Join Clare Johnson for a deep dive into the world of nightmares, as we explore her remarkable new book, “The Art of Transforming Nightmares.” Clare proclaims that nightmares are gifts in ugly wrapping paper, and learning how to relate to them as gifts is the first part of transforming them. Her approach is resonant with the tantric or alchemical traditions, where obstacles are opportunities in disguise. The worse the nightmare, the greater the transformative potential. We talk about what causes nightmares, and how to work with them at relative and absolute levels. What is the essence of “nightmare principle,” and how can nightmares “wake us up” spiritually? Dr. Johnson has dozens of practical exercises in this book, and she shares her favorite ones. The book is essentially about fear, and how we can follow our fear to authentic growth. Nightmares allow us to effect a peaceful (but not always pleasant) transfer of power back to its rightful source, empowering us as the authors of our lives. Not only can we re-script a nightmare, we can re-script the very egoic processes that give rise to all nightmares – including samsara itself. “Right View” is everything when it comes to these unwanted dreams, and this conversation will deliver that proper view. Joining the proper view with practical exercises, this conversation will leave you with tips and tricks you can use right away to bring unwanted dreams onto the path. You will readily see why Clare is the Queen of Lucidity.

Join neurologist Kulreet Chaudhary for a rich tour of the role of sound on the path of healing and spiritual practice. As a Western physician and Ayurvedic practitioner, Dr. Chaudhary is uniquely situated to bridge the best of the ancient East with the modern West. This conversation focuses on the magic and power of mantra to wake us up spiritually, and to heal us physically. What exactly is mantra, and how do they work? Can anybody engage a mantra, and what’s the difference between “over-the-counter” mantras and “prescription strength” mantras? How do you prescribe a mantra, and then use it? The discussion explores the origins of sacred sound, and how vibration works with the subtle and gross body. Kulreet addresses the trans-cultural aspects of mantra, and how they work as audible acupuncture needles, to “penetrate the vital points” of the chakras and channels of the subtle body. Because the outer gross body is an expression of the subtle inner body, what we do with the subtle body profoundly affects the gross body. Authentic integral healing is the result, healing so foundational it can transform karma itself. How important is devotion, or the principle of surrender, to increase the efficacy of a mantra? Are there any dangers to mantra recitation? Dr. Chaudhary is a ground breaking cultural translator, uniting healing systems that go back nearly 8000 years with modern scientific discoveries. This conversation will change the way you relate to mantra, and inspire you to engage in this ancient practice.

MORE ABOUT DR. KULREET CHAUDHARY:
Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary’s combined expertise in both modern neurology and the ancient science of health known as Ayurveda has uniquely positioned her as an expert able to pull from the broadest possible base to treat her clients. She is passionate about raising awareness for the need of a paradigm shift in contemporary medicine that focuses on patient empowerment and a health-based (rather than disease-based) medical system. Dr. Chaudhary is a regular guest on the Dr. Oz show, where her teachings about Ayurvedic medicine have been applauded by a national audience.

Dr. Chaudhary was the Director of Wellspring Health in Scripps Memorial Hospital for ten years, and remains a pioneer in the field of Integrative Medicine. Dr. Chaudhary has successfully developed a powerful system to manage chronic neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and migraine headaches, by incorporating fundamental changes in diet, behavior, and stress, in addition to the standard allopathic approach to these issues. This program has been so successful that many patients now use it not just for neurological issues but also for a wider range of health concerns, including weight issues and chronic disease.

Dr. Chaudhary is the author of The Prime and Sound Medicine and has appeared as a medical expert on numerous programs including The Dr. Oz Show and Home & Family.  She is also a neuroscientist and has participated in over twenty clinical research studies in the areas of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Her research includes groundbreaking work in stem cell therapies for diabetic peripheral neuropathy and drug development for the treatment of ALS.

Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary spends her time doing research in Siddha Medicine in Tamil Nadu, India and seeing patients for Integrative Medicine consultations from San Diego, CA.  To schedule your virtual consultation with Dr. Chaudhary, please visit www.drkulreetchaudhary.com. 

