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  • Spiritual Bypassing, Non-Dualism Explained, and the 4th State of Consciousness with Jacob Kyle

    Spiritual Bypassing, Non-Dualism Explained, and the 4th State of Consciousness with Jacob Kyle
    2025/06/16
    In this episode, Jacob Kyle offers a curated selection of teachings from Sādhana School, Embodied Philosophy’s year-long curriculum of contemplative study and practice. The episode weaves together reflections on states of consciousness, metaphysics, emotional transformation, and the pitfalls of spiritual bypassing, drawing deeply from Indian philosophical and Tantric traditions.

    Jacob begins by exploring the concept of Turiya, the “fourth state” of consciousness beyond waking, dreaming, and deep sleep, and its Tantric extension in Turiyatita—a state where meditative awareness permeates ordinary perception. He connects these insights to śānta-rasa, the rasa of peace or equanimity, positioning it as the rasa that can suffuse all other experiences when integrated through practice.

    The episode offers a critique of materialist metaphysics, highlighting how modern scientism struggles to account for consciousness. Jacob contrasts this with Indian philosophical frameworks—including dualism, monism, and non-dualism—that offer richer ontologies for understanding consciousness and its relation to the world.

    Finally, the episode delves into spiritual bypassing: the tendency to use spiritual ideals to avoid emotional challenges. Jacob presents rasa theory as an antidote, showing how emotions—whether grief, fear, anger, or joy—are not obstacles but sacred expressions of consciousness. Through aesthetic contemplation (bhāvanā), these emotions can be transmuted into rasa, universalized flavors of awareness that guide the practitioner toward deeper Self-realization and the peace of śānta-rasa.

    To learn about the comprehensive contemplative curriculum in next year's Sādhana School (2025-2026), and to use coupon code CHITHEADS250, go here:
    https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/ss-2025-2026-early-enrollment

    Or to learn more and enroll in the Kuṇḍalinī & Radical Embodiment Summer Retreat, go here: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/kundalini-summer-retreat

    To deepen your knowledge of yoga philosophy, grab our Yoga Philosophy Reading List, a curated PDF of all the books that will give you a comprehensive overview of the yoga philosophical traditions. GET YOUR LIST HERE: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/yp-list

    30-DAY SĀDHANA:     30 Days of Practices to help refine the nervous system, alleviate negative patterns, and foster a contemplative and spiritually-informed life.

    MANTRA Sādhana:     https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/30-day-sadhana CHAKRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/chakra-sadhana

    WISDOM SCHOOL:     Over 100 courses (1000+ hours) in yoga, meditation, somatics, and dharma studies for spiritual seekers, yoga teachers, body workers, healers, and therapists.
    Features: → A new course every month on a variety of topics → Learning pathways that help you digest the content → Wisdom study emails → Interactive member space

    Start your 7-Day Free Trial:     https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/wisdom-school
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    42 分
  • The Power of Poetry in Medieval Kashmir with James D. Reich

    The Power of Poetry in Medieval Kashmir with James D. Reich
    2025/04/10
    In this conversation, Jacob Kyle and James D. Reich discuss the concept of Rasa in Indian aesthetics and literary theory. They explore the idea that poetry and art can evoke a specific emotional experience in the audience, known as Rasa. They delve into the theories of Anandavardhana and Abhinavagupta, who developed the concept of Rasa and its associated elements, such as Dhvani. They also discuss the relationship between aesthetics and theology in Abhinavagupta's work, highlighting how his understanding of Rasa is deeply rooted in his non-dualistic and monistic philosophy. The conversation touches on the ethical implications of Rasa and its potential to enhance our understanding of emotions and our connection to the divine.

    James D. Reich is the author of Save to Savor the Meaning: The Theology of Literary Emotions in Medieval Kashmir, a compelling exploration of the intellectual history of the region, focusing on the intersection of aesthetics and the philosophical theology of Kashmir Shaivism. His work engages deeply with religion in South Asia, including Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as Sanskrit literature, the theory of religious studies, and the interplay between literature and religion.

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    To learn about the comprehensive contemplative curriculum in Sādhana School, and to use coupon code CHITHEADS250 go here: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/sadhana-school-list or learn more and enroll in the "Rasa Theory: Emotions and Imagination for Meditation & Self-Realization" Spring Sādhana only - https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/spring-2025-sadhana-school.

    Interested in the greater 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training? Learn more here: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/ytt-2025.

    To deepen your knowledge of yoga philosophy, grab our Yoga Philosophy Reading List, a curated PDF of all the books that will give you a comprehensive overview of the yoga philosophical traditions. GET YOUR LIST HERE: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/yp-list

    30-DAY SĀDHANA: 30 Days of Practices to help refine the nervous system, alleviate negative patterns, and foster a contemplative and spiritually-informed life.

    MANTRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/30-day-sadhana

    CHAKRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/chakra-sadhana

    WISDOM SCHOOL: Over 100 courses (1000+ hours) in yoga, meditation, somatics, and dharma studies for spiritual seekers, yoga teachers and, body workers, healers and therapists.

    Features:
    → A new course every month on a variety of topics
    → Learning pathways that help you digest the content
    → Wisdom study emails
    → Interactive member space

    Start your 7-Day Free Trial: enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/wisdom-school
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    1 時間 24 分
  • Ritual, Reality & the Sri Yantra with Kavitha Chinnaiyan

    Ritual, Reality & the Sri Yantra with Kavitha Chinnaiyan
    2025/03/12
    In this episode, Jacob Kyle and Kavitha Chinnaiyan delve into the intricate world of the Sri Chakra and Sri Yantra, exploring their significance in Tantric practices. Kavitha shares insights from her latest book, discussing the complexities of the Sri Yantra, its historical context, and the importance of ritual in spiritual practice. They also touch on the necessity of initiation in Sri Vidya, the daily practices associated with worship, and the role of the Swatantra Institute in teaching these ancient traditions. They discuss the nuances of mantras and yantras, the significance of initiatory practices, and the cultural context of yoga and tantra, particularly in the West. The dialogue highlights the need for a deeper understanding of these practices beyond surface-level engagement, advocating for a holistic approach that respects the traditions from which they originate.

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    Celebrate the Spring Navarātri with Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan - Inner Path to Shakti: A Journey through the Devī Māhātmyam.

    To learn about the comprehensive contemplative curriculum in Sādhana School, and to use coupon code CHITHEADS250 go here: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/sadhana-school-list or learn more and enroll in the Tantric Breath Winter Sādhana only - https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/winter-2025-sadhana-school-list.

    Interested in the greater 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training? Learn more here: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/ytt-2025.

    To deepen your knowledge of yoga philosophy, grab our Yoga Philosophy Reading List, a curated PDF of all the books that will give you a comprehensive overview of the yoga philosophical traditions. GET YOUR LIST HERE: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/yp-list

    30-DAY SĀDHANA: 30 Days of Practices to help refine the nervous system, alleviate negative patterns, and foster a contemplative and spiritually-informed life.

    MANTRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/30-day-sadhana

    CHAKRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/chakra-sadhana WISDOM SCHOOL: Over 100 courses (1000+ hours) in yoga, meditation, somatics, and dharma studies for spiritual seekers, yoga teachers and, body workers, healers and therapists. Features:
    → A new course every month on a variety of topics
    → Learning pathways that help you digest the content
    → Wisdom study emails
    → Interactive member space

    Start your 7-Day Free Trial: enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/wisdom-school
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    1 時間 19 分
  • Change Your Breath to Change Your Life with Jacob Kyle

    Change Your Breath to Change Your Life with Jacob Kyle
    2025/01/24
    In this episode, Jacob Kyle shares an excerpt from the first session of the Winter Sādhana School course — exploring the fundamentals of Yoga Philosophy to help situate us in the conversation of prāṇa, and why the extension of prāṇa is both a physical and energetic practice that expresses part of the trajectory of tantric sādhana. Jacob invites you to join him in the Sādhana School as the Winter quarter (January 2025) commences this week. Recordings are available to watch on-demand at your own pace.

    To learn more about the comprehensive contemplative curriculum in Sādhana School, and to use coupon code CHITHEADS250 go here: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/sadhana-school-list or learn more and enroll in the Tantric Breath Winter Sādhana only - https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/winter-2025-sadhana-school-list.


    Interested in the greater 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training? Learn more here: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/ytt-2025.

    To deepen your knowledge of yoga philosophy, grab our Yoga Philosophy Reading List, a curated PDF of all the books that will give you a comprehensive overview of the yoga philosophical traditions. GET YOUR LIST HERE: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/yp-list

    30-DAY SĀDHANA: 30 Days of Practices to help refine the nervous system, alleviate negative patterns, and foster a contemplative and spiritually-informed life.

    MANTRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/30-day-sadhana

    CHAKRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/chakra-sadhana

    WISDOM SCHOOL: Over 100 courses (1000+ hours) in yoga, meditation, somatics, and dharma studies for spiritual seekers, yoga teachers and, body workers, healers and therapists.
    Features:
    → A new course every month on a variety of topics
    → Learning pathways that help you digest the content
    → Wisdom study emails
    → Interactive member space

    Start your 7-Day Free Trial: enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/wisdom-school
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    17 分
  • Abhinavagupta, A.I., and the Matter of Wonder with Loriliai Biernacki

    Abhinavagupta, A.I., and the Matter of Wonder with Loriliai Biernacki
    2024/12/03
    Loriliai Biernacki is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her research interests include Hinduism, gender, New Materialism, and the interface between religion and science. Her first book, Renowned Goddess of Desire: Women, Sex and Speech in Tantra (2007) won the Kayden Award in 2008. She is co-editor of God’s Body: Panentheism across the World’s Religious Traditions (2013). Her most recent book is The Matter of Wonder: Abhinavagupta’s Panentheism and the New Materialism (2023).

