CHITHEADS with Jacob Kyle (Embodied Philosophy)

Jacob Kyle interviews Samir Chopra about anxiety from a philosophical perspective. In Samir's new book Anxiety: A Philosophical Guide, Samir explores the therapeutic value of anxiety from traditions of Buddhism, existentialism, psychoanalysis and critical theory.To deepen your knowledge of yoga philosophy, grab our Yoga Philosophy Reading List, a curated PDF of all the books that will give you a comprehensive overview of the yoga philosophical traditions. GET YOUR LIST HERE: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com...To learn more about the comprehensive contemplative curriculum in Sādhana School, and to use coupon code CHITHEADS250 go here: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/sadhana-school-list30-DAY SĀDHANA: 30 Days of Practices to help refine the nervous system, alleviate negative patterns, and foster a contemplative and spiritually-informed life.MANTRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com... CHAKRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com...WISDOM SCHOOL: Over 100 courses (1000+ hours) in yoga, meditation, somatics, and dharma studies for spiritual seekers, yoga teachers and, body workers, healers and therapists. Features: → A new course every month on a variety of topics → Learning pathways that help you digest the content → Weekly study emails → Interactive member space Start your 7-Day Free Trial: enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/wisdom-school

Jacob Kyle interviews Shree Nahata about the fundamental principles of Jain philosophy and how these principles are incredibly timely and insightful for modern times.To deepen your knowledge of yoga philosophy, grab our Yoga Philosophy Reading List, a curated PDF of all the books that will give you a comprehensive overview of the yoga philosophical traditions. GET YOUR LIST HERE: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com...30-DAY SĀDHANA: 30 Days of Practices to help refine the nervous system, alleviate negative patterns, and foster a contemplative and spiritually-informed life.MANTRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com... CHAKRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com...WISDOM SCHOOL: Over 100 courses (1000+ hours) in yoga, meditation, somatics, and dharma studies for spiritual seekers, yoga teachers and, body workers, healers and therapists. Features: → A new course every month on a variety of topics → Learning pathways that help you digest the content → Weekly study emails → Interactive member space Start your 7-Day Free Trial: enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/wisdom-school

In this episode of the podcast, we share an excerpt from the 30-Day Sādhana on the topic of bhāva, a Sanskrit word which has a number of different meanings, including emotion, being, becoming, and denotes a state of things that we bring into being through practice. It grounds a theory of imagination that is both illuminating and empowering. It grounds our understanding of how and why visualization practices are effective. It is a central theoretical concept that we're exploring as we investigate the yoga text, the Matsyendrasaṃhitā, throughout the 30 days of the challenge. If you're interested in the 30-Day Sādhana, you can find more information here: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/chakra-sadhanaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Birch is a scholar of medieval haṭha yoga and a founding member of SOAS's Centre for Yoga Studies. His research includes locating and translating early yoga manuscripts, and preparing critical editions, such as of the Amaraugha. In this episode, Jason and Jacob discuss: what inspired Jason to pursue the study of Sanskrit texts the historical importance of the Amaraugha, a 12th century text attributed to Gorakṣanātha the account of 4 yogas discussed in the text what mantra, laya, haṭha and rāja yoga practices looked like for the yoga tradition associated with the Amaraugha the relationship between Buddhist and Śaiva yogas what this corpus of haṭha yoga texts might mean for modern practitioners how the forthcoming translations of haṭha yoga texts could enrich the landscape of yoga study See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shambhavi Sarasvati is the spiritual director of Jaya Kula, a nonprofit community in Portland, Oregon. Her principle training is in the View and practices of Trika Shaivism—also called Kashmir Shaivism—and the Dzogchen tradition of Tibet.  Shambhavi is known for her humor and for making complex teachings about the nature of the self and reality understandable, practical, and always relevant to our lived experience. Her teachings are grounded in forty years of study, daily practice, and personal retreats. Shambhavi holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Mills College and a Ph.D. in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University. She is the author of six books about spiritual life and practice. In this episode, Shambhavi and Jacob discuss: how the war on Gaza amounts to a crack in time that is fundamentally reorienting us in this moment our relationship with the "other" how the nature of reality is a dynamic play of "wisdom-virtue" what the Mahabharata has to teach us about the war in Gaza how we each can connect to our own unique impulse to be of service in this moment the obstacles people encounter that keep them from speaking up, and