As a teenager, Steve Briggs met his guru at a meditation retreat in the Swiss Alps. After studying English Literature at the University of Arizona on a tennis scholarship, the author received an MBA and a Ph.D. in Vedic Studies and traveled internationally instructing thousands in the art of meditation.

Steve is a devotee of Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma), whom he met in India in 1996. He has been practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM) for the past 46 years and credits his guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, with showing him the path to enlightenment.

Steve currently coaches the Maharishi School boys’ tennis team. His players have won four state high school championships, including the 2014 triple crown. Steve has trained two national champions and a top 50 ATP professional tour player.

In 1994, Steve Briggs was sent to India to teach TM to corporate executives. During his seven years in India, Steve traveled repeatedly to the high Himalaya where he encountered many yogis and sadhus.

• The author’s first book, India Mirror of Truth, was a popular memoir about his time in India.
• Steve’s second book, The Tale of the Himalayan Yogis: The Nirvana Chronicles, is a novel set in India and Tibet.
• Website: stevebriggsauthor.com
• Email

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded September 24, 2018.

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

YouTube Video Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction with Rick Archer
• 00:04:56 – Tennis and the Zone
• 00:08:54 – The Search for an Advantage in Tennis
• 00:13:10 – The Role of Myelin in Performance
• 00:17:38 – The Beginning of Tennis
• 00:21:39 – Witnessing Consciousness & Athletes’ Experiences
• 00:25:35 – Immersed in the World of Kali
• 00:29:51 – The Power of a Higher Vibration
• 00:33:41 – Perception Without the Senses
• 00:38:14 – Exploring Consciousness and Awakening
• 00:42:39 – The Meaning of the Mantra
• 00:47:19 – Devotion towards Higher Beings
• 00:51:49 – The Erosion of Fear and Emotional Discipline
• 00:56:10 – Shifting from Head to Heart
• 01:00:40 – Breathing Your Way to Enlightenment
• 01:04:55 – The Importance of Variety in Daily Life
• 01:09:02 – The Connection Between Emotions and Health
• 01:13:04 – The Importance of Checks and Balances
• 01:17:12 – The Dangers of Intense Spiritual Practices
• 01:21:21 – Meeting Babaji in Different Forms
• 01:25:27 – A Mysterious Encounter in Varanasi
• 01:29:26 – Encounters in the Himalayas
• 01:33:45 – Levitation and the Human Relationship to Laws of Nature
• 01:38:01 – Proper use of extraordinary abilities
• 01:41:57 – The Reality of Gurus and Ethics
• 01:46:25 – The correlation between higher states of consciousness and ethical behavior
• 01:50:21 – Trusting Your Inner Wisdom
• 01:54:34 – Feeding the Dogs and Learning Humility
• 01:58:38 – The Restless Devotee
• 02:02:53 – The Buddha Tradition and Feeding Tigers
• 02:07:09 – A Fellow Traveler on the Spiritual Path

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Joi was aware of the unseen magic of Presence at a very early age. She remembers being more drawn to this mystery than anything else. This led her to delve into many traditions of spirituality. After a spontaneous awakening at age 28, Joi spent two years on a blissful honeymoon of Spirit before plunging into a deep period of emotional purging and healing. Among her healers were a powerful Lakota medicine man, with whom she traveled for two years, and a group of Yogananda disciples who had developed a powerful way of unlocking unconscious beliefs using kinesiology. She worked with them 3x/week for two years. During this period that the formless aspect of the Divine Mother appeared to Joi and she began a very intense journey.

Joi met Amma in 1993, and she realized that Amma was the same Mother that had captured her heart and soul. Joi spent nine years in Amma’s Indian Ashram, and then two years in Tiruvannamalai at Ramana’s Ashram.

When Joi came home from India, she was completely exhausted, and her “seeker drive” fell away. She began sitting with Adyashanti, who helped her understand all that had taken place within her being.

Joi began teaching in 2006, with Amma’s and Adya’s blessings. Joi continues to be inspired and moved toward what Life could be if we let go to our inner potential, which is the ultimate intelligence of all creation.

Joi’s Website

Discussion of this interview in the Batgap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview

First BatGap interview with Joi

Interview recorded Dec. 17, 2017.

