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 of yoga and how we are manifesting these issues

Neil Dalal is Associate Professor of South Asian Philosophy and Religious Thought at the University of Alberta, where he teaches in both the Philosophy Department and Religious Studies Program. He received his PhD in Asian Cultures and Languages from the University of Texas at Austin where he specialized in Sanskrit and Indian philosophy, and an MA in East-West Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Dalal’s interests explore philosophy of mind, contemplative psychologies, and meditation practices found in classical South Asian Yoga systems. He grounds this research in classical Sanskrit texts and commentaries as well as their living traditions. Dalal’s current research focuses on the intersections of contemplative practices, textual study, and embodiment in Advaita Vedānta. He is the co-director of Gurukulam (The Orchard/Sony Pictures), a sensory-ethnographic study of a contemporary Advaita Vedānta community, co-editor of Asian Perspectives on Animal Ethics (Routledge Press), and has published articles in venues such as the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Journal of Indian Philosophy, and Journal of Hindu Studies. Dalal is also a teacher within the traditional lineage of Śaṅkarācārya’s Advaita Vedānta. He spent several years living a monastic lifestyle in India while studying under the direct guidance of the renowned Advaita Vedāntin, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, who gave him permission to teach in 2002. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neil Dalal on Vedanta & Self-Inquiry (#104)

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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, embodied
meditative practices, and ancient spiritual practices with the aim of awakening to the
ever-present mystery of being – our true Self. She received her PhD from the University
of Oxford, specializing in Political Philosophy, and her MA in Political Theory with
Distinction from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She was
Fellow at the Center for Hellenic Studies at Harvard University, exploring possibilities
for an expanded practice of Philosophy by re-integrating elements and histories of the
feminine. She is recipient of the Academy of Athens Award of Philosophy (2020),
author of “A Call for a Renaissance of the Spirit in the Humanities” published by the
Galileo Commission, and Member of the Galileo Commission Steering Committee.
In this episode, Athena and Jacob discuss:

How engaging with the Indian yogic traditions can clarify our ability to find wisdom in our own indigenous traditions.
The unique energetic “field” of Oxford and how it nurtured her academic and philosophical development.
The basics of the Hellenic worldview, and how it frames a spiritual path that sees the All as both One and Many.
The inherently political nature of Being.
The ways in which the modern university does not satisfy the deepest impulses toward eudaemonia – happiness, or fulfillment.
A view of ethics not as “morality” but as “habits of energy.”
Philosophy not as an “intellectual” but an “embodied” endeavor. 
The teachings of various ancient Greek philosophers, including Plato, Heraclitus, Plotinus, and Pythagoras. 
The holistic synergy between consciousness and matter.
The nature of Being.

Follow Athena on the Following Channels:

Facebook: facebook.com/athenapotari ; facebook.com/athenoa
YouTube: @athenoa
Instagram:  @athena_potari
Webpage (finished soon): philathenea.wixsite.com/athenoa-academy
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ancient Greek Wisdom with Athena Potari

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 MPhil in Classical Indian Religions from the University of Oxford, an MA in Philosophy from the New School for Social Research in New York City, and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Jacob is a student of Kashmir Śaivism scholar-practitioner Paul Muller-Ortega and is a devoted practitioner of the Śaiva-Śākta Darśana. 
Kelly Blaser is the founder of DharmaBridge and SomaPsychotherapy, and is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with an emphasis in Buddhism, Shaiva and Shakta Tantra, and Somatic Psychology. Her background in feminist movements and Latin American Studies and experience living in Central America opened her up to the extent that our inner struggles are reflective of systemic structures that promote domination and disassociation. Her work is to help others experience the infinite compassion beneath the chaos of life and to remind them of their true nature. Her programs and courses focus largely on the power of applying the dharma to one's relationship with oneself and others. She helps people train themselves in meditation, mindfulness practices, and compassionate self-inquiry, so they can gain freedom from conditioned mind and open up to possibility. 
Explore the many upcoming offerings and follow Kelly's work at www.kellyblaser.com.
In this episode, Jacob and Kelly discuss:

