Jacob Kyle interviews Shree Nahata about the fundamental principles of Jain philosophy and how these principles are incredibly timely and insightful for modern times.

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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.

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:

1. Our true nature and what gets in the way of accessing that.
2. The extractive nature of the spiritual marketplace.
3. How saṃskāra shapes a life.
4. The kleśas (obstacles) that stand in the way of realizing our true nature. 
5. Spiritual and professional recommendations for yoga teachers in the wake of the pandemic.
6. Creating your own rituals to honor transitions.
7. Sādhana as a source of creativity, clarity, and wisdom.

   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Swami is an atypical monk. He trained as a monk in Himalayas for 20 years then came to USA and studied physiology & health then went on to medical school and is currently a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University studying business with focus on entrepreneurship, healthcare management and organizational leadership. Drawing upon his diverse Background and unique set of experiences Swami designed Deep Mindfulness Training for high performance and work life harmony. Swami takes a very hands on no-fluff, engaging and fun approach to help his clients develop high performing cognitive abilities, emotional and social intelligence, deep motivation and resilience. Swami believes that all individuals, teams and groups of people are unique and have unique needs and learning aptitudes. Therefore he creates customized DMT programs with hand selected training tools, frameworks and strategies to maximize clients performance and satisfaction. Deep Mindfulness Training is a custom mix of mindfulness practices and Emotional Quotient (EQ) training tools, strategies, frameworks and lifestyle recommendations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kavitha M. Chinnaiyan, MD, is the author of Shakti Rising: Embracing Shadow and Light on the Goddess Path to Wholeness. She became drawn to the Direct Path through the teachings of Greg Goode and Sri Atmananda Krishna Menon. She has studied yoga, Sri Vidya Sadhana, Vedanta, and tantra through Chinmaya Mission and the teachings of Sri Premananda, Sally Kempton, and Paul Muller-Ortega. Chinnaiyan blends her expertise in cardiology with her knowledge of Ayurveda, yoga, Vedanta, tantra, and the Direct Path in her program for patients to discover bliss amid chronic illness. She is an integrative cardiologist at Beaumont Health System, and associate professor of medicine at Oakland University Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, MI.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

William K. Mahony is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Religion and Chairman of the Religion Department at Davidson College, where he teaches courses on the religions of India. He also teaches workshops, trainings and retreats on yoga philosophy across the US and abroad. His books include The Artful Universe: An Introduction to the Vedic Religious Imagination (1997) and Exquisite Love: Heart-Centered Reflections on the Narada Bhakti Sutra (2014).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrea R. Jain, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, editor of the Journal of American Academy of Religion, and author of Selling Yoga: From Counterculture to Pop Culture (Oxford University Press, 2014). She received her doctorate degree in religious studies from Rice University in 2010. Her areas of research include religion in late capitalist society; South Asian religions; the history of modern yoga; the intersections of gender, sexuality, and religion; and methods and theories in the study of religion. She is a regular contributor to Religion Dispatches on topics related to yoga in contemporary culture and co-chair of the Yoga in Theory and Practice Group of the American Academy of Religion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ian Whicher is a Professor and Head of the Department of Religion at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. He specializes in Hinduism and the Yoga tradition and is the author of scholarly books and numerous articles including, The Integrity of the Yoga Darśana (SUNY Press), and coeditor of Yoga: The Indian Tradition (Routledge Curzon). Dr. Whicher has a new book coming out soon, titled Essays on the Yoga Sutra: Engaging the World in Freedom and is currently writing a book on The Yoga of Intelligence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Swami Umesh Yogi is a personal disciple of Shri Baba Ji Maharaj and Maharashi Mahesh Yogi. He was born in a Brahman family in Central India. He began his pursuit from a young age and started his Sadhana with his Sat-Guru Shri Baba Ji Maharaj. 100,000 students have come through his doors to study Yogic concepts in Rishikesh. Swami Ji has taught across India and Europe, sharing the teachings passed to him from his masters through classes, workshops, meditation, Satsang and social work. (to read more about Swami Umesh Yogi Ji's lineage and work, go to: www.swamiumeshyogi.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rev. Deborah L. Johnson is the founding minister and president of Inner Light Ministries, an Omnifaith outreach ministry dedicated to teaching the practical application of Universal Spiritual Principles to all of life’s circumstances.  