Sacred Activism vs. Personal Sādhanā: Finding Balance, Avoiding Burnout

How do we show up for a world in crisis without burning out or bypassing our own healing?

This heartfelt dialogue between Anandra and Kathy Bolte explores the delicate, often confusing dance between sacred activism and personal sādhanā. With gentle honesty and lived wisdom, they reflect on how to stay spiritually rooted while remaining compassionately engaged in a turbulent world.

This isn’t about finding perfect answers—it’s about listening deeply, honoring your inner rhythms, and discovering that activism can take many forms. Sometimes it's a sound bath. Sometimes it's a peace mantra whispered in a yoga class. Sometimes it's simply being the one person in the room who can hold space for all sides without taking sides.

If you’ve ever felt torn between doing more and doing your inner work... this is for you.

Conversation between Anandra & Kathy Bolte:

Anandra: Right? Now, yeah.

Kathy Bolte: So for me, it's difficult to keep the balance of trying to be active in my community and globally, with all the stuff that's going on... and still maintain a delicate balance of spiritual practice and not slip into spiritual bypassing.

You know, I mean, who doesn’t want to live on the mountaintop and be blissful and chant mantra all day? But of course, we can't do that. So... yeah. Words of wisdom around that would be greatly appreciated.

Anandra: I guess, for one thing, my perception of the yogis and yoginis who I actually know that live on the mountaintops and do their sādhanā... like, they’re doing it to benefit all beings. They are doing their subtle activism from the mountaintops. Yeah, they are directing that force very much down and in.

Kathy Bolte: Hmm.

Anandra: Sure, there’s gonna be some people who are there to escape a family situation, or they’re just homeless and decide to wear an orange robe because it’s more conducive for getting donations, you know. But the yogis are activists no matter what their venue is.

And I mean—that was what inspired the Mantras for Peace project. So sādhanā at those levels—and I believe sādhanā at the highest levels—is activism.

Kathy Bolte: Yeah.

Anandra: So there’s that.

And then on a more pragmatic, everyday householder, normal-people level... how do I want to say this?

It’s like being a space of compassionate neutrality in the midst of a contentious environment that’s trying to divide and silo and radicalize both polarities. That is a sādhanā and a service also.

Like, to be the one person in your family that both the Republicans and the Democrats can have a coffee with without blowing up... to be that—to be the one person in your friend circle who empathizes with the Jewish-Israeli history and the Arab-Palestinian history... like, to be that one person feels like a superhero.

Where I’ve come down on it is that social media is neither a place for me to get information nor is it a place for me to exercise my voice in that way.

For me to be commenting and posting and sharing information—which I don’t even know is true or has been fact-checked because there’s no guardrails on that anymore—yeah, that doesn’t do anything other than make some people feel unsafe with me.

And I want to be that person that welcomes everybody to a sound bath.

I want to create a sound space that anybody—whether they're vaccinated or not vaccinated, whether they’re pro-Palestine or pro-Israel, whether they’re Christian or Muslim, whether they’re a Ram Dass person or a Kundalini person—like, it doesn’t matter.

I just want to create a space of listening, self-awareness, attunement, aliveness through sound, reverence, and connection. And those are not political.

That’s my activism. That’s kind of where I’ve landed on it.

Kathy Bolte: I'm a little bit there too. I'm a teacher in a local yoga studio. I teach five classes a week.

No one in our studio had chanted before I came. I’ve been with them for 10 years—I’m one of their longest teachers. Actually, I think 12 years. They opened 12 years ago and I was one of the first teachers.

There are a lot of Iyengar teachers in my studio, and you know—they don’t chant, they don’t do that stuff.

And there’s a Kundalini teacher who does all of that—all the Gurmukhi, you know. But I decided I would always open every single one of my classes with a peace mantra...

Anandra: Yeah.

Kathy Bolte: ...and close with a peace mantra.

Anandra: Yeah.

Kathy Bolte: I open with that one, and close with the Lokāḥ mantra. And all my students have learned to chant it. We have this heavenly chant from the start to the end. And I always say:

(tearfully) “This is a way for us to offer the benefits of our personal practice out to all those in the world who need a little more peace and freedom in their lives. They’re not as privileged as we are.”

And everybody in my classes—they get that. They align with that. I have Republicans and Democrats, some Muslim women, some Christian women... and everybody’s on board with it.