how to move through those obstacles how to embody the "wisdom of the heart" Shambhavi has created a reading list as a resource for those interested in deepening their understanding around the historical and political circumstances between Isreal and Palestine. You can find that reading list here: https://jayakula.craft.me/palestine-learning Shambhavi and the Jaya Kula community gather for satsang and kirtan every Sunday at 3:30pm Pacific. Satsang is live in Portland Oregon and live-streamed. Visit jayakula.org for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Athena Potari is a philosopher, spiritual teacher, and lineage holder of the Hellenicspiritual tradition. She is the founder of Athenoa – an Academy for Hellenic Wisdom inGreece, where Hellenism is approached as a living wisdom tradition whose coreconsists in the inextricable synthesis of scientific reason, self-inquiry and spirituality.Her work aims to revive the deeper spiritual and experiential dimensions of HellenicPhilosophy as a living spiritual lineage, combining discursive rigor, embodiedmeditative practices, and ancient spiritual practices with the aim of awakening to theever-present mystery of being – our true Self. She received her PhD from the Universityof Oxford, specializing in Political Philosophy, and her MA in Political Theory withDistinction from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She wasFellow at the Center for Hellenic Studies at Harvard University, exploring possibilitiesfor an expanded practice of Philosophy by re-integrating elements and histories of thefeminine. She is recipient of the Academy of Athens Award of Philosophy (2020),author of “A Call for a Renaissance of the Spirit in the Humanities” published by theGalileo Commission, and Member of the Galileo Commission Steering Committee. In this episode, Athena and Jacob discuss: How engaging with the Indian yogic traditions can clarify our ability to find wisdom in our own indigenous traditions. The unique energetic “field” of Oxford and how it nurtured her academic and philosophical development. The basics of the Hellenic worldview, and how it frames a spiritual path that sees the All as both One and Many. The inherently political nature of Being. The ways in which the modern university does not satisfy the deepest impulses toward eudaemonia – happiness, or fulfillment. A view of ethics not as “morality” but as “habits of energy.” Philosophy not as an “intellectual” but an “embodied” endeavor.  The teachings of various ancient Greek philosophers, including Plato, Heraclitus, Plotinus, and Pythagoras.  The holistic synergy between consciousness and matter. The nature of Being. Follow Athena on the Following Channels: Facebook: facebook.com/athenapotari ; facebook.com/athenoa YouTube: @athenoa Instagram:  @athena_potari Webpage (finished soon): philathenea.wixsite.com/athenoa-academy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Embodied Philosophy Founder Jacob Kyle is interviewed by Kelly Blaser for the 2024 Power of Meditation Summit. They discussed the role of the scholar-practitioner, the philosophical significance of "zero," the important synergy of knowledge and experience, "reappropriating God," and the necessary role of spirituality in the lives of queer people.  Jacob Kyle is a meditation teacher, writer, philosophy educator, and the Founding Director of Embodied Philosophy. He holds an MPhil in Classical Indian Religions from the University of Oxford, an MA in Philosophy from the New School for Social Research in New York City, and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Jacob is a student of Kashmir Śaivism scholar-practitioner Paul Muller-Ortega and is a devoted practitioner of the Śaiva-Śākta Darśana.  Kelly Blaser is the founder of DharmaBridge and SomaPsychotherapy, and is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with an emphasis in Buddhism, Shaiva and Shakta Tantra, and Somatic Psychology. Her background in feminist movements and Latin American Studies and experience living in Central America opened her up to the extent that our inner struggles are reflective of systemic structures that promote domination and disassociation. Her work is to help others experience the infinite compassion beneath the chaos of life and to remind them of their true nature. Her programs and courses focus largely on the power of applying the dharma to one's relationship with oneself and others. She helps people train themselves in meditation, mindfulness practices, and compassionate self-inquiry, so they can gain freedom from conditioned mind and open up to possibility.  Explore the many upcoming offerings and follow Kelly's work at www.kellyblaser.com. In this episode, Jacob and Kelly discuss: how the history of "zero" as a mathematical disruptive discovery reflects the way our contemplative sādhana both disrupts and inspires different forms of knowledge the importance of studying yoga philosophy as a way to empower embodied experience how scholarship should take seriously and employ experientially the embodied epistemologies of ancient wisdom traditions what it means to let your subjective experience inform your practice without rejecting the knowledge systems of the tradition the symbolism of Nataraja (the dancing Shiva) and how it represents the five universe functions of reality the dance of revelation and concealment according to the Tantrik tradition how organized religions have rejected gay and queer people, and