Spirit Matters Talk

Marc Barasch discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Ed Sarath is Professor of music in the Department of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation at the University of Michigan. He is also director of the U-M Program in Creativity and Consciousness Studies and designed the BFA in Jazz and Contemplative Studies. His book, Improvisation, Creativity, and Consciousness: Jazz as Integral Template for Music, Education, and Society applies a consciousness-based worldview to music. He is also coauthor of Creativity, Diversity, and Integration and co-editor of Contemplative Approaches to Learning and Inquiry. A frequent speaker at conferences and symposia around the world, his compositions span diverse musical horizons and have been performed across the US, Europe, and South America. We spoke about improvisation and jazz in a spiritual context, for both artists and listeners, and were treated to a few riffs on Ed’s horn. Learn more about Ed Sarath here: http://edsarath.com/wordpress/

Ed Sarath discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Amanda J. Lucia is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Riverside, where she is a Co-Director of the Institute for the Study of Immigration and Religion. Her research focuses on religious encounters between North Americans and South Asians since the early-19th century. Her first book, Reflections of Amma: Devotees in a Global Embrace (2014) investigates a contemporary guru movement (that of Mata Amritanandamayi) through the ethnographic accounts of devotees. Dr. Lucia’s research interests include guru authority and sexuality, and the politics of cultural representation. Her current book project, Spiritual Nomads: Creating Yogic Selves and Spirituality in Festival Spaces is a study of American spirituality through yoga festivals. We spoke mainly about her research on Amma, the so-called “Hugging Saint,” and what it reveals about contemporary spirituality, guru-disciple relationships and other phenomena. Learn more about Amanda Lucia here: http://religiousstudies.ucr.edu

amanda lucia discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Dean Sluyter has taught natural meditation throughout the U.S. and beyond for over 40 years, from the Guatemalan rainforest to New Jersey prisons. His latest book, Natural Meditation: A Guide to Effortless Meditative Practice, won the 2015 Nautilus Gold Prize for best book on mind, body, and spirit practices, and was an Amazon #1 stress-management bestseller. Known for the clarity, warmth, and humor of his presentations, he has appeared frequently in national media including The New York Times, National Public Radio, The Dr. Oz Show, and O, The Oprah Magazine. Dean has studied and practiced deeply in several traditions, including Vajrayana Buddhism, Bhakti Yoga, and Advaita Vedanta, and has completed numerous retreats and pilgrimages in India, Tibet, and the West. More information is at DeanWords.com

dean sluyter discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Edward F. Kelly is a Research Professor in the Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) at the University of Virginia. He received his Ph.D. in psycholinguistics/cognitive science from Harvard in 1971 and spent the next 15-plus years working mainly in experimental parapsychology. Later, at the University of North Carolina, he studied human cortical adaptation to tactile stimuli. He returned to psychical research in 2002, serving as lead author of Irreducible Mind (2007) and Beyond Physicalism (2014) under the auspices of the Esalen Center for Theory and Research. He is now president of the Cedar Creek Institute, where he researches altered states in exceptional subjects. We spoke about his and others’ research on psychic phenomena and how it relates to spiritual development. Learn more about Edward F. Kelly here: http://cedarcreekinst.org

Edward Kelly discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Emma Seppala Interview 2 by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Emma Seppala Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Claire Hoffman writes for national magazines and holds a master’s degree in religion from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. She was a staff reporter for the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone. The author of Greetings from Utopia Park Surviving a Transcendent Childhood, she serves on the board of her family foundation, the Goldhirsh Foundation, as well as ProPublica and the Columbia School of Journalism. We spoke about her memoir about growing up in the Transcendental Meditation community in Fairfield, Iowa. Learn more about Claire Hoffman here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_Hoffman

Claire Hoffman Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

MC Yogi has become known as a modern day ambassador of yoga to the West and a leading voice in the emerging genre of conscious music. From headlining international music festivals and teaching some of the largest yoga classes in North America, he blends his knowledge of yoga with hip hop, reggae and electronic music. With three #1 World albums and hundreds of appearances each year, MC's music is moving yoga to large, young, mainstream audiences. iTunes calls his latest album, Only Love is Real, "true mantra music - transformative and genre-defining." In 2001, MC YOGI and his wife Amanda Giacomini were named health ambassadors by Michelle Obama for her Let's Move initiative; theyt have taught yoga at the White House four times since. We spoke about his delinquent youth, his transformative emergence as MC Yogi, his driving purpose and his experience merging yogic themes with modern musical genres. Learn more about MC Yogi here: http://www.mcyogi.com/about.

MC Yogi Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Andrew Harvey is an internationally known translator, scholar of mysticism, and spiritual teacher. He has written and edited more than 30 books, including best-sellers such as The Hope, and The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. He has won the Christmas Humphries Prize (for A Journey in Ladakh) and the Nautilus Prize twice. Andrew has taught at Oxford University, Cornell University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, The California Institute of Integral Studies, and the University of Creation Spirituality as well as at various spiritual centers throughout the United States. He is the founder and director of the Chicago-based Institute of Sacred Activism. We spoke about his multifaceted career as an interpreter and teacher of the world’s mystical traditions and about his passion for combining mystical experience and social activism. Learn more about Andrew Harvey here: http://www.andrewharvey.net/

Andrew Harvey Discussio by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Arun Deva is an Ayurvedic practitioner, an Ayur*yoga Therapist and a Vinyasa Krama certified yoga teacher. Arun teaches internationally, lectures at conferences, writes articles for various publications and offers consultations and treatments, including panchakarma and yoga therapy, at his Los Angeles clinic, Arunachala Yoga & Ayurveda. He teaches the Ayurveda and Yoga modules for Teacher Training Programs around the world and currently heads the National Ayurvedic Medical Association's committee on creating standards for Ayurvedic Yoga Therapists. He also leads retreats in India, where he was born and began his studies as a child. We spoke about Ayurvedic medicine, its relationship to Yoga and many related topics. Learn more about Arun Deva here: https://yogarasayana.com/about.

Arun Deva Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Deepak Chopra, M.D is the author of more than 80 books translated in over 43 languages, including 22 New York Times bestsellers. His latest book, coauthored with Dr. Rudolph E. Tanzi, is Super Genes. Trained in internal medicine and endocrinology, he is the founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing outside San Diego, an adjunct professor of Executive Programs at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Distinguished Executive Scholar at Columbia University Business School. He is known worldwide as an eloquent interpreter of the philosophies and spiritual practices birthed in his native India. We spoke about his new book, the gap between spirituality and science, and the work of the Chopra Foundation. Learn more about Deepak Chopra here: http://www.chopra.com/bios/deepak-chopra%2C-m.d