In this episode, we discuss: Co-sustaining spiritual practice and effective social action. Tips for carving out time for practice/ finding your core practice. Yogananda’s balanced, spiritual and responsible life. Sacred citizenship vs. the myth of rugged individuality. Practice as a wellspring for creativity. Harnessing imagination in the service of recognizing modes of our own experience. Knowledge of theory as it contributes to experience in practice. Philip Goldberg has been studying the worl...
Oct 13, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 120
Dr. Chris Walling, PsyD, SEP, C-IAYT has been an active leader in healthcare for nearly two decades. His work integrates the developmental, biological, and somatic aspects of the lifespan. His work in academic medicine has included the administration of multidisciplinary leadership teams in hematology-oncology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and geriatric psychiatry. He is a Clinical Research Fellow in the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium at the Kinsey Institute located at Indiana Uni...
Sep 16, 2020•42 min•Ep. 119
Mirabai Starr is an award-winning author of creative non-fiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. She taught Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos for 20 years and now teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialog. A certified bereavement counselor, Mirabai helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. Her latest book, Wild Mercy: Living the Fierce & Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics, was...
Sep 08, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 118
Lisa Danylchuk is a licensed psychotherapist and yoga teacher trainer whose specialty is bringing yoga into trauma treatment. A graduate of UCLA and Harvard University, Lisa is the founder of the Center for Yoga and Trauma Recovery and creator of the Yoga for Trauma Online Training Program. She has authored three books, serves on the UN Task Force for the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, and is also a contributing editor for Best Practices for Yoga for Veterans, pu...
Aug 25, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 117
Jeffrey J. Kripal is the Associate Dean of the Faculty and Graduate Programs in the School of the Humanities and the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University. He is also the Associate Director of the Center for Theory and Research and the Chair of the Board at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. Jeff is the author of eight books, including, most recently, The Flip: Who You Really Are and Why It Matters (Penguin, 2020), where he envisions the future c...
Aug 11, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 116
Alex Auder, recently hailed by the NYTimes as “Yoga’s Instagram Provocateur” ( https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/31/style/yoga-instagram-alex-auder.html ) is a native New Yorker, who grew up in the Chelsea Hotel, where she lived with her mother, the Warhol Superstar Viva, and her sister, the actress Gaby Hoffmann. Besides for being hailed as one of America’s “most influential” yoga teachers, Alex is an actress (you can find her as a recurring character in HBO’s High Maintenance) and writer (curren...
Jul 21, 2020•1 hr 57 min
In this episode, we discuss: The utility of righteous anger in activism. Spiritual practice as an expression of disrupting violence in the world. Discomfort as the place where realization and freedom arises from. Orienting to the collective - holding my needs and the needs of the collective together. The necessity of a commitment to practice for to create change. Dharma as a path to freedom, liberation, complete. Becoming yourself to free yourself. Lama Rod Owens is a Buddhist minister, author, ...
Jul 14, 2020•1 hr 1 min
In this episode we discuss: Trauma as the root of most of our suffering Common misperceptions about trauma and stress 6 principles of a trauma-informed approach Incorporating neuroscience and a return to ancient practices What is resilience? Embodied activism - an everyday activism Making space for healing Nkem Ndefo is the founder and president of Lumos Transforms and creator of The Resilience Toolkit, a model that promotes embodied self-awareness and self-regulation in an ecologically sensitiv...
Jul 08, 2020•52 min•Ep. 113
Greta Gaard began practicing Vipassana meditation in 1995 at Common Ground Meditation Center in Minneapolis, MN. An early proponent of ecofeminism, Gaard has written extensively to illuminate the linkages of race, gender, sexuality, species and environmental justice, publishing six books and over 90 articles on ecofeminism, including several that articulate a mindful ecofeminism: "Beyond Gary Snyder: Buddhism's Influence on U.S. Environmental Literature." (2013), “Mindful New Materialisms” (2014...
Jun 30, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 112
In this episode we discuss: Contemplating death, existence looking at non-existence Trauma, dissociation, suffering and spiritual emergency The mysteries of perceptions through mind, heart, and body Taking emotional responsibility through spiritual healing Nondual Therapy, the psychology of awakening, in contrast to traditional therapy Ways of responding to fear and anger from the lens of non-dual therapy Passion and finding sense of purpose within suffering Georgi Y. Johnson graduated from Oxfo...