how the history of "zero" as a mathematical disruptive discovery reflects the way our contemplative sādhana both disrupts and inspires different forms of knowledge
the importance of studying yoga philosophy as a way to empower embodied experience
how scholarship should take seriously and employ experientially the embodied epistemologies of ancient wisdom traditions
what it means to let your subjective experience inform your practice without rejecting the knowledge systems of the tradition
the symbolism of Nataraja (the dancing Shiva) and how it represents the five universe functions of reality
the dance of revelation and concealment according to the Tantrik tradition
how organized religions have rejected gay and queer people, and how this necessitates a "re-appropriation" of God in queer-inclusive theologies and philosophies that are simultaneously informed by an understanding of wisdom traditions.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wisdom of Zero with Jacob Kyle

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 ever since. The book went into 12 printings before the newly-revised third edition of Yoga Anatomy was released on October 31, 2011, now with well over half a million copies in print and translations into 23 languages.
Leslie also helped to organize international yoga conferences while serving as Vice-President of Unity in Yoga, and was part of the ad-hoc committee that established national standards for yoga teacher training. Prior to the formation of The Yoga Alliance, Leslie was a strong voice in the ensuing national debate regarding the application of those certification standards. This dialogue resulted in the creation of e-Sutra, an influential e-mail list and blog that has an active worldwide membership.
Leslie is the founder of The Breathing Project, a New York City based non-profit educational corporation which ran highly respected year-long courses in yoga anatomy from 2003 to 2017.
Leslie Kaminoff founded The Breathing Project in 2001 as a non-profit dedicated to the sharing of educational, community-based programming related to yoga, anatomy and health enrichment. From 2003 until mid-2017 the main vehicle for this mission was the physical studio we ran in New York City. The Breathing Project continues its mission of community service by producing and co-sponsoring workshops, immersions, symposia and publications featuring thought leaders from the fields of yoga, anatomy, somatics and other allied fields.
The courses Leslie taught at The Breathing Project in New York City have been available online to a worldwide audience at yogaanatomy.net since 2011, with thousands of students worldwide participating in this growing online community.
In this episode, Jacob & Leslie discussed:

three tiers of yoga education: instructor, teacher, educator (and therapist?)
the yoga teaching landscape post-Covid
the historical arc of yoga's popularity
the psychology of the classroom & student/teacher dynamics
studying the anatomy of the mouth through Sanskrit
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yoga Teacher Travails & Transformations with Leslie Kaminoff

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 experience in response to the meditative inquiry and realizations that the Sanskrit sounds have brought forth.
Lucy studied the violin and piano at the Royal College of Music from the age of eleven, and after receiving a first class honours degree in mathematics and Music, she left London to travel solo through twenty countries over five years in her quest for a deeper understanding of life. As well as immersing herself in yoga and finding herself at the feet of many revered teachers of the tradition, she also studied Arabic and the recitation of the Quran in Damascus, Yemen, and East London, and Hebrew at SOAS in London.
Many years later, when back in London, Lucy eventually found the master of sound she had been looking for, Peter Harrison, who initiated her into the Advaita Vedanta tradition. Lucy now lives in the South West of England with her partner and two children, where she offers unique classes which share the teachings and sounds of the yoga tradition to illumine the intellect and connect us to the creative wisdom of the Self.
In this episode, we discuss: 

How previous teachers have shaped the understanding of Sanskrit 
The difference between academic and vibratory approaches to Sanskrit
The metaphysics of sound
The difference between music and mantra
The philosophy of sound in the modern yoga world
The potential effects of mispronounced mantras
The role of grammar in receiving Sanskrit’s vibrational potency
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neil Dalal on Vedanta & Self-Inquiry (#104)

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