CHITHEADS from Embodied Philosophy

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: 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: citta-vṛitti-nirodhaḥGītā.Gītā.GītāBhaktiSee 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: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 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. In this episode, we discuss: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Teachers in America. She is the featured Iyengar Yoga teacher on GLO. Nikki holds an MA in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation from SOAS, University of London and is a PhD candidate at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Since 2020, she has taught weekly online yoga and meditation classes at Nikki Costello | The Practice. To learn more, visit Nikki's website. In this episode, we discuss: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Emergency Medical Services Department at Victor Valley College in California. She previously worked as a paramedic at several agencies, including the Department of Defense, San Bernardino County Fire Department, American Medical Response, and the Department of Justice. Christi has an associate’s degree in paramedicine and fire science, a bachelor’s in public safety, and a master’s in leadership. Website: https://flowintegrativeketamine.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flow-integrative-psychedelic-wellness In this episode, we discuss: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 sequence so that the student can step away from the stress of "following a methodology." WEBSITE: https://kulayoga.com/ In this episode, we discuss: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marcy Braverman Goldstein, Ph.D., began teaching Sanskrit and the history and philosophies of yoga in the 1990s. To design her courses, she draws from her academic training and 20 years of yoga practice. At UNC Charlotte she teaches “Yoga Through the Ages.” Since creating Sanskrit Revolution, Marcy has taught at more than three dozen studios, teacher training programs, conferences, and festivals nationally. Her passion is to help people discover the history and fascinating linguistic foundation of yoga. In this episode of the Tarka Journal Podcast republished on the Chitheads Podcast, Stephanie and Jacob speak to colleague and friend, Marcy Braverman Goldstein about an article she wrote for the Scholar-Practitioner Issue of Tarka, titled "Is Academia (Like) a Religion?" GET ARTICLE HERE: https://www.embodiedphilosophy.com/is-academia-like-a-religion/ In this episode, we discuss: emic etic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Jacob shares four trailers from free mini-trainings we've recently released on the Divine Feminine, Buddhist Meditation, the 4 Yogas, and Shamanic Healing Techniques – all of which can be found on Sādhaka, one of our new podcast series. In addition, the episode ends with a guided meditation on Nondual Tonglen with our dear friend Shambhavi Sarasvati. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anya Foxen is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research focuses on the intersection of South Asian yogic and tantric traditions and Western esotericism and metaphysical spiritualities. Her current writing examines the transnational evolution and popularization of yoga in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She is also a yoga teacher and long-time practitioner. In this episode, we discuss: Website: https://www.anyafoxen.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/profanyechka/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anyafoxen See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Diane Dreher, Ph.D., is a bestselling author, researcher, and positive psychology coach. Her books, The Tao of Inner Peace, The Tao of Personal Leadership, The Tao of Womanhood, Inner Gardening, and Your Personal Renaissance, have been translated into ten languages and her work has been featured in media outlets including USA Today, Entrepreneur, Redbook, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Science of Mind, radio and TV talk shows, and websites on leadership and personal growth. Dreher has a Ph.D. in Renaissance English literature from UCLA as well as a Master’s Degree in Counseling. She is a HeartMath clinical practitioner and a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. Her research on positive psychology and hope has been published online and in academic books and journals. She is currently professor emerita and associate director of the Applied Spirituality Institute at Santa Clara University and a lecturer in the Positive Psychology Guild in the United Kingdom. In this episode, we discuss: Read an excerpt from THE TAO OF INNER PEACE by Diane Dreher: Beginning the Journey: Tao Te Ching See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gavin Flood is the Academic Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion at Oxford University, and Senior Research Fellow at Campion Hall. He is a Fellow of the British Academy. Gavin read Religious Studies and Social Anthropology at Lancaster University and taught at the universities of Wales (Lampeter) and Stirling before coming to Oxford in 2005. His research interests are in medieval Hindu texts (especially from the traditions of Shiva), comparative religion, and phenomenology. Recent books are Religion and the Philosophy of Life (Oxford University Press, 2019); Hindu Monotheism (Cambridge University Press, 2021); and The Truth Within, a History of Inwardness in Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism (Oxford University Press, 2013). He is interested in Tantric Knowledge and is currently working on an edition and translation of a Sanskrit text called the Netra Tantra and a book, A Phenomenology of Holiness. He is general series editor of the Oxford History of Hinduism. In this episode, we discuss: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1993, Theologian and activist Matthew Fox, Ph.D., was expelled from the Dominican Order of the Catholic church after 34 years, by Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI). His mistake was reviving Creation Spirituality, which decries original sin (the doctrine that we’re all born sinners) in favor of Everyone Born is a Blessing (seeing all creation as divine). Creation Spirituality blends teachings from the Christian mystics with science, the arts, social justice, environmentalism, and ideas from other spiritual traditions worldwide (including those of indigenous cultures). Wasting no time, Fox became an Episcopal priest the year following his ouster. His upcoming book, Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality will be released on March 23, 2022. In this episode, we discuss: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jacoby Ballard is a social justice educator and yoga teacher who leads workshops and trainings around the country on diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a yoga teacher with 20 years of experience, he leads workshops, retreats, teacher trainings, teaches at conferences, and runs the Resonance mentorship program for certified yoga teachers to