how this necessitates a "re-appropriation" of God in queer-inclusive theologies and philosophies that are simultaneously informed by an understanding of wisdom traditions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leslie Kaminoff is a yoga educator inspired by the tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar. He is an internationally recognized specialist with four decades’ experience in the fields of yoga and breath anatomy. He leads workshops for many of the leading yoga associations, schools and training programs in the world. Leslie’s book Yoga Anatomy, (co-authored with Amy Matthews), sold out its first print run of 19,000 within one month of its June 2007 release, and has been a top-selling yoga book on Amazon ever since. The book went into 12 printings before the newly-revised third edition of Yoga Anatomy was released on October 31, 2011, now with well over half a million copies in print and translations into 23 languages. Leslie also helped to organize international yoga conferences while serving as Vice-President of Unity in Yoga, and was part of the ad-hoc committee that established national standards for yoga teacher training. Prior to the formation of The Yoga Alliance, Leslie was a strong voice in the ensuing national debate regarding the application of those certification standards. This dialogue resulted in the creation of e-Sutra, an influential e-mail list and blog that has an active worldwide membership. Leslie is the founder of The Breathing Project, a New York City based non-profit educational corporation which ran highly respected year-long courses in yoga anatomy from 2003 to 2017. Leslie Kaminoff founded The Breathing Project in 2001 as a non-profit dedicated to the sharing of educational, community-based programming related to yoga, anatomy and health enrichment. From 2003 until mid-2017 the main vehicle for this mission was the physical studio we ran in New York City. The Breathing Project continues its mission of community service by producing and co-sponsoring workshops, immersions, symposia and publications featuring thought leaders from the fields of yoga, anatomy, somatics and other allied fields. The courses Leslie taught at The Breathing Project in New York City have been available online to a worldwide audience at yogaanatomy.net since 2011, with thousands of students worldwide participating in this growing online community. In this episode, Jacob & Leslie discussed: three tiers of yoga education: instructor, teacher, educator (and therapist?) the yoga teaching landscape post-Covid the historical arc of yoga's popularity the psychology of the classroom & student/teacher dynamics studying the anatomy of the mouth through Sanskrit See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the Guest Lucy Crisfield is a speaker at the World Yoga Festival, a plenary speaker at the British Wheel of Yoga Festival, and the founder of ‘Original Wisdom’, through which she shares the inner teachings of mantra and yoga philosophy with sound, meditation, and scholarly precision. Lucy has just finished writing a book with the same title as her signature course, ‘The Sounds of Sanskrit ~ The Language of Yoga’. Taking seven years to write, the book is a direct expression of her own experience in response to the meditative inquiry and realizations that the Sanskrit sounds have brought forth. Lucy studied the violin and piano at the Royal College of Music from the age of eleven, and after receiving a first class honours degree in mathematics and Music, she left London to travel solo through twenty countries over five years in her quest for a deeper understanding of life. As well as immersing herself in yoga and finding herself at the feet of many revered teachers of the tradition, she also studied Arabic and the recitation of the Quran in Damascus, Yemen, and East London, and Hebrew at SOAS in London. Many years later, when back in London, Lucy eventually found the master of sound she had been looking for, Peter Harrison, who initiated her into the Advaita Vedanta tradition. Lucy now lives in the South West of England with her partner and two children, where she offers unique classes which share the teachings and sounds of the yoga tradition to illumine the intellect and connect us to the creative wisdom of the Self. In this episode, we discuss:  How previous teachers have shaped the understanding of Sanskrit  The difference between academic and vibratory approaches to Sanskrit The metaphysics of sound The difference between music and mantra The philosophy of sound in the modern yoga world The potential effects of mispronounced mantras The role of grammar in receiving Sanskrit’s vibrational potency See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the Guest Bihani Sarkar is a Calcutta-born, Oxford-educated, scholar of classical Sanskrit literature and pre-modern Indian history and religious traditions. Bihani is a historian of early Indian politics, religions, and literature (poetry and drama) between the 2nd and the 15th centuries CE. She is lecturer in Comparative Non-Western Thought at Lancaster University and formerly a departmental lecturer in Sanskrit at Oriental Institute, University of Oxford. Bihani has researched and taught in universities in the UK and in Europe. Her teaching goal is to enable everyone access to early Indian Sanskrit texts and traditions in the original language, regardless of ability or prior knowledge, and to think about them in critical, modern, and exciting ways. Bihani’s publications span the history of the Śākta (goddess-centric) traditions, their metaphysics, their relationship to power, their role in the growth of the state and kingship and, most recently, on Śākta epigraphy as well as on histories of classical Indian literary genres, aesthetics, and emotions. Her most recent book is Classical Sanskrit Tragedy: The Concept of Suffering and Pathos in Medieval India.   