Kavitha Chinnaiyan, MD, is a cardiologist, meditation teacher and tantrika. She became drawn to the Direct Path through the teachings of Greg Goode and Sri Atmananda Krishna Menon, and has studied yoga, Sri Vidya Sadhana, Vedanta and Tantra through the teachings of Chinmaya Mission, Sri Premananda, Sally Kempton, Paul Muller-Ortega and Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswati. She blends her expertise in cardiology with her knowledge of Ayurveda, yoga, Vedanta, Tantra, and the Direct Path in her approach to healing, enabling patients to discover bliss amid chronic illness. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, MI.

She is the author of

Shakti Rising: Embracing Shadow and Light on the Goddess Path to Wholeness (2017) and

The Heart of Wellness: Bridging Western and Eastern Medicine to Transform Your Relationship with Habits, Lifestyle, and Health (2018).

Website: Svatantra Institute

Discussion of this interview in the Batgap Community Facebook Group

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded January 20, 2018

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump

00:04:34 - The Direct Path vs Progressive Path

00:08:27 - The Direct Path and Neo-Vedanta

00:12:05 - Witnessing in Tantra

00:16:25 - Discovering the Unobservable through Spiritual Path

00:21:18 - Redefining Gender Roles and the Divine Feminine

00:26:15 - The Mahavidyas: Goddesses of Darkness and Light

00:30:14 - Reconciling Ahimsa with the Reality of the Universe

00:33:55 - The Intelligent Universe and the Mahavidyas

00:38:26 - Shiva and Shakti: The Creative Power

00:42:53 - The Misunderstanding of Kali

00:47:42 - The Black Goddess Kali and the I-Self

00:51:36 - Refinement of the Sense of Self in Tantra

00:55:19 - Tantric Philosophy and Rewiring the Body-Mind

00:58:52 - The Role of Nadis in Kundalini Awakening

01:02:50 - Differences between Vedanta and Tantra

01:07:14 - Sri Yantra and Sri Vidya

01:11:33 - The Power of Bija Mantras in Consciousness

01:15:00 - The Use of Aum Mantra

01:18:36 - Tara's Shadow and Light Aspects

01:22:54 - Chinnamasta: The Concealing and Revealing Power of the Divine

01:27:05 - Stories of Delusion and Awakening in Hinduism

01:31:38 - The Ashrama System and the Four Stages of Life

01:36:08 - Elements of the Path of the Mahavidyas

01:39:20 - The Ethics of Tantra

01:43:54 - The Path of Tantra and Work in Progress

01:48:26 - Cultivating Discernment and Discrimination

01:52:39 - The Divine Feminine and the Shadow Side

01:57:37 - Surrendering in Softness and Sweetness

02:01:11 - Exploring Wellness through Ayurveda and Yoga

02:04:10 - Music Introduction