Jun 09, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 111
In this episode we discuss: Unreasonable happiness as a way to engage in this time of crisis Todd’s personal experience of spiritual awakening The fall from grace of two beloved gurus Betrayal, resentment, grief, healing and forgiveness with boundaries as an act of self-love A new student-teacher relationship and the foundation of Ashaya Yoga Seeing everything in life as a path of awakening Non-duality, integration of all of it - this is the spiritual practice Todd Norian, E-RYT 500, seeks to a...
Apr 21, 2020•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 110
In this episode we discuss: The spirit of Bhakti Breath as a supreme principle, relating to the Divine through breath - a delivery system of love The power of mantra Bhakti as the fuel for practice and the importance of digging in one spot to reach a depth Cultivating a relationship to deity The relationship between Bhakti and Tarka and the process of falling in love with awareness Your own signature Bhakti Mary Reilly Nichols is the Director of Nalanda Institute’s Yoga, Mind & Spirit and ha...
Apr 14, 2020•59 min•Ep. 109
In this episode we discuss: The nature of reality as wisdom and compassion even in the face of obstacles Spiritual challenges we are facing in the Covid19 pandemic Staying in our spiritual practice even in the face of existential threats Leaning into fear and finding refuge in God and nature Building the Ojas, immunity and the bridge between the ordinary love and universal love The teaching of Ananda, holding the absolute and relative reality at the same time Reconciling the teaching of the natu...
Apr 07, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 108
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Mar 31, 2020•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 107
Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. is a Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University, where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium within the Kinsey Institute. He holds the position of Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina and Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland. He served as president of both the Society for Psychophysiological Research and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral...
Mar 25, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 106
Jacob Kyle speaks with Miles Neale and Isa Gucciardi about the corona virus, how we can skillfully respond to the situation, and why contemplative practice is so important at this time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 17, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 105
In this episode, we discuss: Neil’s documentary film, Gurukulam, which explores a living Advaita Vedanta lineage through sensory ethnography What brought Neil to his path Triple process of study for knowledge - listening, logical reflection, contemplative understanding Experienced hunting, the need for a teacher and reflections on the current state of "Gurus" The Western concept of Karma yoga vs. the way it is traditionally defined Cultural appropriation, academia, yoga practitioners, the market...
Feb 05, 2020•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 104
In this episode, we discuss: How can we make interactions with VR meaningful VR as a support for contemplative practice The parallel between VR and Hinduism as an understanding of the world as dharma Using VR to define reality – Who are we with all these possibilities? What would we like to experience? Wouldn’t we prefer to have surprises in life? Therapy facilitated by VR to expand healing possibilities The potential for both positive and negative effects of VR and how we will have to make pers...
Jan 28, 2020•50 min•Ep. 103
In this episode we discuss: Dreams from the perspective of Eastern tradition What is the non-dreaming state Spiritual benefits of lucid dreaming, including the development of psychic power Physical and psychological therapeutic benefits of lucid dreaming Tools to navigate nightmares Principles and strategies to begin a practice of lucid dreaming (intention and meditation as foundational practices) Preparation for a lucid dreaming practice by developing good sleep hygiene and establishing a more ...
Dec 24, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 102
In this episode we discuss: Christine Caldwell's new book, Bodyfulness: Somatic Practices for Presence, Empowerment, & Waking Up in This Life Bodyfulness happens when you look at embodiment as physical, psychological, and contemplative 8 principles of Bodyfulness and the 4 aspects in the practice of Bodyfulness Difference between the stories that the body would tell and the verbal narrative we have laid on top of it Bodyfulness is activism at its most basic level and how it can shift forms o...
Dec 10, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 101
In this episode we discuss: How religious fundamentalism is problematic Many gods and choosing one god to workshop The key to finding heaven here and now is the recognition of an omniscient God that is available to everyone at all times and in all spaces Distortion of the Hindu way of life by colonialism and the spread of a more open-minded approach to the divine Yoga of constant union Defining features of the Vedic way of life Being in an age of darkness and transition Vanamali Mataji resides i...
