Today, I catch up with Brandt Stickley, Associate Professor at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland. We discuss his practice of “Chinese medicine anti-psychiatry,” which involves exorcising spirits using acupuncture needles. Along the way, we talk about mass possession, spiritual shark bites, and how to properly unwind a wayward ghost. 

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Brandt's website
• Certificate in Chinese Medicine Psychiatry
• Brandt's courses and mentorship
• Blood, Fire, Light, & Time on Substack

Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading:

• Brandt Stickley, "Approaching the Origin: The Diaphanous Body and Classical Chinese Medicine" (2024)

In celebration of the holiday season, here's a bonus episode from the archives. In May of 2023, I sat down with Zachary Lui who is a practitioner of Chinese medicine, magic, and shamanism in the Toronto area. We started by talking about his early work with Chinese martial arts, traditional medicine, and qigong. We then got into Zac’s practice of chaos magic, diverse ritual practices, reiki, and esoteric Buddhist healing. Finally, we discussed his communication with different deities and spirits, as well as the potential dangers of working with them in his healing practice.

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Wuji Xuan Life Wellness 
• Queen City Curio 
• Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole Podcast 
• Andrieh Vitimus, Hands-On Chaos Magic (2009)

Today I sit down with Nick Canby, visiting assistant professor at Brown University and a clinical psychologist specializing in meditation and psychedelics. Together, we dive into Nick’s research on the self — what is it and what it’s like to lose it. Along the way, we mention some of the downsides of experiencing oneness and the complications of defining a mental health disorder.

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Previous episode on meditation challenges with Willoughby Britton and Jared Lindahl 
• List of Publications from the Varieties of Contemplative Experience study
• Canby et al., "The Teacher Matters: The Role and Impact of Meditation Teachers in the Trajectories of Western Buddhist Meditators Experiencing Meditation-Related Challenges"
• Pierce's forthcoming volume, "Meditation Sickness: A Sourcebook on the Dangers of Buddhist Practice" 
• Previous episode on madness and religious experience with Richard Saville-Smith
• Nick's clinical practice
• Nick's profile on Cheetah House
• Complete list of Nick's publications 

Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading:

• Article summarizing Nick’s dissertation research on “loss of self” experiences
• 50% off “Varieties of Ego-Dissolution” online course (research overview of the types of self-boundary dissolution and their impacts) 

Today I sit down with Leo Lok, a retired practitioner of Chinese medicine who now teaches and consults with practitioners treating difficult cases of meditation sickness. Together, we discuss how to think about the challenging side-effects of meditation through the lens of the ancestral Chinese arts of qi regulation. Along the way, we discuss the surprising power of ocular alignment, how to gradually condition oneself for spiritual heavy lifting, and medieval Chinese emergency treatments for meditation practice gone wrong.

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Leo's chapter on Chinese physicians will appear in Pierce's forthcoming book, Meditation Sickness: An Anthology on the Dangers of Meditation Practice. (Get notified when this is published.)
• Zhiyi's (538–597) magnum opus on meditation in the Chinese Buddhist tradition, translated by Paul Swanson
• Pierce discusses medieval Chinese approaches to meditation sickness, including Zhiyi's advice for meditators, in an open access article in Journal of Buddhist Ethics.
• See Leo's recommended YouTube instructional video on the six healing breaths.
• Leo's new website is under construction

Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading:

• Pierce's 2017 translation of the complete "Chapter on Illness" from Zhiyi's Shorter Treatise on Śamatha and Vipaśyanā. 

Today I sit down with Susannah Deane, a scholar of Tibetan medicine, Buddhism, and psychiatry. Together, we delve into her work on Tibetan concepts of "wind disorders" and Tantric practice gone wrong. Along the way, we talk about losing control of spirits, becoming a deity, and how Tibetans choose between religious and medical specialists when spiritual practice goes off the rails.

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Susannah Deane, Tibetan Medicine, Buddhism and Psychiatry: Mental Health and Healing in a Tibetan Exile Community (2018).
• Salguero, Cheung, and Deane (eds.), Buddhism and Healing in the Modern World (2024).
• Susannah Deane, Illness and Enlightenment: Exploring Tibetan Perspectives on Madness in Text and Everyday Life (2025).
• Susannah's Academia.edu profile

Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading:

• High resolution image of the Tibetan subtle body system 
• Susannah's chapter “For This Kind of Thing, the Lama Is Better: Religion, Medicine, and the Treatment of 'Madness' among Tibetans in Amdo," from Buddhism and Healing in the Modern World

Today I sit down with Richard Saville-Smith, an independent scholar of madness, religion, and psychiatry. We discuss Richard’s book Acute Religious Experiences (2023), which argues that frameworks from Mad Studies can get us out from under the academy’s current habit of either pathologizing or sanitizing religious experiences. Along the way, we talk about the power struggle between psychiatry & the humanities, the influence of Queer Studies on Richard’s work, and his reinterpretation of Jesus as a madman.   

