hard yet empowering truths about the fleeting nature of our lives, the inherent flaw in our most common strategies for feeling “okay inside,” why spirituality is never about getting what you want or avoiding what you don’t want, and much more.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.
© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

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