Jacob Kyle

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.

Jason Birch is a scholar of medieval haṭha yoga and a founding member of SOAS’s Centre for Yoga Studies. His research includes locating and translating early yoga manuscripts, and preparing critical editions, such as the Amaraugha.

Shambhavi Sarasvati is the spiritual director of Jaya Kula, a nonprofit community in Portland, Oregon. Her principle training is in the View and practices of Trika Shaivism—also called Kashmir Shaivism—and the Dzogchen tradition of Tibet. Shambhavi is known for her humor and for making complex teachings about the nature of the self and reality understandable, practical, and always relevant to our lived experience.

Athena Potari is a philosopher and advocate of Hellenic wisdom. She argues for a reclamation of Ancient Greek thought that gives voice to the spiritual elements of Ancient Greek Philosophy. She has a PhD in Political Theory from the University of Oxford, and teaches the philosophy and spirituality of Hellenism at her school in Athens, Greece, which models itself on the ancient Greek philosophical academies.

Jacob Kyle is a meditation teacher, writer, philosophy educator, and the Founding Director of Embodied Philosophy. He holds an MPhil in Classical Indian Religions from the University of Oxford, an MA in Philosophy from the New School for Social Research in New York City, and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Jacob is a student of Kashmir Śaivism scholar-practitioner Paul Muller-Ortega and is a devoted practitioner of the Śaiva-Śākta Darśana.

Leslie Kaminoff is a yoga educator inspired by the tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar. He is an internationally recognized specialist with four decades’ experience in the fields of yoga and breath anatomy. He leads workshops for many of the leading yoga associations, schools and training programs in the world.

Lucy Crisfield is founder of ‘Original Wisdom’, through which she shares the inner teachings of mantra and yoga philosophy with sound, meditation, and scholarly precision. 

Sally Kempton was a master of meditation, yoga philosophy, and practical tantric philosophy. This episode was originally published in 2016 and is being republished as a tribute to Sally.