In this episode, we discuss:  Marginalized voices in the study of Sanskrit. Wild women and goddesses in ancient Sanskrit poetry in mythology. Shaktism as a stand-alone tradition. Shakta as a homegrown feminist tradition inspiring and emancipating Indian women. Does one need to be from a culture to understand a culture? The importance of valuing the place where something comes from. Being an accidental academic.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the GuestsHari-kirtana das is a yoga teacher, spiritual mentor, and author. He's been practicing devotional yoga and various other yogic disciplines for the better part of the last 50 years, has lived in yoga ashrams and intentional spiritual communities, and has a talent for making complex ideas about spiritual philosophy easy to understand.  Kenneth Rose, Ph.D., is an author, speaker, and professor of philosophy and religion. As a scholar-practitioner, he specializes in comparative religion, comparative mysticism, and spirituality. Trish Tillman is a history professor and yoga teacher in the Washington, DC area. She holds a Ph.D. in History from the Catholic University of America and teaches at the University of Maryland - Global Campus. Trish has been steadily involved in the study and practice of Bhakti yoga, via her teacher, Hari-kirtana das.  Stephanie Corigliano is the editor for Tarka at Embodied Philosophy. She works as a lecturer in the Religious Studies department at Cal Poly, Humboldt. Stephanie holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Theology from Boston College University and an MA in Theology from Loyola Marymount University.   In this episode, we discuss: The concept and role of the guru in present-day spheres of yoga and academia. The overlaps and differences between guru and teacher. What the yogic tradition has to say about the qualifications of a guru and misconceptions about the role. The emergence of scholar-practitioners in academic religious studies and its impact. Why the guru role is still relevant.  The debate over female gurus within the Hare Krishnas in the West as a microcosm of the larger debate over female gurus and spiritual authorities. How the guru role may evolve in our unbounded, modern time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the Guest Tracee Stanley is the author of the bestselling book Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity and the founder of Empowered Life Circle, a sacred community and portal of practices, rituals, and Tantric teachings inspired by more than twenty-five years of studentship in SriVidya Tantra and the teachings of the Himalayan Masters. As a post-lineage teacher, Tracee is devoted to sharing the wisdom of yoga nidra, rest, meditation, self-inquiry, nature as a teacher, and ancestor reverence. Tracee is gifted in illuminating the magic and power found in liminal space and weaving devotion and practice into daily life. She lives with her husband and two dogs in northern New Mexico. Chitheads listeners can use receive 30% off the price of Tracee’s new book The Luminous Self when you order from Shambhala.com and use coupon code LUM30. Website: https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self Facebook: Tracee Stanley - Empowered Life Instagram: @tracee_stanley   In this episode, we discuss: Our true nature and what gets in the way of accessing that. The extractive nature of the spiritual marketplace. How saṃskāra shapes a life. The kleśas (obstacles) that stand in the way of realizing our true nature.  Spiritual and professional recommendations for yoga teachers in the wake of the pandemic. Creating your own rituals to honor transitions. Sādhana as a source of creativity, clarity, and wisdom.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the Guest Jill Miller, C-IAYT, ERYT, YA-CEP is a fascia and movement expert that forges links between the worlds of yoga, massage, athletics, and pain management. Her programs, Yoga Tune Up® and The Roll Model® are found at gyms, yoga studios, hospitals, athletic training facilities and corporations worldwide. She is the former anatomy columnist for Yoga Journal and has been featured in New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Shape, Women’s Health, O, Today Show, and Oprah Winfrey Network. She is the author of The Roll Model: A Step-by-Step Guide to Erase Pain, Improve Mobility, and Live Better in Your Body, and a contributing author on self-myofascial release in Fascia, Function and Medical Applications. She is the creator of dozens of instructional DVDs, with movement luminaries Tom Myers, Katy Bowman, Kelly Starrett DPT and Jen Fraboni DPT. Her newest book is Body by Breath: The Science and Practice of Physical and Emotional Resilience. She lives in LA with her husband, 2 kids and rescue dog.  Website: www.tuneupfitness.com Instagram: @TuneUpFitness, @thejillmiller   In this episode, we discuss: Innovation in the yoga classroom. Being a disrupter in the yoga space. How fascia makes you whole. Breath-induced altered states. Breath as a tool to reduce stress and promote relaxation. Accessing the parasympathetic dominant state for healing, recovery, and growth. An embodied breath approach to yoga therapy.   *UPCOMING MASTERCLASS - September 26, 7:30 pm ETVoyage to Vagus: How to Arouse Physiological Relaxation w/ Jill Miller    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the Guest Sally Kempton was a master of meditation, yoga philosophy, and practical tantric philosophy. Her retreats and workshops were known for creating breakthroughs, born of her ability to help people turn sublime truths into lived, and life-shifting, experience. Sally spent 20 years as a swami in a Vedic order and studied and taught spiritual wisdom for more than 40 years. She is the author of Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga and Meditation for the Love of It, a seminal book on basic meditation practice, and wrote the popular Yoga Journal column, Wisdom.  Website: sallykempton.com Instagram: @sallykemptonofficial   In this episode, we discuss: The difference between “presencing reality as feminine” and “presencing as masculine.” The incarnations of Shakti. Deity yoga. A pragmatic approach to spirituality. The essence and spirit of tantra.   Note: This episode was originally published in 2016 and is being republished as a tribute to Sally.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the Guest Ava Taylor, Founder of YAMA Talent, is a tenacious entrepreneur & avid yogi. Committed to running an ethics-based business, her personal mission is to be a Catalyst for Better Living, bringing the tools of wellness to communities of all kinds. Ava has pioneered the development of the booking, management, & consulting business in the yoga space and is a sought-out media contributor known for having her finger on the pulse of this rapidly expanding industry. She’s the creator of The Catalyst: Online Business School for Yogis and author of the forthcoming Yoga Business with Human Kinetics. Website: https://yamatalent.com/ IG: @yamatalent ,  @avantaylor   In this episode, we discuss: The future of yoga business. The yoga industry climate pre-pandemic and how it’s transforming today.  The link between grief and creativity. Business lessons from COVID. Considerations for yoga teachers from a yoga business perspective.  Reimagining yoga.  Opportunities, innovations, and possibilities for a sustainable future of yoga.   NOTE: This episode was previously recorded as part of the Future of the Yoga Teacher Summit and is being republished for its depth and relevance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the Guest Daniel Simpson is the author of The Truth of Yoga, an accessible guide to yoga history and philosophy. His approach combines scholarly knowledge with humor and insight, informed by more than 20 years of practical experience. He holds a master's degree in yoga studies (from SOAS at the University of London) and teaches courses at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, on yoga teacher trainings and via his website, truthofyoga.com. In a previous career, he was a foreign correspondent, working for Reuters and the New York Times. In this episode, we discuss: The relationship between intellectual knowledge and embodied experience. How the evolution of yoga scholarship has impacted the space of modern yoga. Reconciling ourselves to a more accurate representation of yoga history. The re-enchantment of yoga. Having an authentic relationship on our own terms with yoga here and now, and also with yoga tradition. What does an ideal yoga teacher-to-yoga learner relationship look like today? Faith, fidelity, and authenticity in our yoga practice. NOTE: This episode was previously recorded as part of the Future of the Yoga Teacher Summit and is being republished for its depth and relevance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the Guest An accomplished speaker, teacher, and practitioner, Nikki Myers is an MBA, C-IAYT Yoga Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Addictions Recovery Specialist, and Certified Health Coach. Born from her personal struggle with addiction, Nikki is the founder of Y12SR, The Yoga of 12-Step Recovery. Based in its theme, “the issues live in the tissues,” Y12SR is a relapse prevention program that weaves the art & science of yoga with the practical tools of 12-step programs. Y12SR meetings are now available throughout the world and the curriculum is rapidly becoming a feature of addiction recovery treatment centers. Nikki’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Black Enterprise, The Huffington Post, Origin Magazine, and CBSnews.com.  She is honored to be a co-founder of the annual Yoga, Meditation, and Recovery Conferences at Esalen Institute and Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Nikki has been featured as a keynote speaker at the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) conference and the International Conference on Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She was named a Yoga Journal Game Changer and is an honored recipient of the esteemed NUVO Cultural Visionary Award. For more information visit: www.y12sr.com In this episode, we discuss: Nikki’s journey with addiction, relapse, yoga, and the 12-step program. Y12SR (Yoga of 12-Step Recovery) and how it integrates the wisdom of yoga, the practical tools of 12-step programs, and the latest research on trauma healing and neurobiology. The distinction between healing and curing. Connecting the cognitive and somatic for sustainable addiction recovery. The importance of choice in recovery. The spiritual crisis of opioid addiction. Only by owning our experience as an addict (of alcohol and drugs, yes, but also PHONES, food, clothes, or our projections about how reality is supposed to be), we are able to transcend them and not be defined by them.   