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

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: Goddess practice as a spiritual technology. Sacred Feminine practice in tantric practice. Experiencing Archetypal Goddess energies. Fast-tracking awakening through the empowerment that Goddess gives us. Three core practices for invoking Goddess. The breath as a vehicle through which Goddess flows into your body. Lalita energy as a model for the feminine, as self-empowered blissfulness, and the force behind genuine creativity.  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: Sources of exclusion in the yoga classroom.  Moving away from the performative aspect of studentship. Courage, safety, and trust in sadhana. Autonomy and choice in a yoga classroom. The virtual classroom as an opportunity instead of a limitation. Pedagogical practices that support or inhibit access, belonging, and diversity. Rethinking how we learn and how we create community within the framework of a yoga class. 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: Interpreting the words of Jesus from the Jewish Mystical perspective.  What does Judaism without tribalism mean? Rethinking traditions in the context of ethics. Living the Golden Rule. Who's a Jew in the context of Judaism without tribalism, or “one foot Judaism”. The purpose of religion and comparing mysticism with religion. Awakening to the divine within as all reality. 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: What is ketamine, and how is it used and misused? Ketamine use in emergency medicine and psychotherapy. How ketamine therapy differs from psychotherapy. Rumors, myths, and misinformation about ketamine. Challenges and obstacles in using ketamine therapeutically. Changes and transformations witnessed with ketamine use in therapy. Cannabis, psilocybin, and ketamine experience and effectiveness. 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: Behind-the-scenes conversations about the Kula Yoga Project and how it's evolved through the pandemic. Contemplating the current state of the yoga asana world, how it has changed, and what its future might look like. The value of brick-and-mortar spaces and in-person yoga as a place for support and to connect. What it is to be a modern yoga teacher and what it is to engage in studentship.  Rethinking the path to becoming a yoga teacher. MeToo, Social Justice, and Inclusivity; how collective awakenings and movements are calling for the transformation of how yoga is taught.  Evolving views on physical adjustments in yoga classes. 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: Marcy’s view of the scholar-practitioner and how it has informed her approach to research and teaching. Defining emic and the etic and balancing the insider vs. outsider perspectives. The path of the seeker. The study of Sanskrit as a practice. Identifying the dimensions of religion found in academia. Parallels between academia and the religious quest. Challenging the ideological conformity of modern academia and encouraging new spaces of intellectual activity outside the modern university. 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: Western roots of modern yoga. Connecting the dots between modern western postural yoga and it’s Indian roots. Defining harmonialism. Key concepts in the Hellenic tradition as precursors to the harmonial ideas that we find in modern postural spiritualities. Theurgy, a powerful parallel to the Indian Traditions. Confronting issues of cultural appropriation. Viewing the fundamental narrative of Western yoga as a historical conversation. Website: https://www.anyafoxen.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/profanyechka/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anyafoxenSee 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: The fundamental principles of Taoism. Nature and the wisdom of the Tao within and around us. Watching and waiting, the radical act of Wu Wei. Religious Taoism and Taoism as a philosophy. Spiritual practices of the Tao, cultivating the balance of Tao in daily life. The Tao of now, Taoist Politics and conflict resolution. Reducing stress and anxiety with the Tao. Read an excerpt from THE TAO OF INNER PEACE by Diane Dreher: Beginning the Journey: Tao Te ChingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.