Welcome back, dear listeners, to That's So Intimate. Bryan and I are back this week talking about the word generosity. The who, what, and why of giving and all it's complexities.
We start with the simple meaning of generosity: the act of giving more than what’s needed. But then we soften into the deeper layers — generosity as a flow of energy, a way of living from a sense of “there’s enough,” a practice rooted in the heart.
From there, we open the door to the shadow side of giving.
We look at the moments when generosity stops being a simple offering and turns into something heavy, confusing, or draining:
When giving comes with unspoken expectations
When we hope to earn love or approval through our actions
When we slide into martyr mode, putting everyone else first
When generosity becomes a way to feel important
When giving keeps us from receiving, staying safe behind the role of the “giver”
We talk about how these patterns often come from old stories:
the need to be liked, the fear of not being enough, the belief that love must be earned through self-sacrifice.
Through a gentle yogic and spiritual lens, we explore the teaching of dāna from the Bhagavad Gita — the three kinds of giving — and how they help us see the difference between pure giving, ego-driven giving, and giving that harms more than it helps.
This episode reminds us that real generosity is balanced, honest, and rooted in choice.
It’s not about losing ourselves.
It’s not about keeping score.
It’s not about being “the good one.”
It’s about letting kindness move through us in a way that respects our own needs as much as someone else’s.
We close with questions that invite reflection:
Am I giving from fullness or fear?
Do I feel tired or resentful after I give?
What happens if I let myself receive as much as I offer?
This conversation is an invitation to practice generosity from the heart — without losing ourselves, and without tying love to the act of giving.
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