Nov 26, 2019•55 min•Ep. 100
In this episode, we discuss: Quantum physics is an astounding entry into consciousness and puts trans-personal psychology on the map. Why spiritual teachers talk so much about quantum physics. Key features and principles of Quantum Physics and the role of the observer, quantum collapse, quantum entanglement, and downward causation. How we actually live according to the quantum worldview and manifest our reality. How archetypes are our internal stimuli, the divine waiting for us to act, and the l...
Oct 29, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 99
In this episode, we discuss: Yoga’s evolution in New York City immediately following 9/11 and how Susanna found a yoga practice rooted in an intelligent spiritual worldview Does everything happen for a reason? How Karma and Lila (divine play) interact in our lives. Yoga of cancer as a deep inner conversation with the body rather than the language of battle. What is pilgrimage? Can we engage in pilgrimage even if we can’t travel to spiritual sites? Susanna’s pilgrimage with Kali, the Mother Godde...
Oct 01, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 90
In this episode, we discuss: What is a deity and the spectrum of deities Different ways to approach deities (as a person with whom you have a personal relationship or an impersonal supreme that is beyond names and forms) The role of sacred art in nourishing our spiritual nature How to discern which type of sacred art to use Eka's recent work on altars and having a place of divinity in your home What a simple deity altar would include Main misrepresentations and appropriations and why this matter...
Aug 13, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 97
This episode of the CHITHEADS podcast is from a previous panel discussion hosted by Embodied Philosophy on the intersection of somatics and spirituality. Featuring esteemed teachers Sally Kempton, Judith Blackstone, Rae Johnson, Scott Lyons and Tara Judelle. DR. SCOTT LYONS Dr. Scott Lyons is dedicated to teaching embodiment as a way of exploring human development, healing and transformation. Scott is the co-creator of Embodied Flow™, a Clinical Psychologist, and Mind-Body Medicine practitioner....
Jul 23, 2019•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 96
In this episode, we discuss: How the world and yoga are open sourced. Vocabulary and framework of Daoist vs Indian yoga. The yoga technique doesn’t matter. What matters is that it is well done, that you have the skills and get it all into integrity (mind, body, breath). Useful metaphors and maps to define, understand and explore the territory of our bodies. Mystical practices, such as yoga, are practical and pragmatic. Participate in the awe. Speak the language of the spirit, play with math; the...
Jul 09, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 95
In this episode, we discuss: How David found yoga, his evolution as a teacher, and the teachers who have influenced him. His current view on his 2012 interview in New York magazine: David Regelin's Unorthodox Style of Yoga Yoga skepticism Yoga as a human science A few principles from his Geometry of Yoga The 200-hour yoga teacher training model David Regelin is a traveling yoga teacher based in New York City. Sought after for his workshops and teacher's intensives, his unique talent for simple y...
Jun 17, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 94
In this episode, we discuss: Yoga as activism in the context of freedom and agency How her contemplative practices have shifted her relationship to racism and how anger isn’t the only way to create change The many tracks of activism and how can we work together What a practice looks like in the context of a correctional facility or rehab facility Impact of meditation and yoga and how they can address the unique challenges that folks who are incarcerated experience Privilege and reparations aroun...
Jun 04, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 93
In this episode, we discuss: Symbol of spirals and the journey of the soul How forms come into being Morphic resonance and how working with sound relates to Rupert Sheldrake's theory Western culture's loss of relationship to sound and the effects of externalizing sound as entertainment The human body as a wind instrument Reclaiming our voices through the use of the voice as a meditative tool Hear a sample of Jill’s overtone chanting - a magical, meditative technique Untangling the web of ancestr...
Apr 16, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 92
In this episode, we discuss: Whole body / whole brain approaches to addressing trauma through the body, mind, intellect, imagination and spiritual practice Trauma that happens to us when essential needs are not being met (what we don’t receive, what doesn’t happen to us) Inter-generational trauma from gene expression, between mother and father, birthing process and developmental stages The role of anger and rage in the process of healing Spiritual practices and addressing trauma Her book The Bod...
Mar 19, 2019•55 min