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Acute Religious Experiences: Madness, Psychosis and Religious Studies (2023)

Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading:

• Chapter 10 from Richard's book, which presents his D.R.E.A.D. framework for acute religious experiences.

Today I sit down with Willoughby Britton and Jared Lindahl, the interdisciplinary team from Brown University that is responsible for the “Varieties of Contemplative Experience” study on the challenges and adverse effects of meditation. We talk about the design, findings, and outcomes of the study, and how it opened up a new field of interdisciplinary investigation. Along the way we ask: if someone suffers harm from practicing meditation, whose fault is it? What is the ultimate cause? And who gets to interpret the experience? 

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Complete Varieties of Contemplative Experience study publications list
• Willoughby on the Mind & Life Podcast
• Willoughby & Jared on The Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness Podcast
• “The Varieties of Contemplative Experience: A Mixed-Methods Study of Meditation-Related Challenges in Western Buddhists” (2017)
• “The Roles and Impacts of Worldviews on the Onset and Trajectory of Meditation-Related Challenges” (2022)
• “The Teacher Matters: The Role and Impact of Meditation Teachers in the Trajectories of Western Buddhist Meditators Experiencing Meditation-Related Challenges” (2025)
• “Progress or Pathology? Differential Diagnosis and Intervention Criteria for Meditation-Related Challenges: Perspectives from Buddhist Meditation Teachers and Practitioners.”
• CheetahHouse.org

Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloads of these PDFs:

• “Challenging and Adverse Meditation Experiences: Toward A Person-Centered Approach” (2021)
• “Prevalence of meditation-related adverse effects in a population-based sample in the United States” (2021)

Today I sit down with Dr. Daniel M. Ingram, a retired ER physician, co-founder of the Emergent Phenomena Research Consortium, CEO of Emergence Benefactors, and a noted adept in Buddhist meditation. Together we explore “emergent phenomena,” or the spiritual, mystical, magical, energetic, and psychedelic possibilities at the deep end of human experience. Along the way, we discuss dark nights of the soul, ontological fruit salad, brain scans of peak meditation states, and warning labels on spiritual practice. 

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Links to all Daniel's stuff
• Emergent Phenomena Research Consortium
• Emergent Benefactors 
• Daniel M. Ingram, Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha (2018) website | book
• DharmaOverground.org
• Olivier Sandilands & Daniel M. Ingram, Documenting and defining emergent phenomenology: theoretical foundations for an extensive research strategy (2024)
• Avijit Chowdhury et al., Investigation of advanced mindfulness meditation “cessation” experiences using EEG spectral analysis in an intensively sampled case study (2022) 
• Malcolm J. Wright et al., Altered States of Consciousness are Prevalent and Insufficiently Supported Clinically: A Population Survey (2024)
• Pierce Salguero, The Secret Spiritual Lives of Buddhist Studies Scholars (2024)

Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including PDFs of these resources. 

Today I sit down with Josh Schrei, storyteller, sound artist, and host of The Emerald Podcast. Josh helps us to embrace and center the spirit world in our understanding of contemporary Buddhism. Along the way, we talk about Tibetan weather makers, shamanic battle, the trance-inducing effect of stories, and how to diplomatically negotiate with animistic forces.

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Emerald Podcast: Animism is Normative Consciousness
• The Emerald Podcast: For the Divine Mother of the Universe
• The Emerald Podcast: Why Mindfulness Isn’t Enough
• The Emerald Podcast: Guardians and Protectors!
• Josh's Website: The Mythic Body
• Josh's Patreon

Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including a video lecture by Pierce with a detailed introduction to Thai animist culture and healing practices. For other videos, see courses.piercesalguero.com. 

Today I sit down with Mary Shutan, a spiritual teacher specializing in awakening and shadow work. Our conversation focuses on the weirdness, emotional volatility, darkness, and other challenges that inevitably accompany serious spiritual practice. Along the way, we talk about the diverse range of awakenings, the difficulties of managing kundalini energy, and what to do in the case of a spiritual emergency.