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

YouTube Video Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
• 00:03:43 – The Importance of Devotion and the Nervous System
• 00:07:11 – The Evolution of Devotion
• 00:11:15 – The Value and Sweetness of Devotion
• 00:15:38 – The Importance of Devotion and Inspiration
• 00:19:47 – The Deeper Intelligence Within Us
• 00:23:41 – The Validity of Wanting Awakening
• 00:27:52 – Discovering the Capacity for Devotion
• 00:32:11 – Radical Transformation through Association with Presence
• 00:36:10 – Neuroplasticity and the Transformation of the Brain
• 00:39:48 – Recognizing Presence within Ourselves
• 00:44:01 – Physiological Transformation Through Being
• 00:48:05 – The Capacity of Clarity
• 00:52:58 – Using Clarity to Purify and Heal
• 00:57:31 – The Subtle Beings Within Us
• 01:01:42 – The Evolution of My Relationship with Amma
• 01:06:15 – The Role of Teachers and Dependency
• 01:09:55 – Finding Clarity and Resonance
• 01:14:02 – Cultivating Discernment
• 01:18:06 – Strengthening the Muscle of Discernment
• 01:22:46 – The Importance of Openness and Personal Experience
• 01:26:53 – The Freedom of Not Having a Place to Rest Our Head
• 01:31:11 – The Integration of Form and Consciousness
• 01:35:33 – Moving towards a collective consciousness
• 01:39:33 – The Shift to a Many-to-Many Model
• 01:43:17 – The Satisfaction of Working with People
• 01:46:33 – The Gifts and Ordinary Life
• 01:50:55 – Importance of Solitude and Integration
• 01:54:50 – The Importance of Integration and Engagement
• 01:58:57 – Finding Intimacy Everywhere
• 02:02:22 – Farewell and Happy Holidays

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Ted Zeff (Dayalu) met Amma, the “hugging saint” from India, in 1988 and has lived in her ashram in California for 20 years and her ashram in Chicago for one year. Dayalu has written three books about Amma: “Searching for God Part I” in 1996, “Searching for God Part II” in 2002 and “Amma: Inspiring Experiences with the Divine Mother” in 2016. Dayalu has a Ph.D. in integral counseling and psychotherapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco and has studied ayurveda and vedic astrology.

Ted Zeff Dayalu has also given talks about the books he has written about Amma throughout the United Sates, Israel, Denmark and Holland.

Amma’s website: amma.org

Book: Amma: Inspiring Experiences with the Divine Mother

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded 10/29/2016

Interview with Ted Zeff about highly sensitive people.

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

YouTube Video Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction and Background
• 00:02:26 – Meeting Amma
• 00:04:22 – Amma’s Miraculous Abilities
• 00:06:14 – The Profound Connection with Amma
• 00:08:03 – Awakening the Divine Within
• 00:10:15 – The Profound Effect of Living in Amma’s Ashram
• 00:12:08 – The Divine Mother and the Feminine Form of God
• 00:14:01 – The Divine Mother’s Love and Connection
• 00:16:01 – Seva and Bhakti Yoga
• 00:18:01 – Amma’s Charitable Work
• 00:19:48 – The Inspiring Factory Owner
• 00:21:31 – The Importance of a Spiritual Teacher
• 00:23:20 – Meeting People Where They’re At
• 00:25:26 – Amma’s Adaptability and Presence
• 00:27:13 – The Boundless Compassion of Amma
• 00:29:07 – Amma’s Ability to Understand Pain
• 00:31:00 – Miraculous Stories from Amma’s Devotees
• 00:32:39 – Divine Play in Native Languages
• 00:34:39 – Miracles and Healings
• 00:36:24 – Accidental Savants and Vast Potentials of the Mind
• 00:38:11 – Amma’s Omniscience and Connection with Others
• 00:40:02 – Coordinating Prasad at Devi Bhava
• 00:42:05 – Seva and Amma’s Darshan
• 00:44:56 – Amma’s Detachment and Acceptance
• 00:49:51 – The Journey of Writing a Book
• 00:54:59 – A Journey of Fearlessness and Protection
• 00:59:24 – Praying to Amma and Personal Decisions
• 01:03:24 – Healing Emotions
• 01:07:48 – The Cancelled Check of the Past
• 01:11:54 – Tuning in to the Divine Energy of Amma
• 01:15:04 – See you then.

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