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OM and Beyond: Explore The Science of Sound and Mantra
See how ancient Vedic wisdom meets modern science. Explore with Dr. Stella Wuttke how sound vibration heals energy blockages, restores balance, and transforms the body, mind, and spirit through mantra practice, tuning forks, and the fascinating science of sound therapy.
About Dr. Stella Wuttke
Raised in Vienna and now based in Santa Barbara, Dr. Stella Wuttke brings together a background in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, meditation, and sound-based practices in her work supporting nervous-system regulation, emotional balance, and personal transformation. She studied psychology at the University of Vienna and the University of Bamberg and spent roughly fifteen years in academia researching neuroplasticity, perception, and EEG-based brainwave dynamics, including postdoctoral research and teaching at the University of Jena.
Alongside her scientific career, decades of meditation practice, Kriya Yoga, and extensive travel through Asia gradually shaped a more contemplative and integrative approach to healing and consciousness. Today, her work combines neuroscience-informed sound healing, meditation, neurofeedback, and contemplative practice, with a particular focus on stress, anxiety, trauma-related symptoms, sleep difficulties, and heightened sensitivity. She is the co-founder of the Infinite Potential Institute and the founder of AwakeningStillpoint.
Stella is a long-term meditator, meditation teacher in the Kriya Yoga tradition of Paramahansa Yogananda and Roy Eugene Davis, and is a minister of the Center for Spiritual Awareness, Lakemont, GA.
Dr. Stella Wuttke
Show Notes
Video: Quantum Fields: The Real Building Blocks of the Universe - with David Tong
According to our best theories of physics, the fundamental building blocks of matter are not particles, but continuous fluid-like substances known as 'quantum fields'. David Tong explains what we know about these fields, and how they fit into our understanding of the Universe.
Dr. Trujillo’s Comments
“Dr. Stella Wuttke brought an enormous amount of scientific background as well as personal experience using sound healing to our conversation. With the advances in quantum field theory, where everything in the universe including our bodies is made up of ripples in a vibrational field, it’s not hard to imagine that sound can have an effect on the body. The Vedic description of Om as the fundamental vibration of all creation is describing this same reality. We discussed how individuals can pay more attention to what they “resonate” with, and use mantras and other forms of sound for self-healing.“
The Yoga Hour Listener Comments
“In this illuminating conversation, Dr. Laurel Trujillo and Dr. Stella Wuttke, PhD, explore the science of sound healing — and how quantum physics is catching up to what ancient Vedic tradition has long understood about the power of vibrational frequencies. They discuss how sound waves move through the body's energy pathways — known as the nadis — to clear blockages and restore balance. For me the most striking is the reminder that we don't just hear sound — we feel it. As anyone who has stood near a speaker at a live concert knows, sound vibrations are absorbed through the skin just as much as through the ears, making the body itself a resonant instrument.”
Explore Yoga Therapy for Addiction Recovery
Bring forth healing from the body’s own intelligence.
Yoga Therapist Thomas Klepper shares yoga therapy tools to support healing in addiction recovery. Learn how nervous system dysregulation drives cravings—and practices to restore health, wellness, and mind-body balance.
Thomas Klepper has had advanced training in somatic therapy, yoga therapy, and addiction treatment. He is an experienced yoga teacher, Holistic Addiction Treatment Professional, Embodied Regulation Therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner Candidate.
Thomas teaches about Yoga Therapy for Addiction Recovery in the Loyola Marymount University Yoga Studies Program. He has worked as an independent contractor across multiple mental health and addiction treatment settings in Los Angeles while building his private practice. Additionally, Thomas is a sitarist studying Indian classical music. His interest in raga, musicology, and the relationship between sound and nervous system states informs his sound healing work.
🔗 Learn more about Thomas Klepper: https://thomasklepperhealing.com/
🌅 Discover West LA Somatic Addiction Treatment: https://www.westlasomatic.com/somatic-therapy-addiction-west-la
Dr. Trujillo’s Comments
“I enjoyed this conversation with yoga therapist Thomas Klepper about yoga therapy’s tools that help those recovering from addiction. This includes all forms of addiction: to drugs, alcohol, social media, gambling, and others. Thomas has a thorough understanding of the effects of addiction in the brain and the impact of yoga therapy to reverse these brain changes. We discussed the effects of yoga asana (postures) on rebuilding portions of the brain that have been damaged, as well as helpful concepts from yoga philosophy including the importance of vairagya, dispassionate non-attachment. Thomas’ final message was hopeful and uplifting: change is possible.”
The Yoga Hour Listener Comments
“This was a helpful and inspiring conversation between Thomas Klepper and Dr. Trujillo about how yoga therapy can aid in addiction recovery. I appreciated learning the distinction between yoga therapy and other forms of treatment, as well as how the tools of yoga philosophy can be used in recovery. Their discussion of brain function, behavior patterns, and underlying dual diagnoses was especially informative for me as a layperson. Most of all, the conversation offered a hopeful message: that the brain can heal from addiction for mind and body balance.”
Thomas Klepper
Journey into the Heart of Bhakti Yoga
Edwin Bryant, author of Bhakti Yoga, returns to discuss this classical path of yoga centered around love and devotion for the Divine. Through stories from the Bhagavata Purana, the practices of Bhakti yoga engage us and open our heart.
Edwin Bryant received his Ph.D in Indic languages and Cultures from Columbia University, where his thesis culminated in his first book: The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture (Oxford University Press, 2001). He taught Hinduism at Harvard University for three years, and is presently the professor of Hinduism at Rutgers University where he teaches courses on Hindu philosophy and religion. He has published eight books, and authored a number of articles on the earliest origins of the Vedic culture, yoga philosophy, and the Krishna tradition.
📚 Find the book discussed in this episode: Bhakti Yoga: Tales and Teachings from the Bhagavata Purana
🔗 Edwin has a series of recorded classes and ongoing courses, all for free, on edwinbryant.org
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: If you are someone who enjoys attending kirtan or chanting the names of God, this conversation with Edwin Bryant about his book Bhakti Yoga will help you deepen your understanding of this sacred yogic path of devotion to God. We discussed the many practices of bhakti yoga, including hearing (or reading) about God, kirtan as a communal practice, japa as an individual practice, serving God and surrendering to God. Listen in and allow your heart to open.
THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: This is an engaging conversation with Edwin Bryant on Bhakti yoga and I learned many new things to take into my practice. There are many "flavors" of bhakti as there are infinite forms for God or Bhagavan. Bhakti is service or seva that is aimed at developing love. Take the name of God, whatever that is for you and listen intently to know God above all other desires.
Edwin Bryant