Join neuroscientist Benjamin Baird for a “state of the union” look at lucid dreaming in the scientific community. Is this a good time for a young scientist to pursue the study of lucid dreaming?  If so, what’s the best way to go about that? After sharing his personal story about studying consciousness via lucid dreaming, the conversation turns to a brief but deep dive into the nature of reality, and the explanatory power of idealism (it’s all mind) vs. materialism (it’s all matter). Naïve realism and the mistake of representationalism take center stage, followed by a look at Ben’s study on meditators having more lucid dreams. What is the role of meditation in cultivating lucidity? How feasible is it to find a magic bullet for inducing lucidity, by either targeting sweet spots in the brain through pharmacological means (galantamine), or transcranial electrical stimulation? Based on another study he conducted with Stephen LaBerge, Ben shares his tips for the use of galantamine. Is it scientifically accurate to profess that lucid dreamers are leading the edge of human evolution? The conversation then turns to the radical study Dr. Baird is currently undertaking: trying to substantiate the claim of lucidity in deep dreamless sleep. If proven, this study would revolutionize the mind sciences. You will quickly see why Ben is one of the leading voices in the scientific community currently studying the nocturnal practices.

Dr. Benjamin Baird is a research scientist at the Center for Sleep and Consciousness at the University of Wisconsin - Madison specializing in the study of human cognition and consciousness. His work uses a range of behavioral and cognitive neuroscience methods, including electrophysiology and neuroimaging techniques. His areas of research include internally generated thought and perception, such as mind-wandering and dreaming, self-awareness and metacognition, and the neurobiology of consciousness. He also has a particular long-standing interest in the phenomenon of lucid dreaming, which he has focused on in his recent research.

Join the renowned Kirtan musician Krishna Das (KD) on a heartfelt journey into the world of devotion, and the role of sound on the path. What is Kirtan, and how does one listen to it? Can you bring music onto the path, and what are the near enemies in doing so? The discussion turns to sound as the nature of reality, and the role of mantra to reveal reality. Even scientists talk about the Big Bang, and “string theory.” Is the world made of sound and light? (“In the beginning was the word, and the word was made flesh.”) How does one “listen to the mind,” instead of the classic instruction of looking at the mind? KD talks about creativity, the role of improvisation, and what happens when he performs. The conversation turns to how devotion, guru yoga, bhakti yoga, and openness are central to the journey. This interview is uniquely personal, with Andrew and KD sharing intimate stories of their respective paths. At Andrew’s request, KD offers two selected Kirtan chants, with commentary; and Andrew offers his performance of a Rachmaninoff prelude. Join us for this disarming and sound-soaked interview, with one of the most endearing artists on the planet.

About Krishna Das
Layering traditional kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.” With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das ” known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD ” has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling western chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.

KD spent the late ’60’s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji.

Given the name Krishna Das, KD began to chant as part of following the path of Bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion.

After two and a half years with Maharaj-ji, returned to USA – alas, six months after his return, word came that Maharaj-ji had died.

He took solace in music, finding peace and strength in both his Bhakti yoga practice as well as in such heroes as Ray Charles, Van Morrison, Steely Dan, and Bruce Springsteen (whom he laughingly calls “the Bodhisattva of New Jersey”). KD also co-founded Triloka Records, a California-based label specializing in world music, releasing such artists as Jai Uttal, sarod virtuoso Ali Akbar Khan, and legendary jazz musician/composer Jackie McLean.

In 1994, KD started leading chant at Jivamukti Yoga Center, NYC, with an ever-growing audience of yoga students that has led him to chant with people all around the world. In February 2013, Krishna Das performed at the Grammy awards in Los Angeles, CA streamed online to millions of viewers. The award-winning film ‘One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das’ has been in over 100 US cities, over 10 countries worldwide and is available on DVD everywhere.

