Spirit Matters Talk

Dani Antman by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Eiman Al Zaabi is a Muslim spiritual teacher and life coach who integrates the principles of harmony, beauty, and unity in her teachings. Raised in a Muslim Arab family in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, she embarked on a spiritual journey sparked by struggles with anxiety and depression. It led to years of in-depth research into science, energy medicine, and various religions and spiritual traditions, culminating in her book, The Art of Surrender, A Practical Guide to Enlightened Happiness and Well-Being. Eiman holds a degree in business information technology and a master’s in business administration. She works at New York University’s Abu Dhabi campus. We spoke about Islam, life in Abu Dhabi, and mostly about the meaning of surrender and other insights from her book. Learn more about Eiman Al Zaabi here: www.eimanalzaabi.com

02 Sep 2019 10:06 by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Richard Geldard is a writer and lecturer living in New York City and the Hudson Valley. He is married to the artist and writer Astrid Fitzgerald. Before turning to writing he was an administrator and teacher at the secondary, undergraduate, and graduate levels. Prior to his retirement, his graduate appointments were to the faculties of the Holmes Institute for the Study of Consciousness, the Pacifica Graduate Institute, and the University of Philosophical Research. He earned his doctorate from Stanford University in Dramatic Literature and Classics, and also studied at St. John's College, Oxford. Richard’s twelve books include studies of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the American Transcendentalists as well as Greek philosophy and culture. His most recent book is a novella, The Magdalene Gates. We spoke first about Emerson then segued to his research on Mary Magdalen and his decision to render his findings in fiction. Learn more about Richard Geldard here: https://www.rgbooks.com/abouttheauthor.htm

Richard G Geldard Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Loch Kelly, M.Div., LCSW, is an educator, contemplative psychotherapist, and recognized leader in the field of consciousness and awakening. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary, where he received a fellowship to study Insight Meditation, Advaita, and Tibetan Buddhism. He trained with Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche in Nepal, served on the Teacher’s Council at New York Insight, and is affiliated with Adyashanti. The founder of the non-profit Open-Hearted Awareness Institute, Loch has worked in community mental health, established homeless shelters, and counseled family members after 9/11. He collaborates with neuroscientists to study how awareness training enhances compassion and wellbeing. He is the author of Shift into Freedom, the subject of our previous interview with him, and his latest The Way of Effortless Mindfulness. He teaches direct methods of effortless mindfulness, informed by psychology and social justice. We spoke about his work in general and the methods he highlights in

Loch Kelly 2 Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Michael Benner is well known throughout Southern California for his popular human potential talk radio programs, most recently on KPFK-FM. He left broadcasting in 1987 to start Personal Development Strategies, which has offices in La Quinta near Palm Springs, California. He provides counseling and personal development training to individuals and couples, as well as consulting, training, and coaching for business executives, managers, and teams. His strategies include self-awareness, emotional intelligence, stress management, critical thinking, and relationship management. Michael is the author of Fearless Intelligence — The Extraordinary Wisdom of Awareness, and has written the breakthrough self-awareness training Internal Vigilance, which was commissioned by the Orange County California Sheriff’s Academy. He has also served as the Sports Psychology Consultant for the U.S.C. women’s tennis team and the Burbank Burroughs High School baseball team. We spoke about his work and his insights as a long-time observe

Micheal Benner Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Philip Shepherd originated The Embodied Present Process™ (TEPP), a unique set of practices that reunite the intelligence of the head with that of the body. He is the author of New Self, New World: Recovering Our Senses in the Twenty-first Century, and Radical Wholeness: The Embodied Present and the Ordinary Grace of Being. His work draws on a lifetime of research and adventure that includes cycling alone as a teenager through Europe, the Middle East, Iran, India and Japan; studying classical Noh Theater in Japan; designing and building several houses; co-founding an arts magazine; co-founding an interdisciplinary theatre company; writing two internationally produced plays and a television documentary; and playing lead roles on stages in London, New York, Chicago and Toronto. He currently travels the world sharing workshops and Facilitators Trainings, and is also developing an app based on his work. We spoke about embodied spirituality and his work grounding people in physical experience. Learn more about Phil

Philip Shepherd Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Igor Kufayev Interview by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Igor Kufayev Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Jeffery D. Long is Professor of Religion and Asian Studies at Elizabethtown College, in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, where he has taught since receiving his PhD from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 2000. He is the editor, most recently, of the volume Perspectives on Reincarnation: Hindu, Christian, and Scientific, as well as the co-editor of the Buddhism and Jainism volumes of the Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. He is also the author of numerous scholarly articles and three books, A Vision for Hinduism; Jainism: An Introduction; and the Historical Dictionary of Hinduism (which will soon be published in a second edition). He is in the process of publishing two more books, Hinduism in America: A Convergence of Worlds and Indian Philosophy: An Introduction. Last summer, he received the Hindu American Foundation’s Dharma Seva Award for his efforts to ensure more accurate and culturally sensitive presentations of Hindu traditions in the American education system. In this, our second interview wit

Jefferey Long 2 Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Tami Simon founded Sounds True, a multi-media publishing company dedicated to disseminating spiritual wisdom, in 1985, when she was only 22. The company created and distributed audio recordings of important spiritual teachers, and over time evolved into digital and online audios and expanded into book publishing as well. As a pioneer in mindful living and the conscious business movement, Tami focuses on leading with authenticity and heart. She hosts a popular weekly podcast called "Insights at the Edge," where she interviews many of today's leading spiritual teachers, delving deeply into their discoveries and personal experiences on their own journeys. With Sounds True, she has released her own audio program, "Being True: What Matters Most in Work, Life, and Love." We spoke about the origins of her company and her path, the insights she’s gleaned from the many teachers she’s worked with, and other topics. Learn more about Tami Simon here: https://www.soundstrue.com/store/tami-simon-author.html

Tami Simon Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Gary Gach is a writer, mystic, and teacher in the Plum Village lineage of his root teacher, Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, with whom he studied for more than 20 years. He is the editor of What Book!? – Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop and the author of the bestselling The Complete Idiot's Guide To Buddhism. His latest book is Pause, Breathe, Smile: Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation Is Not Enough, which Spirituality & Practice named one of the best spiritual books of 2018. He calls it “a practical handbook of the mindful life from a spiritual perspective.” We spoke about his spiritual history, the secularization of Buddhism, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Pause, Breathe, Smile. Learn more about Gary Gach here: http://garygach.com

Gary Gach Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Graham Schweig is a Professor and the Director of Studies in Religion at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. He is also affiliated with The Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and the Avanti Schools Trust in the UK. He earned his doctorate from Harvard in comparative religion, specializing g in sacred Sanskrit literature. A student of many traditional teachers, he has been to India seven times and has practiced meditational and heart-centered yoga for over 45 years. He has offered numerous seminars and lectures in the US and Europe, and has delivered over three dozen lectures on religion and yoga at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. His over 100 articles, chapters, and books include a widely-used translation of the Bhagavad Gita (Harper Collins). With his life-partner Catherine, he is co-founder of The Secret Yoga, which presents workshops on the philosophical foundations of yoga, the deeper dimensions of meditation, and other important themes. We spoke about his own spiritual history