Episode Overview

Podcast: Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown
Episode: Part Two: Michael Singer: “I Can Handle This”—A Powerful Mantra for Modern Life, Why We Are Addicted to Our Own Suffering, and How to Release Everything That’s Hurting Us
Date: January 7, 2026
Host: Mayim Bialik, with co-host Jonathan Cohen
Guest: Michael Singer (Author: The Untethered Soul, The Surrender Experiment, Living Untethered)

Main Theme:
This episode continues Mayim and Jonathan’s in-depth conversation with spiritual teacher Michael Singer, exploring the true meaning of surrender, the somatic and psychological reality of resistance, the nature of consciousness, and practical steps to release suffering in modern life. The discussion weaves together insights from Singer’s books, traditions of both science and mysticism, and actionable practices for emotional regulation and inner peace.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Real Meaning of Surrender and Letting Go

• Misconceptions about Surrender: Singer emphasizes that surrender is not passive acceptance of everything happening externally. Instead, it’s a deep internal process of letting go of resistance and reactivity.
  • "Surrender is something you do within yourself. When you feel resistance coming up due to your stuff, you understand that you feel it coming up in you first. Surrender, let it go, relax, let it pass through you." — Michael Singer (02:41)
• Acceptance Doesn't Mean Inaction: You accept reality, but you still interact responsibly with the world from a place of clarity and love.
  • "Life is an interactive sport... But where are you coming from? I want you to come from clarity. I want you to come from openness and love..." — Michael Singer (03:35)

2. Recognizing and Working with Resistance

• Start Small & Practice: Michael Singer advocates beginning to notice resistance with small annoyances (rain, an annoying driver) and practicing letting go, just as one would train a muscle.
  • "You practice there and you actually bother to say... that's what you’re doing with letting go. You’re practicing with the low hanging fruit." — Michael Singer (05:48)
• Building Skill Over Time: As you practice with the “little things,” your ability to handle deeper challenges grows.
  • "Every time you do it, you get better at it. Just like every time you play the piano, you get better at it." — Michael Singer (07:03)
• The Illusion of Control: Mayim draws a parallel between controlling the weather and trying to control people or external events.
  • "If you believe that you can control the weather, you are your own higher power. You've just decided that you're God." — Mayim Bialik (08:13)
• The Quantum Field Analogy: Singer ties modern physics into spirituality, illustrating how little control we have over fundamental reality.
  • "Do you really believe you're going to go down to those wavelets... that's the foundation of every single thing you’re experiencing everything, right? And you’re going to control it. And you let go, you’re free." — Michael Singer (09:19)

3. The Law of Attraction, Desire, and Authentic Fulfillment

• Questioning Desire: Singer critiques the “law of attraction” culture by highlighting that wanting to “attract” experiences is driven by a sense of lack, not wholeness.
  • "How did you decide what you want to attract to you? Because I know your stuff. Because a great being... couldn’t care less. You understand that? They’re already in ecstasy. Everything’s beautiful." — Michael Singer (10:06)
• The True Goal: The point is not to get what you want, but to honor reality as it is and find contentment in that.
  • "It’s not about getting what you want. Right. It’s about honoring and respecting what is and being blown away that it even is." — Michael Singer (11:25)

4. Where Is Consciousness & What Happens After Death?

• Consciousness as Fundamental: Singer explains that consciousness is not just in the body or mind, but is the fabric of all existence.
  • "I am that I am. Right? I am going to practice letting go of the object of consciousness so I can experience the source of consciousness... They are that consciousness." — Michael Singer (12:55)
• Scriptural & Mystical Perspectives: He weaves together insights from scriptures and quantum theory, proposing that all form arises from a vibrating field within consciousness.
  • "It’s not hard to think that the Word is the Om or Amen or a vibration. In the beginning was the Word. What’s the Word? A vibration vibrating in the consciousness of the universe." — Michael Singer (14:33)
• Death is an Illusion: Singer asserts that consciousness persists; death is just a change in the "vibration rate."
  • "There is no death. My God. Give me a break. Right? There’s just consciousness expressing. It’s what happens to the music when the note stops being played? It’s still there." — Michael Singer (22:33)

5. The Manipulation of Spiritual Traditions

• Loss of Mysticism in Religion: Mayim comments on the tragic shift from spirituality/mysticism to dogma and fear within religious traditions.
  • "Religion used to be spiritual before it was Co opted by, forgive me, the capitalist patriarchy, of course." — Mayim Bialik (24:38)
• The Mystical Thread: Both agree that the original intentions of religious teachings were deeply mystical and aligned with the concepts discussed.