Joining us for his second interview, the scholar and practitioner Yusuf al-Hurr for an exhilarating exploration of Islamic dream work, where “dreams are realms in which God communicates to us.” Dreams are 1/40th prophecy in the Muslim tradition, and the deeper you go the more real the dream becomes. Instead of the purely solipsistic (my mind only) nature of our superficial dreams, deep dreams are as ontologically real as the waking world. Yusuf talks about precognitive dreams, and how these dreams rupture our conventional understanding of space and time. Can we use dreams to enter the “internet of consciousness,” and communicate with other beings and other realms on the “net”? How do dreams relate to the “imaginal world” of the archetypes, where pure spirit first takes on form, and matter becomes spiritualized. The conversation then looks at the promise and peril of tradition, and how noble traditions turn into ignoble “dead seas” when they’re no longer fed by tributaries from other streams of wisdom. What is the importance of trans-religion, and the inner sangha? Yusuf then challenges infantile spirituality, and the Golden Cage that is created when we get lost in “feel-good” practice. What does it mean to grow from infancy to spiritual adulthood? How can psychology act as “tributary” to keep our spirituality authentic, and what role does “transhumanism” have to play? Yusuf shows us yet again how his wit, warmth, wisdom, and incisive intellect makes him one of the leading voices in spirituality today.

Join the esteemed teacher Sharon Salzberg in a pointed discussion about the place of meditation and spirituality in politics and world affairs. Coming right after the mob attack on the Capital, and right before the inauguration of Joe Biden, this interview doesn’t hold any punches. Where does Real Change (the title of Sharon’s latest book) take place, and how can we avoid the epidemic of spiritual bypassing? An authentic path is not about feeling good; it’s about getting real. And that reality includes hardship and pain. What is the role of anger in activism, and how about the fourth karma (enlightened action) of destruction? Is it possible to reconnect conspiracy theorists to reality, and to effectively communicate with those who hold wildly different beliefs? The conversation turns to an honest look at the opportunities that lie within all the current obstacles, and how crises can ignite evolution. What can I do to help the world in these difficult times, and what am I not seeing? How can we work with our blind spots, our own fear and vulnerabilities, to effect real change? In the current climate of fake news, what’s still true, and does truth stand a chance? The discussion then turns to a “State of the Union” assessment of meditation in the West. What is the promise and peril of the mindfulness revolution? Is McMindfulness, and the commodification of meditation, a real threat? You will quickly see why Sharon is one of the most popular and sought-after teachers in the world.

More About Sharon:
Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer and industry leader, a world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. As one of the first to bring meditation and mindfulness into mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, her relatable, demystifying approach has inspired generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of eleven books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, her seminal work, Lovingkindness, and her newest book, Real Change: Mindfulness To Heal Ourselves and the World, released in September of 2020 from Flatiron Books. Sharon’s secular, modern approach to Buddhist teachings is sought after at schools, conferences, and retreat centers worldwide. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed over 3 million downloads and features interviews with the top leaders and thinkers of the mindfulness movement and beyond. Sharon’s writing can be found on Medium, On Being, the Maria Shriver blog, and Huffington Post. Learn more at www.sharonsalzberg.com

Join neuroscientist Antoine Lutz, who belongs to the rare breed of “contemplative scientist,” in a wide-ranging tour of mind and reality. The conversation begins with a look at neurophenomenology, a term coined by the groundbreaking scientist Francisco Varela, that underlies much of the scientific exploration of meditation. How can we honor first-person (phenomenology) and third-person (neuroscience) perspectives without reducing one to the other. Antoine discusses his extensive research around pain, and the importance of functional de-coupling and deautomatization. We’re essentially automatons, running on automatic ignorance, where everything we experience is automatically referenced to self, a contraction/referencing that creates all our suffering. This unconscious process also generates the sense of duality altogether, which could be studied in the lab. Are there neurological signatures for the experience of nonduality – and why does that matter? What is the promise and peril of scientifically studying meditators? Why should a meditator care about any of this? Using science, philosophy, psychology and the wisdom traditions, this conversation ranges from the theoretical to the personal, from the abstract (intersubjective realism) to the practical (how to work with pain). Discover why Dr. Lutz is one of the pioneering researchers exploring the meditative mind, and how this work can benefit the world.