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned:

• Lan Li, Body Maps: Improvising Meridians and Nerves in Global Chinese Medicine (2025) 
• Pierce Salguero, A Lamp Unto Yourself (2025).
• Mary Shutan, Shadow Work for the Soul: Seeing Beauty in the Dark (2024).
• Mary Shutan, The Spiritual Awakening Guide (2015).
• Mary Shutan, The Body Deva: Working with the Spiritual Consciousness of the Body (2018).
• Mary Shutan, Working with Kundalini: An Experiential Guide to the Process of Awakening (2019).
• Mary's website: maryshutan.com
• Mary's YouTube channel: @MaryShutan 

Resources provided on blackberyl.substack.com:

• Chapter 23 of Mary's new book ("Engaging the Deep Wild")
• Preface & Chapter 1 of Pierce's new book ("Preparing for the Journey")
• Plus, sign up with a paid subscription before the end of the month to receive a bookmark in the mail from Lan Li!   

Today I sit down with Miguel Farias, an experimental psychologist and researcher of religion, spirituality, and cognition. Together we try to get to the bottom of whether meditation is actually good for you through a comparison of Miguel's research on the adverse effects of meditation with my research on Asian notions of meditation sickness. Along the way, we discuss the limitations of modern Western understandings of consciousness, and explore whether we can develop a more expansive, multifaceted understanding of altered states both pleasant and unpleasant.

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned:

• Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm, The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? (2019).
• Miguel Farias, Oxford Handbook of Meditation (2022).
• Miguel Farias et al, “Adverse Events in Meditation Practices and Meditation-based Therapies: A Systematic Review” (2021).
• Pierce Salguero, “‘Meditation Sickness’ in Medieval Chinese Buddhism and the Contemporary West” (2023). 
• Peter Berger, The Homeless Mind (1973).
• Joseph Henrich et al. article on the Müller-Lyer illusion (2010).
• The source for the term “monophasic bias” is apparently Charles Laughlin’s chapter “Transpersonal Anthropology” in Roger Walsh’s book Paths Beyond Ego (1993).
• Pierce Salguero, A Lamp Unto Yourself (2025).

Resources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com:

Introduction to the Oxford Handbook of Meditation

Today I sit down with David Gordon White, a distinguished indologist and scholar of Tantra. Our conversation focuses on David’s most recent project tracing the transregional histories of spirits, gods, demons, and their associated rituals across Eurasia. Along the way, we dive into an intellectual conversation about dog-headed men, angry goddesses, alchemical mercury, body-snatching yogis, the origins of Dracula, and much, much more. 

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned

• David Gordon White, Daemons are Forever (2021)
• David Gordon White, Myths of the Dog-Man (1991)
• David Gordon White, The Alchemical Body (1997)
• David Gordon White, Kiss of the Yogini (2006)
• David Gordon White, Sinister Yogis (2011)
• Michel Strickmann, Chinese Magical Medicine (2002)
• Michel Strickmann, Mantras et Mandarins (1996)
• David Gordon White, “Three Shades of Tantric Yoga,” in Oxford Handbook of Tantric Studies (2024)
• David Gordon White, "Were-Creatures of the Eurasian Ecumene," Journal Asiatique (2020) 
• David Gordon White, "Dracula’s Family Tree," Gothic Studies (2021)

Resources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com:

• PDF of David's chapter in Oxford Handbook of Tantric Studies 
• PDF of David's article, "Were-Creatures of the Eurasian Ecumene"
• PDF of David's article, "Dracula’s Family Tree" 

💀💀 Warning: This episode contains potentially disturbing content! 💀💀

Today I sit down with Justin McDaniel, a scholar of Theravada Buddhist literature and art. Together we explore the darker side of Thai Buddhism, including meditation on decomposing bodies, fetus spirits, corpse oil, and the spectrum of white and black magic. We discuss the logics of rituals, their role in Thai communities, and how a misfit Catholic punk from Philly found himself in a rural Thai monastery.

