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CHITHEADS with Jacob Kyle (Embodied Philosophy) — Religion & Spirituality
CHITHEADS with Jacob Kyle (Embodied Philosophy)

Chitheads is a smorgasbord of contemplative education. Each episode is like a mini masterclass, exploring the diverse landscapes of spiritual practice, philosophy, and the transformative power of embodied knowledge. Each episode is crafted with the curious and open heart in mind, aiming to illuminate the path of self-inquiry and empowerment for yoga teachers, scholar-practitioners, meditators and other spiritual seekers and contemplative folks from around the world. From the profound teachings of Yoga and Buddhism to the sometimes complex theories of contemplative psychology and the vibrant tapestry of indigenous wisdom, our guests share insights that awaken, challenge, and inspire. With every episode, we dive into discussions that matter, exploring questions that guide us closer to our true selves and to a deeper understanding of the world around us. Our mission is to create a space where wisdom (and not fame, power, or money) is the center of gravity and what we are most concerned about cultivating in this lifetime. Join us on Chitheads as we explore the liminal spaces of consciousness, embrace the complexities of the human experience without dogma or self-righteousness, and discover the beauty again and again of the interconnectedness of all things. Subscribe to Chitheads on YouTube and your favorite podcast platform, and please consider leaving us a positive review on one iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. Come dive into these in-depth conversations that illuminate our path of contemplative discovery. If you’ve felt like you’re the only one full of chit – full of consciousness or awareness ˀ– welcome home. This community of listeners, seekers, and scholar-practitioners is for you.

Latest Episodes:

Jeffrey Kripal on Flips of Perspective (#116) Aug 11, 2020

Show notes

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 centrality and urgency of the humanities in conversation with the history of science, the philosophy of mind, and our shared ethical, political, and ecological challenges. He is presently working on a three-volume study of paranormal currents in the sciences, modern esoteric literature, and the hidden history of science fiction for the University of Chicago Press collectively entitled The Super Story: Science (Fiction) and Some Emergent Mythologies. There he intuits and writes out a new emerging spectrum of superhumanities (in both senses of that expression). His full body of work can be seen at http://jeffreyjkripal.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex Auder on Socialist Yoga (#115) Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

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 (currently working on a memoir about growing up in The Chelsea with Viva). She and her husband/co-collaborator have a podcast called “15minutes with Alex.”
Teaching for over 20 years, she has developed a keen eye and a genuinely authentic, irreverent, and original voice. Her classes are known for the graceful integration of clear and precise alignment cues, intelligent sequencing based on stability and functional movement, somatics, and vedantic philosophy.
Alex has been interviewed and quoted in The New Yorker for the article about guru predators called: https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/yoga-reconsiders-the-role-of-the-guru-in-the-age-of-metoo .
When the pandemic landed, she closed down her brick and mortar studio on Philadelphia and now teaches two weekly live classes and has an extensive On Demand library of classes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lama Rod Owens on Love & Anger (#114) Jul 14, 2020

Show notes

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, activist, yoga instructor and authorized Lama, or Buddhist teacher, in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism and is considered one of the leaders of his generation of Buddhist teachers. He holds a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School and is a co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation. Owens is the co-founder of Bhumisparsha, a Buddhist tantric practice and study community. Has been published in Buddhadharma, Lion’s Roar, Tricycle and The Harvard Divinity Bulletin, and offers talks, retreats and workshops in more than seven countries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nkem Ndefo on Trauma & Resilience (#113) Jul 08, 2020

Show notes

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 sensitive framework and social justice context. Licensed as a nurse midwife, Nkem also has extensive post-graduate training in complementary health modalities and emotional therapies. She brings an abundance of experience as a clinician, educator, consultant, and community strategist to innovative programs that address stress and trauma and build resilience for individuals, organizations, and communities across sectors, both in her home country (USA) and internationally. Nkem is particularly interested in working alongside people most impacted by violence and marginalization.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Greta Gaard on Mindful Ecofeminism (#112) Jun 30, 2020

Show notes

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), “Mindful Ecocriticism” (2020), and “(Un)Storied Air, Breath, Embodiment” (2021). Her presentation on “Humans, Animals, and Non-Harming,” is available on the Dharma Voices for Animals website, and her most recent book is Critical Ecofeminism (2017). As a Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Gaard uses both mindfulness pedagogy and happiness practices in all her writing classes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgi Y. Johnson on NonDual Therapy (#111) Jun 09, 2020