She is also the founder and president of The Motivational Institute, an organizational development consulting firm specializing in cultural diversity serving the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Her clients range from Fortune 500 companies to community based organizations. She is a dynamic public speaker, known for her ability to bring clarity to complex and emotionally charged issues. A life-long social justice activist, Rev. Deborah is the successful co-litigant in two landmark cases in California – one set precedent for the inclusion of sexual orientation in the state’s Civil Rights Bill, the other defeated the challenge to legalizing domestic partnerships.  A voice for compassion, equality, and reconciliation, her primary focus has been on coalition building, conflict resolution, public policy development, and cultural sensitivity awareness. She holds a vision of Oneness, beyond creed and doctrine, and feels particularly called to heal the sense of separation between those adhering to conservative and progressive ideologies. Her groundbreaking work has been featured in numerous books, magazines, radio, and television programs including Conversations with Neale (Neale Donald Walsch) radio show, Shambhala Sun magazine, Showtime TV’s Black Filmmaker Showcase production Jumpin’ the Broom, the film God and Gays: Bridging the Gap, and ABC Nightline. Rev. Deborah is the author of the The Sacred Yes and Your Deepest Intent of the Letters from the Infinite series, as well as Living the Sacred Yes: Affirmations for Action.  She is co-writer of several songs on Singing the Sacred Yes by Valerie Joi. Wherever she goes, her message is always one of possibility, inclusion, empowerment and transformation. Rev. Deborah is an inductee into the Board of Preachers of the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at Morehouse College which honors clergy for their lifetime work in social justice. She is a leadership development trainer for the Network of Spiritual Progressives, founded by Rabbi Michael Lerner and the Tikkun Community, Cornel West, and Sister Joan Chittister. Rev. Deborah is a member of the Advisory Council of the Association for Global New Thought. She is also an original vision core member of the Agape International Spiritual Center in Los Angeles founded by her spiritual mentor, Michael Beckwith. As an advocate for continual and lifelong learning, Rev. Deborah is a faculty member at several institutes of higher learning: UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Business Executive Leadership Diversity Training Institute; Pacific School of Religion; Holmes Institute of Consciousness Studies; and the Agape University of Transformational Studies and Leadership. She is also an Advisory Council member in the Women’s Studies Department at Brandeis University. She holds a BA in economics from USC, an MBA from UCLA, and a ministerial degree from the Holmes Institute.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tias’s unique and skillful approach enables students to find greater depth of understanding and awareness in their practice, both on and off the mat. His approach to the practice is inter-disciplinary, passionate, intelligent, innovative and full of insight. Tias synthesizes years of study in classical yoga, Sanskrit, Buddhist studies, anatomy, massage and trauma healing. Tias began studying
the work of B.K.S Iyengar in 1984 and lived in Mysore, India in 1989 studying Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga with Pattabhi Jois. Thus his teaching brings together precision of alignment, anatomical detail and a profound meditative experience.
Tias is a licensed massage therapist and his somatic studies include in-depth training in cranial-sacral therapy. His practice and teaching is influenced by the work of Ida Rolf, Moshe Feldenkrais and Thomas Hanna. Tias is a long time student of the meditative arts and Buddhist studies beginning with Vipassana and continuing in Tibetan Buddhism and Zen. His teaching style is unique in being
able to weave together poetic metaphor with clear instruction filled with compassion and humor. Tias earned a Master’s degree in Eastern Philosophy from St. John’s College Santa Fe in 1998. Tias is the author of three books, The Thread of Breath, Meditations on a Dewdrop and Yoga of the Subtle Body.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Singleton gained his Ph.D in Divinity from the University of Cambridge. He has published extensively on the history of yoga, including the books Yoga in the Modern World, Contemporary Perspectives (ed., 2008); Yoga Body, the Origins of Modern Posture Practice (2010); and Gurus of Modern Yoga (ed., 2014), as well as many book chapters and articles. Most recent is the book Roots of Yoga (2017, with James Mallinson), a unique compendium of yoga practice texts translated from Sanskrit and several other languages. He taught for six years at St John’s College (Santa Fe, New Mexico), and was a Senior Long-Term Research Scholar at the American Institute of Indian Studies, based in Jodhpur (Rajasthan, India). He was a consultant and catalogue author for the Smithsonian exhibition ‘Yoga the Art of Transformation’ in 2013. He is currently Senior Research Fellow at SOAS, University of London, where he works on the European Research Council-funded Hatha Yoga Project (hyp.soas.ac.uk), which seeks to map the history of haṭha yoga from its origins to modern times. He is also a practitioner of yoga and holds several teaching qualifications. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Harvey is an internationally renowned religious scholar, writer, and teacher, and the author of over 30 books, including the critically acclaimed Way of Passion: A Celebration of Rumi, as well as Journey to Ladakh, The Return of the Mother, Son of Man, and The Direct Path: Creating a Journey to the Divine Using the World’s Mystical Traditions. He is also coauthor of the best-selling The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. His work has been honored with the Benjamin Franklin Award and the Mind Body Spirit Award (both for Mary’s Vineyard: Daily Readings, Meditations, and Revelations, with photographs by Eryk Hanut), and the Christmas Humphries Award for A Journey in Ladakh. And recently, he co-authored “Savage Grace: Living Resiliently in the Dark Night of the Globe”. Born in south India in 1952, Harvey studied at Oxford University and became a Fellow of All Soul’s College in 1973. He is Founding Director of the Institute for Sacred Activism, which will be offering its first programs in 2008.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 ET
Voyage to Vagus: How to Arouse Physiological Relaxation w/ Jill Miller    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Riccardo Manzotti has a PhD in Robotics and degrees in The Philosophy of Mind and Computer Science. He teaches Psychology of Perception at IULM University, Milan (Italy), and has been a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at MIT. He has specialized in AI, artificial vision, perception, and, most of all, the issue of consciousness. After working in the field of artificial vision, he focused his research on the nature of phenomenal experience, how it emerges from physical processes and how it is related to objected perceived. His book The Spread Mind has just been published.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Jude Currivan is a cosmologist, planetary healer, futurist, author and previously one of the most senior business women in the UK. Having grown up as the daughter of a coal miner in the north of England, she has since journeyed to nearly seventy countries around the world and for the last nearly twenty years has lived in the sacred landscape of Avebury. She has experienced multidimensional realities since early childhood and worked with the wisdom keepers both incarnate and discarnate of many traditions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jacob Kyle sat down with Bob Thurman and Isa Gucciardi at the 2017 Science and Nonduality Conference in San Jose, California, after attending their workshop, "Shamans and Siddhas". Scroll down to listen to their wide-ranging conversation on peace and the Dalai Lama.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Founder, Executive Director and President of the Board of Directors Integrative Restoration Institute Richard Miller, PhD is a clinical psychologist, author, researcher, yogic scholar and spiritual teacher. For over 40 years, Richard Miller has devoted his life and work to integrating the nondual wisdom teachings of Yoga, Tantra, Advaita, Taoism and Buddhism with Western psychology. Among his mentors were Jean Klein, T.K.V. Desikachar and Stephen Chang. Richard is the founding president and CEO of the Integrative Restoration Institute, co-founder of The International Association of Yoga Therapy and founding editor of the professional Journal of IAYT. He is also a founding member and past president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology and a senior advisor for the Baumann Foundation for the study of Awareness and its impact on well-being. Author of Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga, Richard serves as a research consultant studying the iRest Yoga Nidra protocol that he has developed (Integrative Restoration ~ iRest, a modern adaptation of the ancient nondual meditation practice of Yoga Nidra) researching its efficacy on health, healing and well-being with diverse populations including active-duty soldiers, veterans, college students, children, seniors, the homeless, the incarcerated, and people experiencing issues such as sleep disorders, PTSD, chemical dependency, chronic pain, and related disorders. In addition to his research and writing projects, Richard lectures and leads trainings and retreats internationally.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laura Amazzone is a teacher, writer, intuitive healer, yogini and initiated priestess in the Shakta Tantra and Kaula Sri Vidya traditions of India and Nepal. She is the author of the award-winning book, “Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power.” She has published numerous articles within the fields of Hinduism, Tantra and Women’s Spirituality in many different encyclopedias, anthologies, journals and also online publications. Laura teaches in the Yoga Philosophy Program at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She offers a diverse array of authentic and undiluted lineage-based rituals and spiritual practices as well as pilgrimages to Nepal that promote spiritual empowerment and divine embodiment.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dean Radin, PhD, is Chief Scientist at the INSTITUTE OF NOETIC SCIENCES (IONS) and Associated Distinguished Professor of Integral and Transpersonal Psychology at the CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF INTEGRAL STUDIES(CIIS). He occasionally gives lectures in the Department of Psychology at Sonoma State University and has served on doctoral dissertation committees at Saybrook University and CIIS. His original career track as a concert violinist shifted into science after earning a BSEE degree in electrical engineering, magna cum laude with honors in physics, from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and then an MS in electrical engineering and a PhD in psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. For a decade he worked on advanced telecommunications R&D at AT&T Bell Laboratories and GTE Laboratories. For three decades he has been engaged in frontiers research on the nature of consciousness. Before joining the research staff at IONS in 2001, he held appointments at Princeton University, University of Edinburgh, University of Nevada, Interval Research Corporation, and SRI International.