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This week I talked to Kerri Kelly, the founder of CTZNWELL, a movement that is democratizing wellbeing for all. A descendant of generations of firemen and first responders, Kerri has dedicated her life to kicking down doors and fighting for justice. She’s been teaching yoga for over 20 years and is known for making waves in the wellness industry by challenging norms, disrupting systems, and mobilizing people to act. A community organizer, wellness activist and author of the forthcoming book American Detox: The Myth of Wellness and How We Can Truly Heal, Kerri is recognized across communities for her inspired work to bridge transformational practice with social justice.

In this episode, we talked about the ways in which the concept of wellness is distorted and unhealthy, and how, for us to truly heal as a country and a humanity, we need to examine our intentions, motives, and prejudices relentlessly so we can truly build community and transform collectively. The work is both inner and outer; spiritual, activist, political. Human.

Kerri’s been instrumental in translating the practices of wellbeing into social and political action, working in collaboration with community organizers, spiritual leaders, and policy makers to transform our systems from the inside out. Her leadership has inspired a movement that is actively organizing around issues of racial and economic justice, healthcare as a human right, civic engagement, and more.  

Kerri is also a powerful facilitator, TED speaker and is the host of the podcast, CTZN. You can learn more about her work at kerrikelly.co and ctznwell.org.

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In this episode of the podcast I talk about a sex scandal that’s burning through a spiritual community I’m a part of (Sattva Yoga Academy in India) revolving around the founder Anand Mehrotra and some of his teachers such as Matheus Bertoni, including what I know so far, and how it has polarized the community. Then I explore the guru principle and the immense power of disillusionment. Finally, I suggest that it may be time for a new guru archetype. 

Then I explore the guru principle and the immense power of disillusionment. 

Finally, I suggest that it may be time for a new guru archetype. This episode was extremely challenging to produce and deeply personal for me. I did the best I could to maintain a neutral yet impassioned perspective.

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Learn more about Chad's newly relaunched meditation course.
Or book a Vedic astrology reading.

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In this episode I talk to Schuyler Brown, a futurist, facilitator, coach, teacher of embodiment and meditation, and a writer. You can find her at artofemergence.com and her essays/poems are on Medium @ schuylerbrown. 

In the course of a broad-ranging discussion, Schuyler and I talk about grace; classical Tantra and the descending path; down-home, Kentucky spirituality; roots and rooting down; nature and the lost wildness of Europe; desire and magic; attachment; prayer; late stage capitalism; the importance of community; and the art of embodiment. It was a sort of collaborative riff on the potential of modern spirituality. 

As you can probably tell from the recording, we had so much fun talking. I wish we could record all of our conversations!

• Schuyler’s embodiment and coaching offerings
• Schuyler’s writing on Medium
• Wendell Berry, poet, novelist, environmental activist, farmer
• Ramana Maharshi’s Be As You Are
• Bill Plotkin’s books
• The indigenous Bön people of Tibet
• Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the occupation of Alcatraz (2019)
• Anne Lamott’s book about prayer: Help Thanks Wow
• James Hillman’s lectures on alchemy
• Twilight language 
• The poetry of David Whyte

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In this episode, we approach plant medicine from a yogic perspective. And we explore how yoga and sacred plant medicine are complementary practices with a long-standing symbiotic tradition; how yoga can be a powerful preparatory and integrative practice when working with plants; and how yoga can also be a powerful alternative to working with plants—not everyone needs to work with plants.

It’s Native American Heritage Month so I just want to acknowledge the debt we owe to the native people of this land and all sacred lands, and the importance of respecting all indigenous traditions in joining sacred plant ceremonies and working with sacred plants. I think it’s important to engage only in ceremonies that preserve traditions and have the blessing of indigenous curanderos. The world needs these sacred traditions, and they should be spread far and wide, but with a deep respect for their roots.

I will be offering a plant medicine integration yoga class as part of the upcoming Belize International Yoga Festival on December 4. It will offer a taste of the kinds of yoga integration practices I share with students and clients. You can learn more here. 

Full show notes here.

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My guest this week is Adam Schomer, a documentary film and television director, writer, and producer, and the president of i2i Productions. Adam is probably most known for the Netflix documentary HEAL and is currently spearheading the global online summit for the film Fantastic Fungi.

Adam is also a dear friend and a personal inspiration to me. He’s a great example of how spirituality and the spiritual path can be lighthearted and fun, and authentic. As you can probably guess, we met in India.

In this episode we explore the role of fear and forgiveness on the spiritual path, utopian communities and the importance of community, giving people tools for living through the kind of elevated entertainment that Adam produces, the power of following your heart, how to build spiritual resilience, and much more.