NOTE: This episode was previously published as episode #83 and is being republished for its depth and relevance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode of Chitheads is a talk from Joe Loizzo republished from Embodied Philosophy’s Yoga Seminar.  It's a taste of a deeper dive with Dr. Joe Loizzo in our upcoming 30-hr Certificate Program, “Buddhist Psychology in the Nalanda Tradition,” co-presented with the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science. To learn more or to take advantage of the Early Bird pricing (before May 19), go here. About the Guest Joseph (Joe) Loizzo, MD, Ph.D., is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and Columbia-trained Buddhist scholar with over forty years of experience studying the beneficial effects of contemplative practices on healing, learning, and development. Joe is the Founder & Academic Director of the Nalanda Institute. He is Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry in Integrative Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, where he researches and teaches contemplative self-healing and optimal health. He has taught the philosophy of science and religion, the scientific study of contemplative states, and the Indo-Tibetan mind and health sciences at Columbia University, where he is Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Columbia Center for Buddhist Studies. In this episode, we discuss: The philosophy of science from a Western point of view and practice. The history and context of the mind-body split in Western science. Research on stress and neuroplasticity that shed light on the mind-body connection.  Buddhist and scientific definitions of the mind and consciousness.  The question of where do I find my mind? A multi-disciplinary paradigm of mind-brain integration. Yoga as the science of integrating the human nervous system, mind, and body with awareness.   Select slides from Joe's Talk here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This talk is being republished from the Radial Practice Conference in 2018. If you have a Gītā handy you might want to grab it while you listen. About the Guest Edwin Bryant received his Ph.D. in Indic Languages and Cultures from Columbia University. He taught Hinduism at Harvard University for three years and is presently the professor of Hinduism at Rutgers University where he teaches courses on Hindu philosophy and religion. He has received numerous awards and fellowships, published eight books, and authored a number of articles on the earliest origins of the Vedic culture, yoga philosophy, and the Krishna tradition. As a personal practitioner of bhakti yoga for over 45 years, a number of them spent in India studying with traditional teachers, where he returns yearly, Edwin strives to combine academic scholarship and rigor with appreciation towards traditional knowledge systems. His teaching method is to allow the ancient texts to speak in their own voice and through their own terms and categories. Website: https://sites.rutgers.edu/edwin-bryant/   In this episode, we discuss: Patañjali’s citta-vṛitti-nirodhaḥ type practice in the Gītā. The difference between karma and karma yoga. A new definition of yoga, skill in action. The 3 definitions of yoga in the Gītā. Ashtanga-type practice in the Gītā in comparison with verses in Patañjali.  The mind of a yogi. Bhakti, the highest expression of yoga. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, author and Embodied Philosophy faculty, Andrew Holecek, is in conversation with Stephanie Corigliano and Jacob Kyle, as they discuss Andrew’s article, “Is the West Ready for Tantra?” an article released in the latest issue of Tarka.  Explore the latest Tarka issue here. About the Guest Andrew Holecek has completed the traditional three-year Buddhist meditation retreat and offers seminars internationally on meditation, dream yoga, and the art of dying. He is the author of Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition; Meditation in the iGeneration: How to Meditate in a World of Speed and Stress; The Power and the Pain: Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy; the audio learning course Dream Yoga: The Tibetan Path of Awakening Through Lucid Dreaming, and his latest book Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep. Dr. Holecek is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and has authored scientific papers. His work has appeared in Parabola, Lion's Roar, Tricycle, Utne Reader, Buddhadharma Magazine, Light of Consciousness, and many other periodicals. Andrew holds degrees in classical music, biology, and a doctorate in dental surgery. In this episode, we discuss: What makes practices “Tantric”. Why and when Tantra can be risky. Why it’s important to have a teacher and how much power a teacher should have. The 4 types of guru. Psycho-spirituality & the different vectors of growing up versus waking up. What is reality from the perspective of Tibetan Buddhism? The role of devotion in Tantric practice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.