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Constantina Rhodes is an acclaimed scholar of Sanskrit and the spiritual traditions of India, as well as a Certified Intuitive Consultant and Certified Instructor of Intuitive Development. Constantina holds a doctorate in South Asian Languages and Religions from Columbia University. She was a full professor with tenure at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida before moving back to New York City, where she teaches in the Program in Religion at Hunter College of the City University of New York. She has served on the steering committee of the Society for Tantric Studies; was an inaugural member of the Tantric Studies Group of the American Academy of Religion; and has held prestigious elected office as President of the American Academy of Religion. Constantina has practiced yoga and meditation for most of her life. She spent two years living and studying in India, and over the course of several decades she has received mantra initiation in the lineages of Transcendental Meditation, Integral Yoga, and Siddha Yoga. She is a Level II Usui Reiki practitioner and draws upon healing energy within her sessions. As a Certified Intuitive Consultant, Constantina engages in an ancient art that both enhances and is enhanced by her longtime meditation practice.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Christopher Key Chapple is the Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology and Director of the Master of Arts in Yoga Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. His research interests focus on the renouncer religious traditions of India: Yoga, Jainism, and Buddhism. He has published several books on these topics with SUNY Press, including Karma and Creativity (1986), Nonviolence to Animals, Earth, and Self in Asian Traditions (1993), Reconciling Yogas (2003), and Yoga and the Luminous: Patanjali’s Spiritual Path to Freedom (2008). He has also edited and co-authored several books on religion and ecology, including Ecological Prospects: Religious, Scientific, and Aesthetic Perspectives, Hinduism and Ecology, Jainism and Ecology, Yoga and Ecology, and In Praise of Mother Earth: The Prthivi Sukta of the Atharva Veda. His most recent books are Poet of Eternal Return and Sacred Thread. Chris serves as academic advisor for the International Summer School of Jain Studies and on the advisory boards for the Forum on Religion and Ecology (Yale), the Ahimsa Center (Pomona), and the Jaina Studies Centre (SOAS, University of London). In 2002 he established the first of several certificate programs in the study of Yoga at LMU’s Center for Religion and Spirituality and founded LMU’s Master of Arts in Yoga Studies in the fall of 2013.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jonathan Dickstein is a PhD student in Religious Studies at the University of CaliforniaSanta Barbara. He researches South Asian religions, Animals and Religion, and Comparative Ethics. He earned a MA in Religious Studies from the University of Colorado-Boulder and a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Jonathan is currently working on two projects. The first is a comprehensive study of the figure of Īśvara in the Pātañjalayogaśāstra, and the second looks at violence and the moral standing of nonhuman animals in Indian Philosophy. Jonathan is an Intermediate level Iyengar Yoga instructor who offers classes and workshops on philosophy and ethics in addition to āsana and prāṇāyāma.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With 22 books on spirituality and science, and translations in more than 25 countries, Ken Wilber is now the most translated writer on consciousness studies in the United States. He is seen as an important representative of transpersonal psychology, which emerged in the sixties from humanistic psychology, and which concerns itself explicitly with spirituality. For the fundamental and pioneering nature of his insights, he has been called "the Einstein of consciousness research”. His debut The Spectrum of Consciousness (1977) established his reputation as an original thinker, who seeks to integrate Western and Eastern psychology. No Boundary (1979), which summarizes this work, is one of his most popular books. His core works The Atman Project (1980) and Up from Eden (1981) cover the territories of developmental psychology and cultural history respectively. In his recent work, especially the voluminous Sex, Ecology, Spirituality (1995), he has criticized not only Western culture, but also counter-cultural movements such as the New Age. In his opinion, none of these approach the depth and detailed nature of the "perennial philosophy", the conception of reality that lies at the heart of all major religions, and which forms the background of all his writings. This fundamental work has been summarized too, in A Brief History of Everything (1996). In 2000 he founded the Integral Institute, a think-tank for studying issues of science and society in an integral way. He lives in Denver, Colorado.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:

1. The difference between “presencing reality as feminine” and “presencing as masculine.”
2. The incarnations of Shakti.
3. Deity yoga.
4. A pragmatic approach to spirituality.
5. 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.

Jonathan Edelmann is an Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Florida and an Affiliated Faculty member at the Center for the Study of Hindu Traditions. He received a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of California – Santa Barbara, an M.A. in Science and Religion from Oxford University, and Ph.D. (D.Phil.) from Oxford University in Religious Studies and Theology. While at Oxford he was affiliated with Harris Manchester College and the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Mallinson is Senior Lecturer in Sanskrit and Classical and Indian Studies at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He took his BA in Sanskrit and Old Iranian at the University of Oxford, followed by an MA in Area Studies (South Asia), with Ethnography as his main subject, at SOAS. His doctoral thesis, submitted to the University of Oxford, was a critical edition and annotated translation of the Khecarīvidyā, an early text of haṭhayoga. Dr Mallinson has published eight books, all of which are editions and translations of Sanskrit yoga texts, epic tales and poetry. His recent w ork has used philological study of Sanskrit texts, ethnography and art history to explore the history of yoga and yogis. His most recent book, written in collaboration with Dr Mark Singleton, is Roots of Yoga, which was published by Penguin Classics in 2017. From 2015 to 2020 Dr Mallinson will be leading a European Research Council - funded research project on the history of hatha yoga which will result in ten critical editions and translations ofSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

JP Sears is an emotional healing coach, YouTuber, author, international teacher, speaker at events, world traveler, and curious student of life.  His work empowers people to live more meaningful lives.  JP is the author of “How To Be Ultra Spiritual,” which was published by Sounds True in 2017.  He is very active with his online videos where he encourages healing and growth through his humorous and entertainingly informative videos, including his hit Ultra Spiritual comedy series, which has accumulated over 100 million views.  You can learn more about JP and his work at AwakenWithJP.com.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Isa Gucciardi is the Founding Director and lead teacher of the Foundation of the Sacred Stream. The workshops and training programs of the Foundation are part of her larger vision for helping people who are interested in stepping into greater consciousness and leading happier lives. Her primary focus is on teaching, writing, and curriculum development. Isa is also the creator of the groundbreaking therapeutic model, Depth Hypnosis, which is born from her studies in transpersonal psychology, cultural and linguistic anthropology, comparative religion, hypnotherapy, and transformational healing. Isa has lived in eleven countries and she speaks five languages. The mother of two children, she is a potter and gardener, a stained glass artist, a piano enthusiast, and an herbalist. In addition to her busy teaching schedule, she has an active Depth Hypnosis counseling and consulting practice in San Francisco.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marianne Garneau lives in New York City, where she is a graduate student in philosophy at the New School for Social Research. She is a "stay-at-home" mom, who devotes most of her time to labor organizing for industrial workers of the world, and part of her time to writing articles about politics. She also works as an editor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Swami Sarvapriyananda was appointed as Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Vedanta Society of New York, and assumed his duties there on January 5, 2017. He served as assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California for 13 months, beginning on December 3, 2015. Swami joined the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in 1994 and received Sannyas in 2004. As assistant minister, Swami Sarvapriyananda gave regular evening classes in the Hollywood Temple, assisted Swami Sarvadevananda with major pujas, delivered Sunday spiritual talks at each of the Southern California centers, and led monthly retreats at Vivekananda House. He also gave retreats here and at centers throughout the U.S. Before being posted to the VSSC’s Hollywood Temple, Swami served as an acharya, instructor, of the monastic probationers’ training center at Belur Math. He has served the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in various capacities including being the Vice Principal of the Deoghar Vidyapith Higher Secondary School, Principal of the Shikshana Mandira Teacher’s Training College at Belur Math, and the first registrar of the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University at Belur