find their niche and calling. In 2008, Jacoby co-founded Third Root Community Health Center in Brooklyn, to work at the nexus of healing and social justice. Since 2006, Jacoby has taught Queer and Trans Yoga, a space for queer folks to unfurl and cultivate resilience, and received Yoga Journal's Game Changer Award in 2014 and Good Karma Award in 2016. Jacoby has taught in schools, hospitals, non-profit and business offices, a maximum-security prison, a recovery center, a cancer center, LGBT centers, gyms, a veteran’s center, and yoga studios. Jacoby's book A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation offers a distinctly queer lens on yoga and meditation. He lives with his partner, child, and innumerable plant friends on unceded Goshute, Ute, Paiute, and Shoshone land, now known as Salt Lake City, Utah. More at jacobyballard.net. In this episode, we discuss: Liberatory models of yoga discussed in the episode: Holistic Life FoundationYoga for 12 Step RecoveryEast Bay Meditation CenterSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode of the Chitheads podcast is actually the first episode of a new podcast we’re releasing as a part of the new Embodied Podcasts Network – the Tarka Journal Podcast. So as some of you know, embodied philosophy publishes a quarterly journal called Tarka in print and digital, and Stephanie, the Editor in Chief of Tarka and I wanted a space where we could have conversations about the the topics we’re exploring in the journal. In this episode we talk about the inspiration behind Tarka and how it got started and where it's going. And if you decide to subscribe to the Tarka Journal Podcast, which you can do now, then in future episodes we’ll be joined by colleagues, fellow faculty of Embodied Philosophy and we’ll discuss the ideas in particular articles from Tarka. We’ll also explore some of the current debates, issues and perspectives in the fields of contemplative studies, dharma studies, as they relate to the experience of the scholar-practitioner. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rev. Dr. Michelle Voss Roberts is professor of theology and past principal at Emmanuel College, a multireligious theological school in the Toronto School of Theology and University of Toronto. She is a comparative theologian who works in Christian and Hindu traditions, as well as an ordained minister in relation to the United Church of Canada and the United Church of Christ. Her teaching and research invite others to imagine themselves in relation to diverse religious worlds, in which particularities of embodiment—such as gender, gender identity, and sexuality, racialization, dis/ability, and culture—matter. Dr. Voss Roberts’ book-length works in comparative theology include Dualities: A Theology of Difference (Westminster John Knox, 2010), which centers medieval women theologians; and Tastes of the Divine: Hindu and Christian Theologies of Emotion (Fordham University Press, 2014), an exploration of rasa theory and theological aesthetics, which received the Award for Excellence from the American Academy of Religion. More recently, Body Parts: A Theological Anthropology (Fortress Press, 2017) reimagines the Christian teaching that human beings are created in the image of God through the prism of the tattvas in nondual Saiva thought. Voss Roberts is also the editor of a volume that brings interreligious comparison to the introductory study of theology, Comparative Theology: Insights for Systematic Theological Reflection (Fordham University Press, 2016), as well as the Routledge Handbook of Hindu-Christian Relations, which was published last year. In this episode, we discuss: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John J. Thatamanil is Associate Professor of Theology and World Religions at Union Theological Seminary in New York. He is the author of The Immanent Divine: God, Creation, and the Human Predicament. An East-West Conversation and, most recently, Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity (Fordham, 2020). Presently, he is working on a book entitled, Desiring Truth: The Quest for Interreligious Wisdom. He is a past President of the North American Paul Tillich Society and the current Chair of the AAR’s Theological Education Committee. He teaches a wide variety of courses including, “Hindu Religious Thought and Practice,” “Buddhist-Christian Dialogue,” and “Paul Tillich as Public Theologian,” “Process Theology,” “Double Belonging: On Multiple Religious Participation.” Thatamanil is an Anglican/Episcopalian—a recently ordained Deacon in the Anglican Church of Canada—who also reads and practices in traditions of Hindu and Buddhist nondualism. In this episode, we discuss: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Harvey is an internationally acclaimed writer, poet, translator, and mystical teacher. He is the author of over 40 books, including Son of Man, The Hope, Way of Passion, Turn Me to Gold, and Savage Grace with Carolyn Baker. He has taught all over the world, given over 20 courses for the Shift Network, and is the founder of the Institute for Sacred Activism. In this episode, we discuss: More from Andrew Harvey: Join Andrew Harvey and Ramesh Bjonnes on their 4-Module Course - Radical Regeneration: Tantra and Sacred Activism. Perhaps more than any other wisdom path, Tantra embodies spirituality in action, spirituality as sacred service to the other, to the world. Using Tantric philosophy and practice as inspiration, you will in this course learn the basic concepts of Harvey’s sacred activism fused with the dynamic spirit of Tantra and how you can turn them into practical tools for personal and planetary change. Learn more and register here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Stephen W. Porges is a distinguished university scientist at Indiana University, where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He is also a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina and professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland. His more than 350 peer‐reviewed scientific papers, published across several disciplines, have been cited in approximately 40,000 peer-reviewed papers. He holds several patents involved in monitoring and regulating autonomic state and originated the Polyvagal Theory, which emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral, mental, and health problems related to traumatic experiences. He is the author of The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation, The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe, and Polyvagal Safety, as well as co-editor of Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory: The Emergence of Polyvagal-Informed Therapies, and Polyvagal Safety. In this episode, we discuss: More from Stephen Porges : Join Stephen Porges on his 4-Module Course - Polyvagal Theory: Neural Exercises for Safety and Social Connection. This course will elaborate on how Polyvagal Theory provides a neural foundation for a brain-body medicine that would lead to insights into the treatment of trauma and chronic stress-related mental and physical health challenges. Learn more and register here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.