More about Antoine:

Dr. Antoine Lutz is currently a director of research at the French Medical Research Institute (INSERM) in the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CNRL) where he co-leads the Experiential Neuroscience and Mental Training Team (EDUWELL). After a Master degree in engineering and a BA in philosophy at the Sorbonne under the direction of Natalie Depraz, he did his PhD in cognitive neurosciences in Paris, France, with Francisco Varela where he applied for the first time his neurophenomenology program to study the neural correlates of attention and perception. Since 1998, he has studied meditation with various teachers including Mingyur Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Matthieu Ricard and Joseph Goldstein.

During his postdoctoral work with Richard Davidson, at the University of Madison-Wisconsin, he studied using neuroimaging techniques meditation practices such as mindfulness or compassion meditations in expert meditators and in novices who learnt to meditate using the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program (MBSR). In 2008, Richard Davidson and him were awarded a NIH-NCCAM grant to fund in Madison the first American Center of Excellence on Research dedicated to neurophysiological study of meditation practices. After working for ten years in the US as a research scientist, he joined the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center in France in January 2013. His current research group focuses on the neurophenomenology of mindfulness and compassion meditations and on the impact of these practices on consciousness, attention and emotion regulations, and pain perception as measured by cognitive, affective and social neuroimaging paradigms using EEG, MEG, intra-cortical EEG, and fMRI. This research is currently funded by a European ERC consolidator grant (Brain&Mindfulness, 2014-2021).

He is also currently collaborating to a European research consortium investigating the impacts of meditation practices on ageing and well-being as measured by brain imaging (PET, IRMf, DTI, EEG), biomarkers of ageing, and psycho-affective and cognitive behavioural measures (Meditageing, H2020, 2016-2021, study coordinated by Gaël Chételat, INSERM Caen, https://silversantestudy.fr). He recently started a collaboration investigating the neurocomputational principles of meditation (ANR MindMadeClear, coordinated by Hugues Mounier, CNRS).

Join the artist/scientist and elite lucid dreamer Fariba Bogzaran in a rigorous and heartwarming exploration of the wonders of the nocturnal mind. Dr. Bogzaran shares her unique clinical work with dreaming, and the importance of “unfolding” instead of interpreting our dreams. “Dreaming is the art of the mind,” she asserts, and working properly with a single dream as a dream artist can take up to a year as we examine it from multiple angles. How do we identify the “big dreams,” and which dreams can we ignore? Why is dream journaling so important? Fariba describes Integral Dreaming and the power of Integral Dream Practice. Where do synchronicities and flow states fit in, and what is the difference between reflexive and reflective approaches to dreams? Where does bodywork, and “felt sense” come into play? Can we let our body interpret/unfold our dreams? Fariba discusses why motivation is so important in lucid dreaming, and how we are each “projects in the making.” What is epistemic uncertainty, and how can we enter the “zone” of life with a deeper understanding of will and Will. Fariba shares a number of personal reflections about life, death, dreams, and everything in between. Discover why she is one of the treasured voices in the dream world, and a major contributor to the art and science of lucid dreaming.

Fariba Bogzaran, Ph.D., scientist/artist, founded the first graduate dream studies certificate program at JFK University in Berkeley (1996), where she taught for over twenty years. She has taught lucid dreaming since 1984 and was part of the team at the Stanford Sleep Laboratory in late 1980’s exploring the science of lucid dreaming. She conducted the first quantitative research on the transpersonal experiences in lucid dreaming; Experiencing the Divine in Lucid Dream State (1989). Among many of her publications are two major co-authored academic books on dreams: Extraordinary Dreams and How to Work with Them (2002) and Integral Dreaming: A Holistic Approach to Dreams (2012), both published by the State University of New York Press. Among her recent art publications she addresses arts and exploration of consciousness in a book called: Gordon Onslow Ford: A Man on the Green Island (2019 ).