Math. Swami holds a degree in Business Management from the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vera de Chalambert, MTS,  is a spiritual storyteller and Harvard educated scholar of comparative religion. She speaks and writes about spiritual culture, mindfulness in the modern world and the Divine Feminine and has been a speaker at the Science and Nonduality Conference in the US and Europe, Sister Giant in Washington DC and other gatherings around the world. Vera holds a Master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School where she studied comparative mysticism and a Bachelors degree from the University of Florida in Religion and Literature. Her work explores the meeting place of creativity, psychology and spirituality and is informed by insights from both Eastern and Western philosophies. Vera is a graduate of the Barbara Brennan School of Healing and has been a student of Jason Shulman's Nondual Healing work. She is deeply influenced by Buddhist and Kabbalistic lineages and is a lover of the world’s great wisdom traditions. Vera's recent work has been on the topic of Holy Darkness and exploration of the Dark Goddesses associated with transformation and initiation found in the world's spiritual lineages, the most well known of whom is the Hindu Goddess Kali. Vera is a mother and a devotee of the Great Mother in all her forms. She is working on her first book on the Dark Feminine.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Vago is Research Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is an associate professor in the department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. He also maintains an appointment as a research associate in the Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory (FNL), Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Harvard Medical School. He has completed post-doctoral fellowships in the department of Psychiatry at BWH, the Utah Center for Mind-Body Interactions within the University of Utah Medical School, and the Stuart T. Hauser Research Training Program in Biological & Social Psychiatry. David has previously held the position of Senior Research Coordinator for the Mind & Life Institute and is currently a Mind and Life Fellow, supporting the Mind and Life mission by advising on strategy and programs. He received his Bachelors Degree in Brain and Cognitive Sciences in 1997 from the University of Rochester. In 2005, David received his Ph.D. in Cognitive and Neural Sciences with a specialization in learning and memory from the department of Psychology, University of Utah.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeffrey S. Lidke earned his M.A. (1996) and Ph.D. (2000) in South Asia Religion and Philosophy from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Colorado (1990). He was a Fulbright Dissertation Fellow to Nepal in the 1996-97 academic year. During his graduate years, Lidke devoted himself to Sanskritic languages, both classical and vernacular, with training from several teachers, including Gerald Larson, Nandini Iyer and Sthaneshwar Timalsinsa. Currently, he is chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Berry  College where he has taught since 2003. After two years as editor for the Southeast Review of Asian Studies (SERAS), Lidke is now attending to the publication of his recent research on the neuroscience of contemplative practice as well as three book projects: the long overdue The Goddess Beyond and Within the Three Cities: Śākta Tantra and the Paradox of Power in Nepāla-Maṇḍala a textbook for Cognella Academic Publishing on the world's religions titled World Religions: A 21st Century Primer and a reissue of his first book,Viśvarūpa Maṇḍir: A Study of Chaṅgu Nārāyaṇa, Nepal's Most Ancient Pagoda (to appear in a newly titled, revised and updated edition,  with proceeds going toward the rebuilding of Changu Narayan, one of several Nepalese UNESCO heritage sites severely damaged by the 2015 earthquake). Dr. Lidke's publications and current projects can be found here: https://berry.academia.edu/JeffreyLidke  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With her extensive background in health sciences, including studies in nutrition and dietetics at McGill university, degree in Psychology and extensive and ongoing training in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Angela pulls from a diverse background to offer the wisdom of traditional medicines combined with the most up-to-date, relevant and impactful options available for her patients and students. Angela has additional training in applied mindfulness based mediation, and runs a weekly mindful meditation group out of her clinic in Toronto.  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:

1. The future of yoga business.
2. The yoga industry climate pre-pandemic and how it’s transforming today. 
3. The link between grief and creativity.
4. Business lessons from COVID.
5. Considerations for yoga teachers from a yoga business perspective. 
6. Reimagining yoga. 
7. 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.