And I think, much like you, it’s because of the gentleness with which we approach it.

Anandra: Yeah.

Kathy Bolte: That makes it non-threatening.

Anandra: Yeah.

Kathy Bolte: And then they’re curious.

Anandra: Yeah.

Kathy Bolte: And before you know it, if I start a class and go into asana or breath practice, they’ll stop me like—“Whoa, whoa, whoa! We didn’t chant our mantra!”

I’m like, “I’m sorry! I messed up!”

Anandra: Yeah. I hear what you’re saying.

But... do you worry that you’re not doing enough?

Kathy Bolte: Oh yeah.

Anandra: Do you have much guilt?

Kathy Bolte: Yes. That comes from knowing how many people are in need, are hungry, are discriminated against, are being picked up by ICE and shipped out to who knows where—and on and on and on.

Sometimes I feel like maybe I could find different avenues to be more physically hands-on active. But then some of my wiser yoga friends say what you said: “Your practice is being who you are in this community, and allowing that to ripple out.”

Anandra: I think that’s the core of it.

And you know, the yogis who come down from the Himalayas and spend their lives in service—they’re creating medical camps and feeding schoolchildren and addressing sanitation issues, and clean drinking water.

So if there’s a particular project you feel passionate about—put more time into that. But I wouldn’t guilt myself over not doing enough.

You’re already teaching five classes a week. You’re doing retreats. You’re trained and seasoned to create a space of respite and reset... a deep, restorative, rejuvenative connection to self. That’s essential for anybody doing any kind of work.

You know—there’s lots of cars on the road. But everybody needs an oil change and a safety check every couple thousand miles.

You’re the service station.

Kathy Bolte: Yeah, let’s gas you up.

Anandra: That oil. That sticker. You’ve taken care of this. That’s self-care.

And guilt-tripping ourselves to the point of inaction and overwhelm... it doesn’t serve anyone.

This Mantras for Peace Meditation with Cameron of eternal.heart.music is gold! Chant along with us as we collectively amplify our intentions for inner peace, global harmony, and personal well-being. (Recorded LIVE during one of our FREE Yoga of Sound experiences!) If you do it (chant along with us, that is - not just watch) you'll feel more uplifted, harmonious, and hopeful, guaranteed. Mantra is empowering sound medicine; it's most therapeutic when you chant along, either with the power of your mind, or the vibration in your voice (or both!) The mantra we use is Lokāḥ Samastāḥ Sukhino Bhavantu.The practice of mantras for peace is one of our passionate service projects. The Sanskrit mantra we chant in the video is below: Lokāḥ Samastāḥ Sukhino Bhavantu Please note this experience is meant to be an active participation event, where you chant along with the mantra and vocalizations, and not just a passive listening or spectating session. You can put this Mantras for Peace on a playlist and listen passively, or do it actively daily to establish yourself in the most peaceful groove possible. 

FREE Peace Mantras Chant Leadership Course

Use this free course to lead a mantras for peace chant session!

• Videos & audios of Anandra teaching the main peace mantras
• Sanskrit mantra pronunciation tips and meanings
• Handouts with the mantra lyrics beautifully written out (for you to share with your participants)
• Background sounds to use if you don't have any instruments
• Graphics, marketing copy and #hashtags to use for promotion
• Instructions on how to host your own Mantras for Peace gathering in your community
• Online event how-to, including ZOOM room sound instructions, tips & tricks
• 💓 Aspiring chant leaders with no musical experience, WELCOME! This it has everything you need; all you have to do is provide your 💓💓💓!

Welcome to our global community of peacemakers!

I've seen people offering similar bhakti yoga trainings or harmonium 101 courses for $597 and up; but they don't even teach the mantras accurately! This sound yoga teacher training is completely free, developed by Anandra and the Mantras for Peace volunteers.

Discover the best sound yoga therapy, mantra meditation, and nada yoga here:

• Dive deep with the world's first and only online sound and mantra 200HR & 500HR Teacher Training
• More free sound baths and chant experiences of all different types are available at HeartofSound on YouTube / Sound Bath Playlist
• Get to know Anandra through her IG reels and media appearances. 
• Interested? ☎️ Book a FREE 30 minute Discovery call! Let's explore together and find the perfect option