Full show notes here.

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Inspired by friends, family, and people like Daniel Pinchbeck, who have been so critical of spirituality, I mount a full-throated defense of spirituality, first acknowledging the pitfalls and shortcomings. Spirituality for me is a holistic worldview and set of practices that make us more relevant and impactful in the world, instead of more escapist and checked-out. 

Authentic spirituality is becoming a spiritual scientist, making us more discerning, not more out-of-touch. Furthermore, true change cannot come about in the world without first expanding consciousness through spiritual practice. 

Finally, spirituality offers a nurturing cosmology that imbues our lives with deeper meaning. 

Daniel Pinchbeck articles mentioned in this episode: 

• Bat Soup  
• Is the Pursuit of Truth Worth it? 

Here's my blog post about morphic fields.

Special thanks to Blaire Embrey and Meghan Kemp for providing valuable input as I developed these ideas!

Full show notes

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My podcast guest this week is Meghan Kemp, a dedicated student and teacher of yoga, who is integrating eastern practices into western culture (which is why I was so excited to talk to her). She has been practicing yoga since she was 14 and teaching asana, meditation, breathwork and kriya for the past five years. Following a year of living, studying and teaching at an ashram in northern India, Meghan has returned to the States to share these transformational practices with all walks of life. She is also a budding Vedic Astrologer and offers astrology readings as a means to alleviate suffering and increase joy.

Our conversation spanned a broad spectrum of topics, all orbiting around the broad and rich practices of yoga, from the elements that make up a holistic yoga practice, to ashram life and the role of a guru on the spiritual path, to cults, to the question of enlightenment, to Vedic astrology.

In this surreal liminal space after quarantine here in New York, it was wonderful to be able to do this interview with Meghan in-person instead of online! One of my mics failed half way through recording. Thankfully I had 2 backups. But this is why the audio quality fluctuates a bit in two places. Podcasting. It’s a journey of learning on all sides.

The path of enlightenment is the toughest path, and that seeking is the hardest task. — Swami

Rama The spiritual path teaches us how to float on our backs, relaxed and aware, in the waters of reality. — Elizabeth Lesser

Swami Rama's book Living with the Himalayan Masters

Mariana Caplan's wonderful The Guru Question 

A list of resources for helping India during the pandemic 

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We live in what seems like the denouement of the age of reason. We feel separate and alienated in a world bereft of meaning. Astrology can be a remedy for that alienation and emptiness. To see why and how, I explore the history of science and European reason, depth psychology, and quantum physics. I then assuage concerns about the implications for free will in astrology, and talk about how Vedic astrology (Jyotish) compares with Western astrology. We go deep in this episode, because the cosmos is deep; we just have to look, and listen. 

The Modern Astrology Zeitgeist

Why are Millennials so into Astrology? (Jan 2018)

“Astrology is not a science; there’s no evidence that one’s zodiac sign actually correlates to personality.” [citing a 1984 research paper showing no correlation between astrology and personality.]

Astrology in the Age of Uncertainty (Oct 2019)

“Millennials who see no contradiction between using astrology and believing in science are fueling a resurgence of the practice.”

Exploding popularity, a booming $40 million business for apps (Nov 2020)

The New York Times Modern Love podcast recently featured a story about Vedic astrology.

Influences
Some of the luminaries who Influenced my thinking on astrology, both Western and Vedic, include:

• Rick Tarnas
• Fritjof Capra — I highly recommend reading his now-famous Tao of Physics. Despite being almost 50 years old now, it is still highly relevant today. 
• Amit Goswami
• Anand Mehrotra

Learn more about my astrology offerings.

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In this inaugural episode of the podcast I attempt to define spirituality, explain the title, and talk about the themes and topics I will be exploring on future episodes, including: 

• how authentic spirituality can be the most effective way to make a positive impact on the world, 
• the burgeoning Wisdom Revolution, 
• spiritual ego & spiritual bypass, 
• Vedic astrology, 
• plant medicine, and 
• the elements of yoga beyond asana, including kriya, pranayama, laya, and jnana yoga. 

Look for new episodes about once a month, although I plan to put a few out in quick succession to clear this backlog of content I have.

Philip Goldberg’s wonderful American Veda, which talks about the rise of people identifying as “spiritual but not religious” (SBNR). 

Slavoj Žižek's wonderful documentary is The Pervert's Guide to Ideology 

Ramana Maharshi's teaching "Who Am I?" 

More about the podcast here https://elemental.yoga/podcast

You can sign up for Jayadev's newsletter, and join his online community

Instagram: @kriya.guy

You can also find a video version of this podcast on Jayadev's YouTube channel 

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