Episode 21
How to Take Back Control of Your Mind
Former monk, author, and Kriya Yoga teacher Forrest Knutson joins The Wisdom Matrix to explore the science and spirituality behind deep meditation.
Forrest shares his journey from becoming a monk as a teenager to discovering a more practical understanding of meditation through the breath, nervous system, and body. He explains why meditation can feel hit or miss, how Kriya Yoga helps create deeper states more consistently, and why facing fear, emotions, and the subconscious is an essential part of spiritual growth.
The conversation explores nervous system regulation, emotional healing, information overload, relationships, projection, freedom, and why true meditation is less about controlling the mind and more about working with the body and nervous system.
Forrest also shares practical ways to begin meditating, how Kriya can become a practice that continues throughout the day, and the deeper goal of Kriya Yoga: freedom of consciousness.
Key Takeaways
0:46 Meet Forrest Knutson: Former Monk, Author, and Kriya Yoga Teacher
2:31 The Unusual Beginning of Forrest’s Spiritual Journey
4:07 When Spirituality Went From Casual to Essential
5:07 Searching for a Scientific Meditation Technique
6:39 Discovering Kriya Yoga
8:57 What Forrest Learned About God’s Will and Choosing a Path
9:50 Why Your Spiritual Path Is Ultimately Something You Choose
11:37 The Advice From Forrest’s Mentor That He Never Forgot
13:21 The Discovery That Changed Forrest’s Meditation
17:20 The Spiritual Experience That Told Forrest to Move Forward
19:49 Why Major Life Transitions Are Supposed to Be Messy
20:44 The Fear You Face Loses Its Power
25:31 What Kriya Yoga Actually Is
27:43 How Slowing the Breath Changes Your Nervous System
38:36 Sitting Still, the Nervous System, and the Freeze Response
45:42 Why You Have to Go Down Before You Can Go Up
47:17 Why Om Japa Is Essential to Kriya Yoga
53:25 Why Holding Onto Anger Hurts You
56:01 Why Consistency Depends on What You Truly Value
1:02:48 Why Modern Information Overload Is Overwhelming Us
1:12:36 Why Meditation Is Not About Forcing Your Mind to Be Still
1:15:17 Why Fighting Your Own Mind Does Not Work
1:17:40 Kriya Yoga, Masculine and Feminine Energy, and Relationships
1:19:31 How Projection Shapes the Way We See Other People
1:23:21 How to Communicate Without Turning Everything Into a Fight
1:26:19 What Happens When Couples Practice Kriya Yoga Together
1:30:41 Moksha and the Deeper Meaning of Freedom
1:35:58 How to Start Meditating if You Have No Practice Today
1:38:44 The Physical Signs That Your Body Is Entering the Parasympathetic State
1:40:20 Why the Real Kriya Is the Kriya You Practice All Day
1:41:58 Using Om Japa to Work Through Negative Emotional States
1:45:29 Forrest’s New Book, Unlocking the Mahabharata
1:47:16 Where to Begin if You Want to Learn From Forrest
1:49:04 Forrest’s Patreon, Satsangs, and How to Connect With Him
Resources Mentioned
📚 Mastering Meditation by Forrest Knutson
📚 Unlocking the Mahabharata by Forrest Knutson
🎥 Forrest Knutson’s YouTube Channel
🌱 Forrest Knutson’s Patreon Community
🌐 Connect with The Wisdom Matrix: www.thewisdommatrix.co
