Jacoby Ballard is a social justice educator and yoga teacher who leads workshops and trainings around the country on diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a yoga teacher with 20 years of experience, he leads workshops, retreats, teacher trainings, teaches at conferences, and runs the Resonance mentorship program for certified yoga teachers to find their niche and calling. In 2008, Jacoby co-founded Third Root Community Health Center in Brooklyn, to work at the nexus of healing and social justice. Since 2006, Jacoby has taught Queer and Trans Yoga, a space for queer folks to unfurl and cultivate resilience, and received Yoga Journal's Game Changer Award in 2014 and Good Karma Award in 2016. Jacoby has taught in schools, hospitals, non-profit and business offices, a maximum-security prison, a recovery center, a cancer center, LGBT centers, gyms, a veteran’s center, and yoga studios. Jacoby's book A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation offers a distinctly queer lens on yoga and meditation. He lives with his partner, child, and innumerable plant friends on unceded Goshute, Ute, Paiute, and Shoshone land, now known as Salt Lake City, Utah. More at jacobyballard.net.

In this episode, we discuss:
What “queer dharma” means. 
Working at the intersection of anti-oppression work and dharma practice.
Skillful attempts at social justice work that include healing and inner work.
The role of anger in anti-oppression and social justice work.
Differentiating apology versus forgiveness.
Discovering common ground by sitting in silence together.
What some of the unique needs are for queer and trans people in yoga spaces.

Liberatory models of yoga discussed in the episode: 
Holistic Life Foundation
Yoga for 12 Step Recovery
East Bay Meditation Center

Jacoby Ballard is a social justice educator and yoga teacher who leads workshops and trainings around the country on diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a yoga teacher with 20 years of experience, he leads workshops, retreats, teacher trainings, teaches at conferences, and runs the Resonance mentorship program for certified yoga teachers to find their niche and calling. In 2008, Jacoby co-founded Third Root Community Health Center in Brooklyn, to work at the nexus of healing and social justice. Since 2006, Jacoby has taught Queer and Trans Yoga, a space for queer folks to unfurl and cultivate resilience, and received Yoga Journal's Game Changer Award in 2014 and Good Karma Award in 2016. Jacoby has taught in schools, hospitals, non-profit and business offices, a maximum-security prison, a recovery center, a cancer center, LGBT centers, gyms, a veteran&rsquo;s center, and yoga studios. Jacoby's book <a href="https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/a-queer-dharma/">A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation</a> offers a distinctly queer lens on yoga and meditation. He lives with his partner, child, and innumerable plant friends on unceded Goshute, Ute, Paiute, and Shoshone land, now known as Salt Lake City, Utah. More at <a href="http://jacobyballard.net/">jacobyballard.net</a>.
In this episode, we discuss:
<ol>
<li aria-level="1">What &ldquo;queer dharma&rdquo; means.&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Working at the intersection of anti-oppression work and dharma practice.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Skillful attempts at social justice work that include healing and inner work.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The role of anger in anti-oppression and social justice work.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Differentiating apology versus forgiveness.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Discovering common ground by sitting in silence together.</li>
<li aria-level="1">What some of the unique needs are for queer and trans people in yoga spaces.</li>
</ol>
Liberatory models of yoga discussed in the episode:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://hlfinc.org/">Holistic Life Foundation</a></li>
<li><a href="http://y12sr.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://y12sr.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1645809917090000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3YRExBdPqM4evvVYH7ZRJU">Yoga for 12 Step Recovery</a></li>
<li><a href="http://eastbaymeditation.org/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://eastbaymeditation.org&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1645809917090000&amp;usg=AOvVaw30-bYEgWvqke6-1oPMX0XH">East Bay Meditation Center</a></li>
</ul>

Chitheads is a smorgasbord of contemplative education. Each episode is like a mini masterclass, exploring the diverse landscapes of spiritual practice, philosophy, and the transformative power of embodied knowledge. Each episode is crafted with the curious and open heart in mind, aiming to illuminate the path of self-inquiry and empowerment for yoga teachers, scholar-practitioners, meditators and other spiritual seekers and contemplative folks from around the world.

From the profound teachings of Yoga and Buddhism to the sometimes complex theories of contemplative psychology and the vibrant tapestry of indigenous wisdom, our guests share insights that awaken, challenge, and inspire.

With every episode, we dive into discussions that matter, exploring questions that guide us closer to our true selves and to a deeper understanding of the world around us. Our mission is to create a space where wisdom (and not fame, power, or money) is the center of gravity and what we are most concerned about cultivating in this lifetime. 

Join us on Chitheads as we explore the liminal spaces of consciousness, embrace the complexities of the human experience without dogma or self-righteousness, and discover the beauty again and again of the interconnectedness of all things.

Subscribe to Chitheads on YouTube and your favorite podcast platform, and please consider leaving us a positive review on one iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. Come dive into these in-depth conversations that illuminate our path of contemplative discovery. If you’ve felt like you’re the only one full of chit – full of consciousness or awareness ˀ– welcome home. This community of listeners, seekers, and scholar-practitioners is for you.

Chitheads is a smorgasbord of contemplative education. Each episode is like a mini masterclass, exploring the diverse landscapes of spiritual practice, philosophy, and the transformative power of embodied knowledge. Each episode is crafted with the curious and open heart in mind, aiming to illuminate the path of self-inquiry and empowerment for yoga teachers, scholar-practitioners, meditators and other spiritual seekers and contemplative folks from around the world.
From the profound teachings of Yoga and Buddhism to the sometimes complex theories of contemplative psychology and the vibrant tapestry of indigenous wisdom, our guests share insights that awaken, challenge, and inspire.
With every episode, we dive into discussions that matter, exploring questions that guide us closer to our true selves and to a deeper understanding of the world around us. Our mission is to create a space where wisdom (and not fame, power, or money) is the center of gravity and what we are most concerned about cultivating in this lifetime. 
Join us on Chitheads as we explore the liminal spaces of consciousness, embrace the complexities of the human experience without dogma or self-righteousness, and discover the beauty again and again of the interconnectedness of all things.
Subscribe to Chitheads on YouTube and your favorite podcast platform, and please consider leaving us a positive review on one iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. Come dive into these in-depth conversations that illuminate our path of contemplative discovery. If you’ve felt like you’re the only one full of chit – full of consciousness or awareness ˀ– welcome home. This community of listeners, seekers, and scholar-practitioners is for you.

Interviews with leaders, elders and teachers from the yoga and wider wisdom community on eastern philosophies, consciousness studies, social justice, and the human spiritual condition.

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