CHITHEADS with Jacob Kyle (Embodied Philosophy)

• what inspired Jason to pursue the study of Sanskrit texts
• the historical importance of the Amaraugha, a 12th century text attributed to Gorakṣanātha
• the account of 4 yogas discussed in the text
• what mantra, laya, haṭha and rāja yoga practices looked like for the yoga tradition associated with the Amaraugha
• the relationship between Buddhist and Śaiva yogas
• what this corpus of haṭha yoga texts might mean for modern practitioners
• how the forthcoming translations of haṭha yoga texts could enrich the landscape of yoga study

• how the war on Gaza amounts to a crack in time that is fundamentally reorienting us in this moment
• our relationship with the "other"
• how the nature of reality is a dynamic play of "wisdom-virtue"
• what the Mahabharata has to teach us about the war in Gaza
• how we each can connect to our own unique impulse to be of service in this moment
• the obstacles people encounter that keep them from speaking up, and how to move through those obstacles
• how to embody the "wisdom of the heart"

• 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.

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• 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.

• 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

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:

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1. How previous teachers have shaped the understanding of Sanskrit 
2. The difference between academic and vibratory approaches to Sanskrit
3. The metaphysics of sound
4. The difference between music and mantra
5. The philosophy of sound in the modern yoga world
6. The potential effects of mispronounced mantras
7. The role of grammar in receiving Sanskrit’s vibrational potency

1. Marginalized voices in the study of Sanskrit.
2. Wild women and goddesses in ancient Sanskrit poetry in mythology.
3. Shaktism as a stand-alone tradition.
4. Shakta as a homegrown feminist tradition inspiring and emancipating Indian women.
5. Does one need to be from a culture to understand a culture?
6. The importance of valuing the place where something comes from.
7. Being an accidental academic.

1. The concept and role of the guru in present-day spheres of yoga and academia.
2. The overlaps and differences between guru and teacher.
3. What the yogic tradition has to say about the qualifications of a guru and misconceptions about the role.
4. The emergence of scholar-practitioners in academic religious studies and its impact.
5. Why the guru role is still relevant. 
6. The debate over female gurus within the Hare Krishnas in the West as a microcosm of the larger debate over female gurus and spiritual authorities.
7. How the guru role may evolve in our unbounded, modern time.