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com. Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Thai movie Necromancer (2005)
• Justin McDaniel, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (2011)
• Justin McDaniel, Architects of Buddhist Leisure: Socially Disengaged Buddhism in Asia’s Museums, Monuments, and Amusement Parks (2018)
• Justin McDaniel, Wayward Distractions: Ornament, Emotion, Zombies and the Study of Buddhism in Thailand (2021)
• Justin McDaniel, Cosmologies and Biologies: Illuminated Siamese Manuscripts of Death, Time and the Body (2024)
• Press coverage of monasticism course
• Press coverage of existential despair course

Resources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com:

• PDF with introduction to The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk

Today I sit down with Jack Schaefer and Josh Paynter, co-abbots of the Parting Clouds Temple, to discuss their practice of Daoist exorcism. We talk about the differences between spirits, ghosts, demons, and other entities; as well as a range of practices including talismans, body replacement, curse breaking, and spiritual battle. Along the way, we make eye contact wth snake and fox spirits, contribute to the elimination of suffering for all beings, and learn why dogs never stick around during an exorcism. 

If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about healing, transformation, and alternate realities, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also look us up by name on Substack.com to check out our members-only benefits. Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Paynter & Schaefer, Daoist Morning and Evening Altar Recitation (2019)
• Paynter & Schaefer, Daoist Noon Altar Recitations (2020)
• Paynter & Schaefer, The Northern Dipper Scripture (2021)
• Paynter & Schaefer, The Perfected Scripture of the Life Receiving Golden Seals of the Five Dippers as Spoken by Taishang (2024)
• Josh’s lecture for Brown University

Resources provided for members on blackberyl.substack.com:

• PDF of Jack’s article, “Daoist Celestial Medicine: Community, Cultivation, and Compassion” from Journal of Daoist Studies (2024).

You are not mistaken: this is in fact the podcast formerly known as The Blue Beryl. We have changed our name for season 3, as we are embracing the darkness! You'll notice a new logo and a new URL, but if you're a subscriber, there's nothing you need to do. Everything will automatically be updated.

You are not mistaken: this is in fact the podcast formerly known as The Blue Beryl. We have changed our name for season 3, as we are embracing the darkness! You'll notice a new logo and a new URL, but if you're a subscriber, there's nothing you need to do. Everything will automatically be updated.

In today's episode, we are launching the new season with the tables turned. Producer Lan Li takes over the microphone to interview me about spirit healing and related practices. Lan has been trying to ask me these questions for the last two years, but I've continued to put them off. Now it's finally time to put some things on the record and clear the air. So in this episode, we dive right in to questions like do spirits exist? Are mystical experiences real? What are the best talismans for healers? We're also going to talk about different kinds of possession and the benefits of holding more than one ontological perspective at the same time.

I hope you enjoy the conversation, and please subscribe to The Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. We also want to invite everyone to check out blackberyl.substack.com. Our episodes are going to continue to be free as always, but we now have paid subscriptions where we can make exclusive resources available to members for a small fee. Your payments help us with production costs of the pod, so thanks for your support! 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Pierce Salguero, A Lamp Unto Yourself (preorder).

Resources provided for members on blackberyl.substack.com:

• Full manuscript of the short book book Traditional Thai Medicine: Buddhism, Animism, Yoga, Ayurveda (2106), with chapters on spirit healing, talismans, and other topics covered here. 

PLEASE NOTE: Shortly, we will be changing our name to Black Beryl. Your subscription will automatically update and no action is necessary on your part. Thanks for your continued support! 

Today I sit down with Volker Scheid, an interdisciplinary scholar and longtime practitioner of Chinese medicine. Together, we take an intellectual deep dive into his thoughts about the importance of blurring disciplinary boundaries and how “meta-practice” can make sense of the many different kinds of Chinese medicines. Along the way, Volker and I discuss the commensurability of Chinese medicine and biomedicine, the importance of connecting the self with the ten thousand things, and how premodern ideas can be the basis of a new politics for modern times.

If you want to hear more from experts on Buddhism, Asian medicine, and embodied spirituality then subscribe to Blue Beryl and don’t miss an episode! 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Volker’s website 
• Volker Scheid, Chinese Medicine in Contemporary China: Plurality and Synthesis (2002)
• Volker Scheid, Currents of Tradition in Chinese Medicine 1626-2006 (2007)
• Paul Unschuld, Chinese Medicine: A History of Ideas (2010)
• Annemarie Mol, The Body Multiple: Ontology in Medical Practice (2003)
• Pierce Salguero, “A Polyperspectival Asian Medicine Practice” (2020)
• Slavoj Žižek, “From Western Marxism to Western Buddhism” (2001)
• Volker’s blog

In this episode I sit down with Frances Garrett, a scholar of Tibetan culture, history, and language. We talk about Frances’s interests in embodiment and movement, and how her experiences as ballet dancer, surfer, and rock climber connect with her work on religion and healing. Our conversation focuses on her commitment to embodied and trauma-aware pedagogy, and how in the interest of flourishing, she engages the whole person in the learning process. Along the way, we talk about Tibetan bards, sacred mountains, and the importance of long walks. 

