Church of Love

This week on Church of Love, hosts Jyoti, Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati, and Rev. Rachel Schwab are joined by Nischala Devi to discuss “Living a Heart-Centered Life.” Nischala Joy Devi, an internationally renowned Yoga teacher began discovering how to blend traditional western medicine with yoga and meditation.  She then offered her skills in developing the yoga portion of The Dr. Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease. She also co-founded the award-winning Commonweal Cancer Help Program.  Author of four books, numerous CD’s and online classes. S1: Ep8

This week on Church of Love, hosts Jyoti, Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati, and Rev. Rachel Schwab are joined by teacher and writer, Sreedevi Bringi to discuss “Shakti the Divine Feminine.” Sreedevi Bringi is a native of South India where she received formal training in yoga, meditation, Sanskrit, and Hindu religious and spiritual traditions. As a retired faculty member in Yoga Studies at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, Sreedevi offers invited classes and workshops at yoga festivals and yoga centers on topics such as yoga nidra meditation, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras,  Sacred Sanskrit for spiritual practice, yoga philosophy, Goddess traditions of India, Shiva-Shakti Tantra and sacred Indian texts.  She has been co-teaching a course for the online Hanuman Academy on the “Five Elements of Yoga”, and has presented for a few years at the Hanuman Festival, Moksha Festival, and at the Grand Valley Yoga Festival.  She has also participated in several interviews and inter-faith panel discussions on yoga-related topics through the Shambhala Mountain Center, Naropa University, the Legacy Foundation, and other spiritual /religious organizations and venues.  With graduate degrees in Chemistry, Atmospheric sciences, and Environmental Education, Sreedevi likes to infuse scientific perspectives into ancient Vedanta-Yoga-Tantra teachings and practices.   Her prior teaching careers in Chemistry and Science Education have been at the public school, community college and university levels in Fort Collins, Colorado.. In a newly published textbook entitled, “Beacons of Dharma”, Sreedevi has written an invited chapter about Amma, the charismatic ‘hugging saint’ of India, also including the 3 paths of yoga, and the shakti principle.  A sampling of Sreedevi’s deity mantra audio teachings and yoga nidra are at her website: http://www.shakti-institute.com. Videos of her recent yoga nidra meditations for planetary healing during the corona virus phase are on her FB page. https://www.facebook.com/sreedevi.bringi These offerings will continue through May 2020.

This week on Church of Love, hosts Jyoti, Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati, and Rev. Rachel Schwab discuss “Illusion, Attachment, and Truth on the Spiritual Path” with healer and author, don Miguel Ruiz, Jr.At the age of 14, don Miguel Ruiz Jr. apprenticed to his father don Miguel Sr. and his grandmother, Madre Sarita. From that early age, he was called upon to translate Madre Sarita's prayers, lectures and workshops from Spanish into English. In this way, through constant repetition and review, he learned the content of her teachings in both languages.Through interpreting for Madre Sarita, don Miguel Jr. came to understand the power of faith. He saw first-hand how she manifested her intent to heal people, both physically and spiritually.                                                                                              He is the author of the books: “The Five Levels of Attachment”, “Living a Life of Awareness”, “The Mastery of Self”, and “The Don Miguel Ruiz’s Little Book of Wisdom”. He also co-authored the book, “The Seven Secrets to Healthy, Happy Relationships.”Season 1: Ep 5

This week on Church of Love, hosts Jyoti, Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati, and Rev. Rachel Schwab are joined by Rabbi David Wolpe to discuss "Faith & Meaning in Difficult Times."​Named one of the 500 Most Influential People in Los Angeles in 2016 and again in 2017, Most Influential Rabbi in America by Newsweek and one of the 50 Most Influential Jews in the World by The Jerusalem Post, David Wolpe is the Max Webb Senior Rabbi of Sinai Temple.Rabbi Wolpe previously taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York, the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, Hunter College, and UCLA. A columnist for Time.com, he has been published and profiled in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post’s On Faith website, The Huffington Post, and the New York Jewish Week. He has been featured on The Today Show, Face the Nation, ABC This Morning, and CBS This Morning. In addition, Rabbi Wolpe has appeared prominently in series on PBS, A&E, History Channel, and Discovery Channel.Rabbi Wolpe is the author of eight books, including the national bestseller Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times. His new book is titled "David, the Divided Heart." It was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Awards, and has been optioned for a movie by Warner Bros.

This week on Church of Love, hosts Jyoti, Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati, and Rev. Rachel Schwab are joined by Rev. Dr. Bruce Humphrey to discuss “What is the Holy Spirit?”Together, they will explore what the Holy Spirit is in various faith traditions, what is our relationship with it, and what does it play in our personal healing, awakening and reconciliation.Rev. Dr. Bruce Humphrey is a retired Presbyterian pastor who served his last seventeen years as Head Pastor in a San Diego mega-church. During his 40 years of pastoral ministry he led two congregations through significant growth and multiple building expansions. In retirement he is serving as an Interfaith Dialogue Coordinator at Penn State Harrisburg campus.

This week on Church of Love, hosts Jyoti, Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati, and Rev. Rachel Schwab are joined by Dr. Dan Cozort to discuss "What is next for religion?"Together, they will explore the potential evolution of religion and if, and how, different healing modalities and traditions are impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.​Dr. Daniel Cozort is Professor of Religion and chair of the Department of Religion at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania., U.S.A. Dan Cozort grew up in North Dakota, attended Brown University where he majored in religious studies, specializing in Christian theology and ethics. He attended grad school at the University of Virginia, where he began his study with Tibetan lamas. He did a year of fieldwork in India, traveling broadly and staying in Tibetan monasteries. He received his doctorate in Buddhist Studies in 1989.He is the author of six books: Highest Yoga tantra, Buddhist Philosophy, Unique Tenets of the Middle Way Consequence School, Sand Mandala of Vajrabhairava, Sadhana of Mahakala, and Enlightenment Through Imagination. Since 2006, he has been the Editor of the Journal of Buddhist Ethics. His most recent book is the Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Ethics (2018).

Welcome to the Church of Love; a podcast hosted by Jyoti (Susan Kiskis), Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati, and Reverend Rachel Schwab. The show is produced by Freedom Media. Church of Love will explore the changing dynamic of spirituality worldwide and the common belief that God is, in whatever shape he/she/it takes, the essence of love. During this episode, Jyoti, Rachel and Swamini Ji explore traditional models of the church, traditional ideas surrounding why people go to church and the changing tide from religion to spirituality.