In this episode, Jacob Kyle offers a curated selection of teachings from Sādhana School , Embodied Philosophy’s year-long curriculum of contemplative study and practice. The episode weaves together reflections on states of consciousness, metaphysics, emotional transformation, and the pitfalls of spiritual bypassing, drawing deeply from Indian philosophical and Tantric traditions. Jacob begins by exploring the concept of Turiya , the “fourth state” of consciousness beyond waking, dreaming, and de...
Jun 16, 2025•42 min•Ep. 180
In this conversation, Jacob Kyle and James D. Reich discuss the concept of Rasa in Indian aesthetics and literary theory. They explore the idea that poetry and art can evoke a specific emotional experience in the audience, known as Rasa. They delve into the theories of Anandavardhana and Abhinavagupta, who developed the concept of Rasa and its associated elements, such as Dhvani. They also discuss the relationship between aesthetics and theology in Abhinavagupta's work, highlighting how his unde...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 179
In this episode, Jacob Kyle and Kavitha Chinnaiyan delve into the intricate world of the Sri Chakra and Sri Yantra, exploring their significance in Tantric practices. Kavitha shares insights from her latest book, discussing the complexities of the Sri Yantra, its historical context, and the importance of ritual in spiritual practice. They also touch on the necessity of initiation in Sri Vidya, the daily practices associated with worship, and the role of the Swatantra Institute in teaching these ...
Mar 12, 2025•1 hr 19 min
In this episode, Jacob Kyle shares an excerpt from the first session of the Winter Sādhana School course — exploring the fundamentals of Yoga Philosophy to help situate us in the conversation of prāṇa, and why the extension of prāṇa is both a physical and energetic practice that expresses part of the trajectory of tantric sādhana. Jacob invites you to join him in the Sādhana School as the Winter quarter (January 2025) commences this week. Recordings are available to watch on-demand at your own p...
Jan 24, 2025•17 min•Ep. 177
Loriliai Biernacki is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her research interests include Hinduism, gender, New Materialism, and the interface between religion and science. Her first book, Renowned Goddess of Desire: Women, Sex and Speech in Tantra (2007) won the Kayden Award in 2008. She is co-editor of God’s Body: Panentheism across the World’s Religious Traditions (2013). Her most recent book is The Matter of Wonder: Abhinavagupta’s Panentheism an...
Dec 03, 2024•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 176
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.emb...
Oct 14, 2024•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 175
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, all...
Aug 02, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 174
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...
Jun 19, 2024•16 min•Ep. 173
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 ...
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 172
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 r...
Apr 19, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 171
Athena Potari is a philosopher, spiritual teacher, and lineage holder of the Hellenic spiritual tradition. She is the founder of Athenoa – an Academy for Hellenic Wisdom in Greece, where Hellenism is approached as a living wisdom tradition whose core consists in the inextricable synthesis of scientific reason, self-inquiry and spirituality. Her work aims to revive the deeper spiritual and experiential dimensions of Hellenic Philosophy as a living spiritual lineage, combining discursive rigor, em...
Mar 12, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 170
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 MPhi...
Mar 04, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 169
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 e...
Feb 21, 2024•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 168
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 exper...
Dec 14, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 167
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 taugh...
Nov 29, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 166
About the Guests Hari-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 relig...
Nov 14, 2023•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 165
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 teac...
Oct 11, 2023•45 min•Ep. 164
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. Sh...
Sep 19, 2023•48 min•Ep. 163
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 Lo...
Jul 25, 2023•53 min•Ep. 162
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 creat...
Jul 11, 2023•55 min•Ep. 161
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 corresponden...
Jun 20, 2023•56 min•Ep. 160
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. Y1...
Jun 06, 2023•55 min•Ep. 159
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-trai...
May 16, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 158
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 boo...
Apr 25, 2023•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 157
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 Preparin...
Mar 28, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 156
This episode of Chitheads is a talk from Sally Kempton republished from Embodied Philosophy’s 2017 Radical Body Conference. In this episode, Sally talks about Goddess practice as a spiritual technology and provides guided practices experiencing the divine feminine through the breath, through being seen by the divine, and through a formal meditation on the goddess Lalita. About the Guest Sally Kempton is a master of meditation, yoga philosophy, and practical tantric philosophy. Her retreats and w...
Mar 14, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 155
Nikki Costello is an educator with 30 years of teaching and training experience in the Yoga and Wellness industry. She works at the intersection of social justice and Yoga with a focus on facilitating new models of embodied leadership. Nikki is a Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher (Level 3-CIYT) and a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT). In 2013-2014, she was a contributing editor at Yoga Journal, writing the magazine’s “Basics Column,” and in 2016, Nikki was named one of the 100 Most Influential Teacher...
Feb 14, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 154
Rabbi Rami Shapiro PH.D. is an award–winning author of over thirty-six books on religion and spirituality. Rami co-directs the One River Foundation ( www.oneriverfoundation.org ), is a Contributing Editor at Spirituality and Health magazine, and hosts the magazine’s podcast: Spirituality & Health with Rabbi Rami ( spiritualityhealth.com ). In this episode, we discuss: Interpreting the words of Jesus from the Jewish Mystical perspective. What does Judaism without tribalism mean? Rethinking tr...
Jan 24, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 153
Christi Myers is the Founder and CEO of Flow Integrative, a ketamine psychotherapy practice that helps clients deal with mood disorders and substance abuse. Since its launch in late 2020, Flow Integrative has offered ketamine psychotherapy to over 100 patients and is currently a pilot clinic for the first psychedelic insurance company. Most insurance companies don’t cover ketamine treatments for depression, anxiety, or other mental illnesses. She is also a Professor and Assistant Director of Eme...
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 152
Nikki Vilella started teaching at Kula Yoga Project in New York City in 2005 and opened Kula Williamsburg (alongside Schuyler Grant) in 2010. She has written for Yoga Journal and was named one of America's top 100 Most Influential Yoga Teachers by sonima.com. As a teacher, she strives to include the perfect alchemy of precise physical instruction, intelligence, intention and space into her classes. As a teacher trainer, she wants to unpack the mystery of putting together an inspired vinyasa sequ...
Jul 12, 2022•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 151
