After watching hundreds of hours of YouTube videos, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite perspective-shifting YouTube channels.
Infamous for its rabbit holes, I’ve lost myself countless times to both the dark and enlightening trenches of YouTube’s video archives. While there’s noise to sift through, I’ve found YouTube to be a deep well rich with insightful philosophical content capable of shaping worldviews.
Whether you’re looking for something new or you’re ready to expand your perspective, check out some of my favorite perspective-shifting YouTube channels, in no particular order:
ACTUALIZED.ORG
Leo Gura, the brain behind YouTube’s Actualized.org, covers a wide range of diverse topics on self-development and spirituality. His series on Spiral Dynamics is particularly fascinating and well done (I even wrote a blog post about it). Some of his content is a bit out there for the average person to consume, but I think he’s here to challenge and help us grow together. Start wherever you wish and enjoy the ride.
MANDY RAMSDELL
I first came across Mandy’s YouTube channel while wanting to learn more about meditation and non-duality. I had attended a few Vipassana meditation retreats (a path of gradual awakening), so it was eye-opening to discover Mandy’s content regarding non-duality (a path of immediate awakening). I enjoyed very much her lectures on non-duality and her words reminded me to return to my practice and help challenge my thought processes. I also reached out to Mandy and we recorded a podcast together. If you’re ever looking to shift your perspective, watching her videos are a great way to do so.
KYLE CEASE
Kyle’s perspective resonated with me shortly after becoming interested in meditation. Kyle was a comedian and actor before discovering the transformative power of meditation, leading him on a new spiritual path. He “Evolves Out Loud” with his audience, sharing his powerful thoughts on money, meditation, and the possibility of transformation. Back in the day, he inspired me to share my own impromptu self-connection/meditation experiment on YouTube. Check out Kyle’s YouTube channel, particularly his shorts, below:
IDO PORTAL
Ido Portal’s YouTube channel is filled with wisdom and inspiring gems for those looking to better understand their body and learn of their capabilities. Few have explored as many realms of movement and with as much depth as Ido. His teachings are holistic, integrated from all containers of movement, and even transcend movement itself. Movement becomes a meta-skill that can be applied to any domain of learning. If you want to change the way you think, change the way you move.
THE MOVEMENT STANDARD
Brian Johnson is a student of Ido’s and head instructor at The Movement Standard, a movement community in Dallas, Texas. Brian’s movement philosophy focuses on a balanced, generalist approach to movement. I’ve received programming directly from him for the last few years, instruction that has transformed my mind and body (we also recorded a wonderful podcast episode together). If you’re looking for a movement teacher, look no further than TMS.
HORSES
Horses is a unique video-essay YouTube channel. My favorite videos: a discussion on content addiction and how to actually survive on a desert island. I also thoroughly enjoyed his storytelling episodes, especially the true story of Hansel and Gretel and the story of Donald Crowhurst, a man gone mad at sea.
CONTRAPOINTS
ContraPoints is a trans woman, philosopher, and creator of one of the most insightful YouTube channels in existence. Her long-form, intelligent video essays challenge pre-existing beliefs and offer a window into the life of a trans person. She speaks on a variety of hot-button cultural topics, including Jordan Peterson, Cancel Culture, and JK Rowling among others. Open your mind and prepare yourself to engage with new ideas.
REBELWISDOM
RebelWisdom is a channel for the holistic-minded crowd. It seems like one of the few conversational places dedicated to sense-making and steel-manning in the modern age of information. The channel advocates for integral thinking, frequently hosting conversations with brilliant minds like Ken Wilber, creator of Integral Theory, and Daniel Schmachtenberger, a person who aims to improve public dialogue.
THE SYMBOLIC WORLD
Jonathan Pageau is the host of The Symbolic World, a YouTube channel dedicated to understanding the world through a symbolic lens. I deeply appreciate the symbolic perspective, the recognition that patterns underlie our world, and how these patterns emerge and come together to form religion, art, and pop culture. If you’re looking to better understand the religious perspective, particularly that of Christianity, this YouTube channel is a great place to start.
SCHOOL OF LIFE
A helpful resource to navigate life’s everyday opportunities. The School of Life offers insightful philosophical content to better understand our relationship with ourselves and the world around us. There’s pretty much anything for anyone here, very binge-able and accessible content. Here’s an example of a video that caught my attention.
THINKING WITH DAVID
My entirely self-serving plug. If you enjoy watching content about perspective, spirituality, meditation, movement, or holistic thinking, I’ve started my own YouTube channel to share the journey. Here’s one of my more popular videos currently.
Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, feel free to follow my blog for future updates:
Much Love,
David
PS – What did you think of this list? Comment your favorite YouTube channels below. I’d love to check them out.
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