6. Michael Singer’s Forthcoming Book: Wisdom Untethered

• Exclusive Reading & Message: Singer announces his new book, sharing a moving passage on the difference between conditional (human) love and spiritual love, culminating in divine union (“enlightenment”).
  • "Once the heart learns to remain open even under difficult circumstances... You begin to feel a tremendous upward flow pulling you beyond your sense of individuality. It feels like God is calling you home..." — Michael Singer (read at 28:03)
  • "This is Christ’s ‘I and my Father are one’. This is Buddha’s Nirvana. This is Islam Sufi’s Fanā, the complete dissolution of the ego self in the presence of God. This is the Jewish Kabbalah’s Betul Hayesh dissolving the ego self into divine nothingness. This is enlightenment." — Michael Singer (31:13)

7. Practical Tools for Handling Resistance and Emotional Activation

Key Tools and Steps:

• Pause (41:38)
  • "Postpone action until serenity ensues." — Mayim Bialik
• Connect to Breath (42:45)
  • "The one thing you do after pausing, it's to breathe into your belly... When we’re agitated and upset, we breathe like here, right? You’re not getting enough oxygen... pretending like you’re inflating a balloon in your belly. Do that. I don’t know, I’m going to say 10 times." — Mayim Bialik
  • Jonathan describes the "double inhale" breath: big inhale + sip of extra air + long exhale (44:28)
• Notice Physical Sensations (44:59)
  • "Once your body sort of gets into a less agitated state... just start noticing. Do you feel your feet on the ground? Do you feel your tush on the seat... you would just start noticing. That is going to encourage again your nervous system to start chilling out." — Mayim Bialik
• Movement/Shaking (48:29)
  • "Jumping and dead arms ... literally shaking our bodies as though an animal shakes stuff off." — Jonathan Cohen
  • "This is something in Kundalini we do. This is one of the movements... It dispels energy, moves it from the core out." — Mayim Bialik (49:10)

On Trauma and Deep Inner Work:

• Letting go can be gradual; address trauma with external support when necessary.

  • "For many of us, the resistance we have in the outside world is because of the wounds that we carry in our inner world... There's work to be done. Processing, healing, trauma work, cord cutting, medication, whatever it is." — Mayim Bialik (52:39)

• Build resilience by stacking positive experiences and practicing presence.

  • "Having more moments of awe... having more experiences of love start to increase our ability to let go because we’re starting to tip the scales." — Jonathan Cohen (55:14)
  • "Momentum carries us. If we’re in a state where we’re attacking all the time, then we’re more prone to continue that state versus as we practice calming, that starts to wire us." — Jonathan Cohen (55:27)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"Surrender is something you do within yourself. When you feel resistance coming up... surrender, let it go, relax, let it pass through you."
— Michael Singer (02:41)

"You practice there... with letting go. You’re practicing with the low hanging fruit."
— Michael Singer (05:48)

"If you believe that you can control the weather, you are your own higher power. You've just decided that you're God."
— Mayim Bialik (08:13)

"Do you really believe you're going to control [the quantum field]? And you let go, you’re free."
— Michael Singer (09:19)

"It’s not about getting what you want. Right. It’s about honoring and respecting what is and being blown away that it even is."
— Michael Singer (11:25)

"There is no death... There is just consciousness changing its vibration rate... There is no dying."
— Michael Singer (22:33)

"Pause." "Postpone action until serenity ensues."
— Mayim Bialik (41:38; 42:00)

"Once the heart learns to remain open even under difficult circumstances... You begin to feel a tremendous upward flow pulling you beyond your sense of individuality. It feels like God is calling you home."
— Michael Singer reading from Wisdom Untethered (28:03)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• (02:41) – Michael Singer explains the real meaning of surrender
• (05:48) – Noticing and practicing with resistance
• (08:13) – Mayim's weather-control analogy
• (09:19) – Quantum field, illusion of control
• (10:01 - 11:40) – Law of attraction and authentic fulfillment
• (12:55 - 16:40) – Where is consciousness? Mystical vs. scientific views
• (22:33) – What happens to consciousness after death?
• (24:38) – Manipulation of religious traditions
• (28:03 - 31:15) – Singer reads from new book, Wisdom Untethered
• (41:38) – Top three tools for handling resistance and emotional activation
• (48:29 - 49:50) – Shaking/movement as emotional release
• (52:39) – Trauma, surrender, and internal/external work
• (55:14 - 55:27) – Building positivity and momentum for healing

Concluding Thoughts

In this rich and compassionate episode, Michael Singer and the hosts dissect the nature of surrender, explaining that true transformation is inward: surrendering resistance, accepting reality, and returning to the experience of pure consciousness. Mayim and Jonathan supplement Singer’s spiritual insight with practical neuroscience-informed strategies for processing emotion, managing activation, and cultivating greater freedom in daily life.

This conversation is essential listening for anyone interested in bridging science, mysticism, and practical mental health—and for those who seek actionable steps in the pursuit of inner peace and freedom.

Further Reading / Listening:

• Michael Singer’s books: The Untethered Soul, The Surrender Experiment, Living Untethered, and the forthcoming Wisdom Untethered
• Mayim Bialik’s Substack and related podcast content on trauma, somatic response, and emotional regulation