    In this episode, Loriliai and Jacob spoke about:

    • Artificial intelligence and whether or not AI can become conscious.
    • How Abhinavagupta’s work responds to the mind-body problem.
    • What the modern understanding is of matter and how Abhinavagupta’s matter is one that includes subjectivity, “I-ness”.
    • How looking at Abhinavagupta’s work as “religious” misunderstands the philosophical significance of his ideas.
    • How the deities referenced throughout the Tantrik tradition are a way of understanding the different “voices” or “personalities” of consciousness manifest in our seemingly singular embodiment.
    • The continental and analytic philosophy tradition, and why the continental tradition is a better home for Abhinavagupta.
    Links mentioned in the episode:
    • CYBER MONDAY! https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/cyber-monday-2024
    • Jacob’s Substack, “Into the Void”: jacobkyle.com
    • Sādhana School: enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/sadhana-school-list
    Wisdom School (Free Trial): enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/wisdom-school
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    1 時間 40 分
  • Anxiety from a Philosophical Perspective with Samir Chopra

    Anxiety from a Philosophical Perspective with Samir Chopra
    2024/10/14
    Jacob Kyle interviews Samir Chopra about anxiety from a philosophical perspective. In Samir's new book Anxiety: A Philosophical Guide, Samir explores the therapeutic value of anxiety from traditions of Buddhism, existentialism, psychoanalysis and critical theory.

    To deepen your knowledge of yoga philosophy, grab our Yoga Philosophy Reading List, a curated PDF of all the books that will give you a comprehensive overview of the yoga philosophical traditions. GET YOUR LIST HERE: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com...

    To learn more about the comprehensive contemplative curriculum in Sādhana School, and to use coupon code CHITHEADS250 go here: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/sadhana-school-list

    30-DAY SĀDHANA: 30 Days of Practices to help refine the nervous system, alleviate negative patterns, and foster a contemplative and spiritually-informed life.

    MANTRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com...
    CHAKRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com...

    WISDOM SCHOOL: Over 100 courses (1000+ hours) in yoga, meditation, somatics, and dharma studies for spiritual seekers, yoga teachers and, body workers, healers and therapists.

    Features:
    → A new course every month on a variety of topics
    → Learning pathways that help you digest the content
    → Weekly study emails
    → Interactive member space

    Start your 7-Day Free Trial: enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/wisdom-school
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    1 時間 37 分
  • Jain Philosophy Through its Primary Concepts with Shree Nahata

    Jain Philosophy Through its Primary Concepts with Shree Nahata
    2024/08/02
    Jacob Kyle interviews Shree Nahata about the fundamental principles of Jain philosophy and how these principles are incredibly timely and insightful for modern times.

    To deepen your knowledge of yoga philosophy, grab our Yoga Philosophy Reading List, a curated PDF of all the books that will give you a comprehensive overview of the yoga philosophical traditions. GET YOUR LIST HERE: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com...

    30-DAY SĀDHANA: 30 Days of Practices to help refine the nervous system, alleviate negative patterns, and foster a contemplative and spiritually-informed life.

    MANTRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com...
    CHAKRA Sādhana: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com...

    WISDOM SCHOOL: Over 100 courses (1000+ hours) in yoga, meditation, somatics, and dharma studies for spiritual seekers, yoga teachers and, body workers, healers and therapists.

    Features:
    → A new course every month on a variety of topics
    → Learning pathways that help you digest the content
    → Weekly study emails
    → Interactive member space

    Start your 7-Day Free Trial: enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/wisdom-school
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    1 時間 30 分
  • Bhāva: A Theory of Imagination

    Bhāva: A Theory of Imagination
    2024/06/19
    In this episode of the podcast, we share an excerpt from the 30-Day Sādhana on the topic of bhāva, a Sanskrit word which has a number of different meanings, including emotion, being, becoming, and denotes a state of things that we bring into being through practice. It grounds a theory of imagination that is both illuminating and empowering. It grounds our understanding of how and why visualization practices are effective. It is a central theoretical concept that we're exploring as we investigate the yoga text, the Matsyendrasaṃhitā, throughout the 30 days of the challenge. If you're interested in the 30-Day Sādhana, you can find more information here: https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/chakra-sadhanaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    16 分