Enjoy! And, if you want to hear from more experts on Buddhist medicine and related topics, subscribe to Blue Beryl for monthly episodes here.


Resources 

• Michel Strickmann, Chinese Magical Medicine (2002)
• Frances Garrett, Religion, Medicine and the Human Embryo in Tibet (2008)
• Frances Garrett, Hidden Lands in Himalayan Myth and History (2020)
• Tsering Yangzom Lama, We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies (2022)
• Susan Hrach, Minding Bodies (2021)
• Jesse Stommel's ungrading website: www.jessestommel.com
• Susan D. Bloom, Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead) (2020)
• Cate J. Denial, “A Pedagogy of Kindness” (2019)
• Frances's website: www.francesgarrett.info
• Windvane Project: www.windvane.life

Today I sit down with Blue Beryl's producer, Lan A. Li, a historian of Chinese science, medicine, and the body. We talk about their life-long practice of qigong, the limits of academic critique, and the integration of divergent epistemologies in studying Chinese anatomy. Along the way, we discuss Lan’s new book, Body Maps: Improvising Meridians and Nerves in Global Chinese Medicine, Lan’s relationship to Islam, and how to cultivate wonder through academic study.

If you want to hear more from experts on Buddhism, Asian medicine, and embodied spirituality then subscribe to Blue Beryl and don’t miss an episode!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Lan’s website
• Lan Li, “The Vital Other: Integrative Medicine and India” (2012)
• Lan Li, “Acupuntura e Moxabustão” (2023)
• Lan Li and Pierce Salguero, Jivaka Project Philadelphia (2015-2020) 
• Pierce’s blogs on Ugly Truths about Grad School, Metamodernism, Metamodern Asian Medicine, and Polyperspectivalism
• Lan Li, Body Maps: Improvising Meridians and Nerves in Global Chinese Medicine (2025) 

In this episode I sit down with Ruth Westoby a scholar, teacher, and practitioner of  yoga. We discuss Ruth’s work on the body in early hatha yoga texts. We talk about the broad diversity of approaches to the material body in these sources, including their ideas about gender, the cultivation of powers, and approaches to liberation. Along the way, we touch on yogic sex, practices to stop menstruating, and the courageous work that modern practitioners have been doing to expose abuse by yoga gurus.

If you want to hear more from experts on Buddhism, Asian medicine, and embodied spirituality then subscribe to Blue Beryl and don’t miss an episode!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Preliminary published results from Ruth’s research
• Mallinson and Szántó, The Amṛtasiddhi and Amṛtasiddhimūla (2021).
• Jason Birch, The Amaraugha and Amaraughaprabodha of Gorakṣanātha (2023).
• Elena Valussi, “The Physiology of Transcendence for Women” (2009)
• BBP episode with Dominic Steavu
• Hatha Yoga Project
• Articles on guru abuse by Pattabhi Jois: Anneke Lucas, Karen Rain, Amanda Lucia
• Inform Project
• Video footage of Ruth doing historical āsanas 
• Ruth’s website and email newsletter, Facebook page, Instagram

Today, I sit down with Theodora Wildcroft, a researcher, anthropologist, and long-time teacher of what she calls “post-lineage yoga.” We discuss Theo's ethnographic research on yoga in the UK, focusing on its connections with animism, paganism, and other somatic practices. We also dive into Theo’s personal approach to yoga as a liberatory practice that allows diverse bodies and minds to thrive. Along the way, we touch on disability, neuro-divergence, cultural appropriation, and the inescapable influence of colonialism for contemporary yogis. 

Enjoy! and subscribe to Blue Beryl for monthly episodes.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Theodora Wildcroft, Post Lineage Yoga: From Guru to #MeToo (2020)
• Theo Wildcroft & Harriet Mcatee, The Yoga Teacher's Survival Guide: Social Justice, Science, Politics, and Power (2024)
• Barbora Sojkova & Theodora Wildcroft, Yoga Studies in 5 Minutes (2025)
• Theo’s website: https://theowildcroft.com

Today I sit down with Willa Blythe Baker, a writer, translator, and teacher of meditation based on Himalayan Buddhist tradition. We talk about Willa’s early discovery of Buddhism with her mother, her time living as a nun, and our shared experience in graduate school at UVa. We then do a deep-dive into Buddhist tantra and the alchemical transformations of the body-mind that led to Willa’s most recent book, The Wakeful Body, published by Shambhala in 2021. If you find yourself in your head too much of the time, then this conversation is for you!