In over two decades of practice, Dr. Loren Fishman has gained an international reputation as a back-pain specialist, a diagnostician and a pioneer in the treatment of many disorders, including piriformis syndrome, scoliosis, osteoporosis and rotator cuff tear. He has authored more than 90 academic journal articles and 10 books. A past president of the New York Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dr. Fishman is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor at Columbia Medical School. He has recently published an innovative book about electrodiagnostic testing, published by Springer, and the book on yoga cures Healing Yoga.  His books on osteoarthritis and osteoporosis guide the workshops he teaches nationally and internationally. Dr. Fishman studied yoga in India with BKS Iyengar, uses it in his rehabilitation practice and has written extensively about yoga as an adjunct to medical treatment.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nina Rao learned traditional chants (bhajans) from her grandfather in a village in south India when she nine years old. The chants quietly stayed with her until she rediscovered chanting with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. Her childhood was spent living in and moving between many countries around the world and when she settled in New York her working life began in the banking world, switched to organizing and leading photographic wildlife safaris in Africa and India, and now for many years, is Krishna Das' business manager and assistant. Nina tours with Krishna Das, playing cymbals and singing with him, and was honored in 2013 to accompany him at the Grammy Awards webcast performance. In 2007, she recorded the track 'Nina Chalisa' on Krishna Das' CD "Flow of Grace - Chanting the Hanuman Chalisa". In January 2013, she released her debut album, "Antarayaami - Knower of All Hearts". The double CD includes devotional kirtan, bhajan, and a variety of Hanuman Chalisa melodies including a duet with Krishna Das. Nina regularly leads kirtan, chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa, and sings for yoga classes in her hometown of Brooklyn, NY and beyond.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Grosso is a public speaker, writer, director of education at Toivo by Advocacy Unlimited and author of Indie Spiritualist: A No Bullshit Exploration of Spirituality (Beyond Words/Simon & Schuster), Everything Mind: What I’ve Learned About Hard Knocks, Spiritual Awakening and the Mind-Blowing Truth of it All (Sounds True) and Dead Set On Living (Simon & Schuster/New World Library-Spring 2018). He writes for ORIGIN Magazine, Huffington Post, and Mantra Yoga + Health Magazine, and has spoken and performed at Wanderlust Festival, Celebrate Your Life, Yoga Journal Conference, Sedona World Wisdom Days, Kripalu, Sun Valley Wellness Festival, and more.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Livia is a pioneer in the intersection of yoga and psychology with a dedication to embodiment. She is known for weaving together yogic teachings, disciplined asana and somatic psychology in clear and meaningful ways inspiring teachers and students alike towards greater safety, trust and the discovery of their own truth. She is known for her wit, humor and fierce-love as well as her ability to actually “teach” yoga so you make it your own. A scholar-practioner, her passion for learning and irreverent reverence is infectious. Her methods of teaching straddle old school lectures and new school unconventional experiential models.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An artist, Advaita Tantra master and founder of the Flowing Wakefulness community, for over a decade Igor Kufayev has been serving as a conduit of transmission for awakening towards the new era of heart-centered consciousness. Speaking from direct realization of Oneness, he inspires all seekers of truth to recognize the fullest potential present in human birth. Many have been touched by Grace and awakened in his presence, as he continues working towards building a global community to serve as a container for exploring possibilities for alternative, consciousness-based culture.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hari-kirtana das: A lifelong student of yoga, meditation, and Eastern spiritual philosophies, Hari-kirtana das lived full-time in devotional yoga ashrams and intentional spiritual communities from 1977 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 1998. He was formally initiated into the Gaudiya Vaisnava lineage of Bhakti Yoga in 1978. Hari-kirtana is an E-RYT 500 registered yoga teacher and received an 800-hour training certification from the Jivamukti Yoga School. He began teaching contemporary yoga classes in 2009 and has since gone on to develop Yoga Teacher Training courses and is a sought-after guest teacher for numerous Yoga Teacher Training programs. He leads yoga workshops, offers presentations for personal and professional development, and regularly takes students on yoga adventures to India. He currently lives and teaches in Washington, D.C. You can learn more about Hari-kirtana by visiting his website: hari-kirtana.com.  You can also find his new book on CreateSpace.com  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelly Brogan, M.D. is a Manhattan-based holistic women’s health psychiatrist, author of the book, A Mind of Your Own and co-editor of the landmark textbook, Integrative Therapies for Depression. She completed her psychiatric training and fellowship at NYU Medical Center after graduating from Cornell University Medical College, and has a B.S. from MIT in Systems Neuroscience. She is board certified in psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine, and integrative holistic medicine, and is specialized in a root-cause resolution approach to psychiatric syndromes and symptoms. She is on the board of GreenMedInfo, Functional Medicine University, Pathways to Family Wellness, NYS Perinatal Association, Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Mindd Foundation, the peer-reviewed, indexed journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, and the Nicholas Gonzalez Foundation. She is Medical Director for Fearless Parent and a founding member of Health Freedom Action. She is a mother of two.