All Episodes
Episodes
16. Daniel Simpson | The Truth of Yoga
In this episode we talk with Daniel Simpson about his upcoming book, The Truth of Yoga: A Comprehensive Guide to Yoga's History, Texts, Philosophy, and Practices (2021, North Point Press). We discuss his writing...
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15. Mark Singleton | Yoga Body, 10 Years Later
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Mark Singleton about his journey and career in yoga and academia, his dissertation turned book Yoga Body and its reception 10 years after publication,Ā the "birth" of modern yoga in...
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14. Amanda Lucia | White Utopias, Yoga, and Transformational Festivals
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Amanda Lucia about her new book, White Utopias: The Religious Exoticism of Transformational Festivals (2020, UC Press). We discuss transformational festivals in California, the...
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13. Raj Balkaran | PurÄį¹as and Hindu Mythology
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Raj Balkaran about his early days of spiritual seeking in Toronto, discovering religious studies, the power of myth and narrative in Hindu traditions, his work on the PurÄį¹as, the...
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12. Ruth Westoby | Women and Gender in Yoga
In this episode, we speak with Ruth Westoby (PhD Candidate, SOAS) about her background in Ashtanga, her doctoral research on women and gender in the history of yoga, female practitioners of Haį¹ha yoga and asceticism,...
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11. Philipp Maas | The PÄtaƱjalayogaÅÄstra and its Textual History
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Philipp Maas about his pioneering textual research on the YogaÅÄstra of PataƱjali and its commentarial tradition, the authorship and dating of the YogasÅ«tra and its commentary the...
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10. Ian Baker | Tibetan Yoga, Hidden Lands, and Bringing Esoteric Teachings to Light
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Ian Baker about his many journeys into Tibet and Tantric Buddhism, the power of hidden lands (beyul), isolated mountain retreats, Tibetan physical yogas (trulkhor), receiving...
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9. Jason Birch | Manuscript Hunting and the History of Medieval Yogas
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Jason Birch (SOAS, University of London) about his early training in yoga and Indology, the early 2000s yoga scene in Rishikesh, Sanskrit manuscript hunting in India, his Oxford...
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8. Sravana Borkataky-Varma | ÅÄkta Tantra, Female Practitioners, and Misperceptions of Tantra
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Sravana Borkataky-Varma about her experience growing up in India, receiving initiation into a ÅÄkta tantra lineage at KÄmÄkhya, discovering Religious Studies and the academic path,...
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7. Karen OāBrien-Kop | PÄtaƱjala Yoga, YogÄcÄra Buddhism, and Re-Thinking the Category of "Classical Yoga"
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Karen OāBrien-Kop (University of Roehampton) about her intertextual research on PÄtaƱjala and Buddhist Yoga, rethinking the category of āClassical Yoga,ā the yoga of YogÄcÄra...
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6. Ben Williams | Åaiva Tantra, Abhinavagupta, and the Tantric Sahį¹daya
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Ben Williams (Naropa University) about his story of growing up in spiritual community, the scholar-practitioner, the scriptures and world of non-dual Åaiva Tantra, the Kashmiri...
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5. James Mallinson | The History and Practice of Haį¹ha Yoga
In this episode, we speak with Dr. James Mallinson (SOAS, University of London) about his travels through India, meeting his guru, his journey to becoming an Indologist, his pioneering research on the history of yoga...
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