Join Father Francis Tiso for a mind-bending conversation on the wonders of the human body, and how it can participate in enlightenment. Central to this discussion is the role of light, so key to enlightenment and the genesis of reality itself. We are made of stardust, fed by starlight, and participate in a spiritual level of “photosynthesis” that can literally have the body dissolving into rainbow light at the time of death. Did Christ attain the rainbow body? Did going up in a flash of light create the image we know as the Shroud of Turin? What is the role of Light Mysticism in Christianity, Taoism, Sufism, and Buddhism? How do biophotons come into play, and is the world literally made of frozen light? Solar religions abound throughout the world, and now we can start to see why. The conversation turns to some of the most advanced teachings and practices of any contemplative tradition, including dark retreat, trekchö (“cutting through”), and thögal (“crossing over”). As the Hevajra Tantra proclaims, “Wisdom abides in the body.” And so does light. What is the relationship of external light to the light of the mind? Can we be blinded by this light? And is this the same light that brings about lucidity in our nocturnal practices? Fr. Francis brings a level of scholarship that is breathtaking in its scope, and shattering in its profundity. Join us in one of the deepest interviews to date, across a cascade of topics and disciplines that stretch the mind.

More about Fr. Francis Tiso:

A New York native, Father Francis Tiso holds the A.B. in Medieval
Studies from Cornell University. He earned a Master of Divinity degree
(cum laude) at Harvard University and holds a doctorate from Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary where his specialization was Buddhist studies. He translated several early biographies of the Tibetan yogi and poet, Milarepa, for his dissertation on sanctity in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. He has led research expeditions in South Asia, Tibet and the Far East, and his teaching interests include Christian theology, history of religions, spirituality, ecumenism and interreligious dialogue.

Father Tiso was Associate Director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical
and Interreligious Affairs of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops from
2004 to 2009, where he served as liaison to Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, the Sikhs, and the Reformed (Calvinist) Churches. Since 1988, Father Tiso is a priest of the Diocese of Isernia-Venafro, Italy, where he now serves as chaplain to the migrant communities in the
Province of Isernia. He is President and Founder of the Association
“Archbishop Ettore Di Filippo”, which serves migrant and vulnerable
populations in the Province of Isernia. He was Diocesan Delegate for
Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs from 1990 to 1998 (re-appointed in 2016) and rector of the Istituto Diocesano delle Scienze Religiose (1990-93).

Father Tiso is the author of Liberation in One Lifetime (2014) and
Rainbow Body and Resurrection (2016), two books on Tibetan and inter-cultural studies. He is the recipient of grants from the American Academy of Religion, the American Philosophical Society, the Palmers Fund in Switzerland, and the Institute of Noetic Sciences in Petaluma, CA. He has served on the faculty of two MLE summer seminars in Germany.

Join author Dustin DiPerna for a penetrating look at the power of Integral Theory and the path of Waking Up and Growing Up. Dustin unpacks the difference between states and structures of consciousness, as well the importance of understanding vantage points. So many spiritual practitioners limit themselves if they’re not aware of these principles. The conversation then shifts to a look at the “conveyor belt,” and some of the main factors that catalyze transformation. How does traveling, virtual reality, lucid dreaming, and psychedelics fit in? Learn how meditation lubricates movement through structures of consciousness, and the importance of relationship on the path. Dustin then discusses the idea of “ladder-climber-view” and how this model works with skillful means and our ability to relate to others. Where does contraction fit into growth, and how important is openness? The discussion then turns to examine “trans-lineage” and “trans-spirituality” before shifting to a look at the role of fear on the path. To complete the picture, the importance of Cleaning Up and Showing Up is discussed. Dustin reveals why he’s one of the leading voices in human development, and a razor-sharp integral thinker. Join this remarkable individual for a tour into the center of yourself, and everything that is required to travel the path of growth safely and completely.