Michael Singer: Living Untethered

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January 13, 2026

Michael Singer: Living Untethered

Michael Singer January 13, 2026

What would change if you could witness your thoughts and emotions without being consumed by them? What if the energy you seek through external circumstances has been flowing within you all along, simply waiting to be untethered?

This week, Tami Simon revisits a beloved conversation with Michael Singer—bestselling author of The Untethered Soul and its profound sequel, Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament. Michael is also the author of The Surrender Experiment and the creator of Sounds True’s transformative online course Living From a Place of Surrender.

Join Tami and Michael to explore:

  • The seat of awareness and what it means to truly be “in there” • The three-ring circus of consciousness: sense perceptions, thoughts, and emotions • Shakti—the energy flow within that either expands or contracts based on our internal blockages • Samskaras: the stored impressions from past experiences that shape our present reactions • Practical techniques for letting go: positive thinking, mantra repetition, and witness consciousness • The profound process of transmutation—how blocked energy transforms into love when we stop resisting • The difference between the conditional lower heart and the boundless spiritual heart • Why “you must die to be reborn”—letting go of who you think you are to discover who you really are

If you’re ready to stop bothering yourself about the moments in front of you, to untether from patterns that no longer serve you, and to discover the inexhaustible source of energy already flowing within—this conversation offers a clear, practical roadmap home.

Listen now and discover what it means to live untethered.

Michael A. Singer is author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Untethered Soul and the New York Times bestsellers The Surrender Experiment and Living Untethered, all of which are published worldwide. He had a deep inner awakening in 1971 while working on his doctorate in economics and went into seclusion to focus on yoga and meditation. In 1975, he founded Temple of the Universe, a now long-established yoga and meditation center where people of any religion or set of beliefs can come together to experience inner peace. Along with his nearly five decades of spiritual teaching, Singer has made major contributions in the areas of business, education, health care, and environmental protection. Discover more here.

Author photo © Timothy Davis

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Founded Sounds True in 1985 as a multimedia publishing house with a mission to disseminate spiritual wisdom. She hosts a popular weekly podcast called Insights at the Edge, where she has interviewed many of today's leading teachers. Tami lives with her wife, Julie M. Kramer, and their two spoodles, Rasberry and Bula, in Boulder, Colorado.

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Also By Author

E201: The Spiritual Path Beyond Preference

We suffer when reality fails to conform to what we want or gives us what we don’t want. Instead of trying to manipulate the external world, spirituality involves becoming conscious of our inner reactions, learning to relax through uncomfortable experiences, and allowing stored emotional pain to pass through rather than suppressing it. The realities of everyday life simply unfold according to natural laws, both physical and psychological, while the mind creates problems by insisting that life should be what we want based on our past experiences. Spiritual growth comes from becoming aware of the limiting effect of our preferences and gradually expanding them to include all of life so that love, joy, and inner freedom can naturally arise.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2026 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

Michael A. Singer: The Pain That Ends All Pain


What if the pain you’ve been avoiding is actually the thing that could set you free?

This week, Tami Simon speaks with Michael A. Singer, beloved wisdom teacher, founder of the Temple of the Universe, and author of The Untethered Soul, The Surrender Experiment, Living Untethered, and his newest book, Wisdom Untethered: The Time for Questions. Drawn from 1,200 reader questions distilled into 200 essential ones, the conversation keeps returning to a single teaching Michael once received from a saint: “It’s the pain that ends all pain.”

Join Tami and Michael to explore:

  • Why “letting go” is an inner practice, not spiritual bypassing or passivity
  • What samskaras are, and why blocked energy, not memory, is the real source of inner darkness
  • Why the willingness to feel disturbance, rather than suppress it, is the actual path of purification
  • The practice of “falling behind” resistance, and other techniques for letting stuck energy move and release
  • The difference between preferences and fears, and why the Buddha named preference as the root of suffering
  • How to face real-world injustice with clarity instead of ego-driven reactivity
  • Why the true motive of spiritual practice is simply to let go of what’s in the way

Whether you’ve read The Untethered Soul a dozen times or are new to Michael’s teachings, this conversation offers both the practical tools and the felt experience of what it means to stop blocking the shakti that’s already flowing within you.

Listen now, and discover why the pain you’ve been running from might be exactly what ends it. →

This conversation offers genuine transmission, not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together, and originally aired on Sounds True One.

Insights at the Edge is supported by Magic Hour, whose ceremonial teas carry more presence, beauty, and ritual into ordinary days. Magic Hour draws its leaves and botanicals from regenerative small farms around the world, in blends made to nourish the body and open the mind.

Explore their teas, matchas, and herbal rituals at clubmagichour.com. Get 20% off your first order with the code TRUE.

E200: The Mind Is the Voice of the Heart

The personal mind is not the true source of our thoughts but rather an expression of the emotional disturbances, fears, desires, and unresolved experiences stored in the heart. Attempts to quiet the mind through suppression or mental control only strengthen these inner blockages, whereas genuine healing comes from relaxing through discomfort and allowing emotional energy to pass naturally. By practicing letting go in everyday situations and refusing to store new disturbances, we gradually free ourselves from past conditioning, keep the heart open, and experience greater love, peace, and spiritual freedom.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2026 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

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Michael A. Singer: The Pain That Ends All Pain


What if the pain you’ve been avoiding is actually the thing that could set you free?

This week, Tami Simon speaks with Michael A. Singer, beloved wisdom teacher, founder of the Temple of the Universe, and author of The Untethered Soul, The Surrender Experiment, Living Untethered, and his newest book, Wisdom Untethered: The Time for Questions. Drawn from 1,200 reader questions distilled into 200 essential ones, the conversation keeps returning to a single teaching Michael once received from a saint: “It’s the pain that ends all pain.”

Join Tami and Michael to explore:

  • Why “letting go” is an inner practice, not spiritual bypassing or passivity
  • What samskaras are, and why blocked energy, not memory, is the real source of inner darkness
  • Why the willingness to feel disturbance, rather than suppress it, is the actual path of purification
  • The practice of “falling behind” resistance, and other techniques for letting stuck energy move and release
  • The difference between preferences and fears, and why the Buddha named preference as the root of suffering
  • How to face real-world injustice with clarity instead of ego-driven reactivity
  • Why the true motive of spiritual practice is simply to let go of what’s in the way

Whether you’ve read The Untethered Soul a dozen times or are new to Michael’s teachings, this conversation offers both the practical tools and the felt experience of what it means to stop blocking the shakti that’s already flowing within you.

Listen now, and discover why the pain you’ve been running from might be exactly what ends it. →

This conversation offers genuine transmission, not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together, and originally aired on Sounds True One.

Insights at the Edge is supported by Magic Hour, whose ceremonial teas carry more presence, beauty, and ritual into ordinary days. Magic Hour draws its leaves and botanicals from regenerative small farms around the world, in blends made to nourish the body and open the mind.

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This episode is sponsored by Omega Institute, a global gathering hub for lifelong learning and spiritual exploration. Omega offers weekend workshops, special events, rest and rejuvenation retreats, professional training, online learning, and more. Discover what calls to you at eomega.org/true.