Show notes

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 Oxford University with a determination to explore the mysteries of perception through mind, heart and body. Together with her partner Bart ten Berge she has an international teaching and healing practice in Nondual Therapy and Spiritual Psychology. Georgi is author of several books, including I AM HERE – Opening the Windows of Life & Beauty (a study of the nature of consciousness), and Nondual Therapy – The Psychology of Awakening. She is presently completing a new book: Nondual Medicine –The Physiology of the Soul. All Georgi’s teachings arise out of the realization of the primacy of resonant experience in the movement toward wellbeing, health and happiness. In this, her approach is radically holistic, working with the vibratory field of the felt sense as prior to physical, psychological can mental manifestations. Implicit in this is the liberation of consciousness from the inherited conditioning of beliefs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Todd Norian on Unreasonable Happiness (#110) Apr 21, 2020

Show notes

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 awaken others to their inherent potential for healing and joy by integrating the body, mind, and heart through yoga and meditation. Believing that yoga is a gateway for self-discovery and spiritual growth, Todd founded Ashaya Yoga in 2012 to guide his students through an alignment-based, heart-opening practice that builds strength and flexibility while giving them access to the universe of power within. A student of yoga since 1980, Todd brings advanced biomechanical knowledge, Shaiva Tantra philosophical teachings, and an unapologetic sense of humor to his international workshops and trainings. As a classically trained Jazz musician, Todd created several music albums for yoga and relaxation, including Bija: Soothing Music and Mantras for Yoga and Meditation. Learn more by reading Todd’s book, Memoir of a Jewish Yogi. For a listing of Ashaya Yoga Certified Teachers near you and a schedule of Todd’s upcoming teacher trainings, workshops, and retreats, visit ashayayoga.com. Practice with Todd online at www.yogainternational.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mary Reilly Nichols & Kavitha Chinnaiyan on Bhakti (#109) Apr 14, 2020

Show notes

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 has been teaching yoga for over 30 years. She offers teachings through the lens of non-duality in the Upanishads, Advaita Vedanta, as well as in the Tantric methods of Kashmiri Shaivism and Kundalini Yoga. She holds a BA in anthropology from Harvard University, and completed five years of residency in the ashrams of Swami Muktananda both in India and in the US. In addition to workshops, weekly classes, corporate and teacher-trainings, Nichols teaches stress management in psychiatric settings and is involved in ongoing research on the mind/body benefits of yoga and meditation. Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan is a Cardiologist and Professor of Medicine at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Royal Oak, MI. She is an initiate in the Tāntrik lineages of Śrī Vidyā and Non-dual Śaiva Tantra (also known as Kashmir Śaivisim) and has studied Advaita Vedānta, Ayurveda, and Yoga with teachers across the globe. Her workshops, courses and writings on meditation, Yoga, Tantra, Ayurveda and non-duality strive to bring these time-honored traditions to modern living in practical ways. She is the author of The Heart of Wellness (Llewellyn Publications, January 2018), Shakti Rising (New Harbinger Publications, October 2017), which won the Nautilus Gold Award for Best Books of 2017 and Glorious Alchemy: Living the Lalitā Sahasranāma (New Sarum Press, UK, January 2020).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shambhavi Sarasvati on Expanding our View (#108) Apr 07, 2020

Show notes

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 naturalness of death with the commitment to stay engaged and to help others
Accessing the heart as a gateway to unconditional wisdom

Shambhavi is the spiritual director of Jaya Kula. Her principle training is in the View and practices of Trika Shaivism (a.k.a. Kashmir Shaivism or Shaiva Tantra) and the Dzogchen tradition of Tibet. She has also studied meditation with teachers in the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions. Her root Guru is Anandamayi Ma.
Shambhavi is known for making complex teachings about the nature of the self and reality understandable, practical, and always relatable to everyday experience. Her teachings are grounded in her more than thirty-five years of daily personal practice and personal retreats.
In addition to offering teachings in spiritual practice and view, Shambhavi conducts festival day pujas, yajñas, and also weddings and other rites. She is a trained jyotishi and diviner.
At one time, Shambhavi taught at Northwestern University. She left academia in 2004 in order to devote herself to practice, writing and teaching in her spiritual tradition. SHAMBHAVI’S BOOKS
Shambhavi is the author of The Reality Sutras: Seeking the Heart of Trika Shaivism (2018), Nine Poisons, Nine Medicines, Nine Fruits (2017), The Play of Awakening: Adventures in Direct Realization Tantra (2012), Pilgrims to Opennness: Direct Realization Tantra in Everyday Life (2009), Returning (2015), and No Retreat: Poems on the Way to Waking Up (2016). In addition, she published an academic book, Avatar Bodies: a Tantra for Posthumanism. She holds an MFA in Fiction from Mills College and a Ph.D. in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nina Rao & Hari-kirtana das on Bhakti (#107) Mar 31, 2020

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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