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Peterson started Taoist Alchemy and Chi Kung on the recommendation of his family doctor.  The practices both had a dramatic effect on his health and set him on a new spiritual path.  He now teaches it to anyone and everyone who wants to learn.  In his day job, he manages software projects.  He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his wife and family.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Smoley has over thirty-five years’ experience studying and practicing mystical spirituality and philosophy. His latest book is The Deal: A Guide to Radical and Complete Forgiveness. Other works of his are Inner Christianity: A Guide to the Esoteric Tradition; The Dice Game of Shiva: How Consciousness Creates the Universe; Conscious Love: Insights from Mystical Christianity; Forbidden Faith: The Secret History of Gnosticism; The Essential Nostradamus; and Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions (with Jay Kinney). Richard is the former editor of Gnosis: A Journal of the Western Inner Traditions. Currently he is editor of Quest: Journal of the Theosophical Society in America. His Web site is innerchristianity.com. Richard’s latest book, How God Became God: What Scholars Are Really Saying about God and the Bible, was published in June 2016.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spring Washam is a well known meditation and dharma teacher based in Oakland, California. She has studied numerous meditation practices and Buddhist philosophy since 1997. She is a founding member and core teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center located in downtown Oakland. She has practiced and studied under some of the most preeminent meditation masters in both the Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism. She has completed a 6 year teacher training program under the guidance of Jack Kornfield and is now on the teacher’s council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. Spring is considered a pioneer in bringing mindfulness based healing practices to diverse communities and is committed to creating opportunities for disenfranchised people everywhere. She is also the founder of Lotus Vine Journeys, a Retreat company that connects Ancient Medicine to Buddhist wisdom.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:

1. The relationship between intellectual knowledge and embodied experience.
2. How the evolution of yoga scholarship has impacted the space of modern yoga.
3. Reconciling ourselves to a more accurate representation of yoga history.
4. The re-enchantment of yoga.
5. Having an authentic relationship on our own terms with yoga here and now, and also with yoga tradition.
6. What does an ideal yoga teacher-to-yoga learner relationship look like today?
7. 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.

Eddie Stern is the co-founder of Ashtanga Yoga New York, the Brooklyn Yoga Club and the Broome Street Ganesha Temple. He studied Ashtanga Yoga under Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, of Mysore, South India, for 18 years. Eddie has published several books on Pattabhi Jois and Astanga Yoga, including a translation of Pattabhi Jois’s 1960 treatise, Yoga Mala. He co-founded the Urban Yogi program along with Deepak Chopra and Erica Ford, which introduces inner-city youth to yoga and meditation, teaching them powerful transformative tools that they can bring back into their communities, with some of the youth becoming teachers themselves. Eddie also leads a team that writes health and wellness curriculums, based on yoga and mindfulness, for under-served public school districts, which has been implemented in over 100 schools. His school wellness protocols have been studied by the University of San Diego, Long Island University and Stanford University, showing increases in GPA, attendance and physical fitness.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeffery D. Long is Professor of Religion and Asian Studies at Elizabethtown College, in Pennsylvania. He is associated with the Vedanta Society, DĀNAM (the Dharma Academy of North America) and the Hindu American Foundation. A major theme of Long's work is religious pluralism, a topic he approaches from a perspective informed by the process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and which he refers to as a "Hindu process theology." Dr. Long has authored three books, A Vision for Hinduism: Beyond Hindu Nationalism, Jainism: An Introduction, and The Historical Dictionary of Hinduism. He has published and presented a number of articles and papers in various forums including the Association for Asian Studies, the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy, and the American Academy of Religion. He is currently working on three manuscripts: Indian Philosophy: An Introduction, a book on Hinduism in America, and another on Swami Vivekenanda and his teachings.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sally Kempton is a master of meditation, yoga philosophy, and practical tantric philosophy. Her retreats and workshops are 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 has been studying and teaching spiritual wisdom for 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 writes the popular Yoga Journal column, Wisdom. Learn more at sallykempton.com.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.