Enjoy! And, if you want to hear from more experts on Buddhist medicine and related topics, subscribe to Blue Beryl for monthly episodes here.

Willa's Publications and Activities 

• Natural Dharma Fellowship and Wonderwell Mountain Refuge
• The Wakeful Body: Somatic Mindfulness as a Path to Freedom (2021) 
• The Arts of Contemplative Care: Pioneering Voices in Buddhist Chaplaincy and Pastoral Work (2012)
• Everyday Dharma: Seven Weeks to Finding the Buddha in You (2009)
• Essence of Ambrosia: A Guide to Buddhist Contemplations (2005)

Today I sit down with Dr. Brandt Stickley, associate professor of classical Chinese medicine at the National University of Natural Medicine. We talk about Brandt’s approach, which he calls “nondual psychosomatic medicine.” We also explore how perceiving yin and yang moment by moment can be a portal to nondual experience, and how placing needles in a patient can open up a whole imaginal world of symbols and spirits. Along the way, we talk about phenomenology, Chinese herbs, and how premodern texts might literally speak to us.

Remember, if you want to hear from more experts on Buddhism, Asian medicine, and embodied spirituality, subscribe to Blue Beryl for monthly episodes. Please enjoy!

 Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Brandt’s Patreon
• Brandt’s personal website

In this episode, I sit down with Naomi Worth, a scholar and practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism’s postural yoga tradition. We dive into Naomi's experiences in yogic retreats, highlight the vigorous movement and intense visual elements of the practice, and explore yoga’s role in the Nyingma contemplative path. Naomi also shares how she balances her scholarship and practice of Tibetan knowledge with her current work as a high school teacher. Along the way, we mention wrathful deities, sky-gazing, and how to help teenagers find themselves in today’s modern culture.

Remember, if you want to hear from more experts on Buddhism, Asian medicine, and embodied spirituality, subscribe to Blue Beryl for monthly episodes. Please enjoy!

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Naomi’s website 
• Naomi’s publications on Academia.edu

Today I sit down with Justin B. Stein, a specialist in modern Japanese religion and the preeminent historian of Reiki. We discuss Justin’s new book, Alternate Currents, about the transnational origins of Reiki, and also get into his perspective as a both a scholar and a Reiki practitioner. Along the way, we ask what Reiki has to do with Buddhism, what subtle energy feels like up close, and what kinds of extraordinary experiences might occur when you open up to energy of the universe. 

Remember, if you want to hear from more experts on Buddhism, Asian medicine, and embodied spirituality, subscribe to Blue Beryl for monthly episodes. Please enjoy!

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• C. Pierce Salguero, Buddhism and Medicine: An Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Sources (2020). Justin’s translation is Chapter 5, “Psychosomatic Buddhist Medicine at the Dawn of Modern Japan”
• Justin B. Stein, Alternate Currents: Reiki’s Circulation in the Twentieth-Century North Pacific (2023).
• BBP interview with Nathan Michon

I sit down with Dominic Steavu, a historian of Chinese religion and healing from UC Santa Barbara. We discuss the central role of the body in medieval Daoist practices, and talk about the Daoist use of psychedelics to facilitate mystical experiences. Along the way, we touch on talismanic tattoos, internal alchemy, and embodied nonduality. Plus, Dominic reveals what he thinks about aliens and the Wu-Tang Clan.  

Remember, to hear from more experts on Buddhism, Asian medicine, and embodied spirituality, subscribe to Blue Beryl. Please enjoy!

Resources related to this episode:

• Christine Mollier, Buddhism and Taoism Face to Face (2009)
• Pierce’s blog “In defense of a little romanticism… or, how Mr Miyagi inspired me to become a professor”
• Pierce Salguero, Buddhish: A Guide to the 20 Most Important Buddhist Ideas for the Curious and Skeptical (2022)
• Dominic Steavu, The Writ of the Three Sovereigns: From Local Lore to Institutional Daoism (2020)
• Dominic Steavu, Transforming the Void: Embryological Discourse and Reproductive Imagery in East Asian Religions (2015)
• Dominic’s Academia.edu page