It’s now six months since I launched Ancient Futures. Back then, I didn’t have a podcast, so the first conversation with Richard Rosen wound up on YouTube. I'm therefore sharing it again for those who missed it – it's in any case well worth revisiting.

We discuss his new book, Yoga by the Numbers, and explore their significance – from zero to 108. We also have a great chat about the meaning of yoga in contemporary terms, as well as how its teachings relate to our lives – including facing the prospect of death.

In other news, Richard used to contribute to Yoga Journal, about which I wrote last week – so be sure to subscribe on Substack for regular articles as well as podcast episodes.

Ancient Futures is free, but takes time to produce – donations are greatly appreciated! You can make one here as a subscriber, or buy me a coffee to fuel conversations.

Instead of an interview, this week I'm sharing a talk I gave on whether yoga is really a “path to holistic health”. It was part of a conference at the University of Wales, hosted jointly with the College of Medicine (whose chair is head of King Charles’ “Royal Medical Household”).

I went first and set the scene with a very brief history of medical yoga, which got quite lively in both the delivery and the Q&A afterwards (included in this episode). As a written introduction put it: "The body was originally an obstacle that had to be transcended for spiritual insight, so the therapeutic model was renouncing the world."

Thankfully, that gradually changed over the centuries, so the talk unpacks the evolution of yoga as therapy, highlighting themes that inspire it today. Let me know what you think in the comments here – all questions are welcome!

As I mention at the end of the talk, I’m hosting a retreat in the west of England at the end of August, where I’m going to be exploring these sorts of ideas in a practical way. You can find out more about that here.

And finally, Ancient Futures is free, but takes time to produce – so all donations are greatly appreciated, whether as a subscriber or by fuelling me with coffee.

Can anything be yoga? Or does everything crumble to dust if it’s analysed hard enough?

I recently discussed this – and much else besides – with Anya Foxen and Christa Kuberry, who co-wrote a book titled Is This Yoga?

There are no simple answers, but asking the question can still be insightful – particularly since both authors are also practitioners. Along the way, we consider:

* If yoga’s roots are too knotted to distinguish lotuses from waterlilies

* How Western traditions dating back to ancient Greece echo yogic ideas

* Whether classes called “harmonic gymnastics” would attract any students

* What might help modern yoga preserve a connection to Indic tradition

* How to build a dating app combining Western and Vedic astrology

To dive a bit deeper into texts and traditions, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com.

Ancient Futures is free, but takes time to produce – donations are greatly appreciated! You can make one here as a subscriber, or buy me a coffee to fuel conversations.

What does it take to keep a podcast going, year after year? J. Brown has been hosting Yoga Talks since 2015, so I thought I’d inquire! As J. admits, he likes stirring things up. His blog bills him as: “outspoken and sometimes controversial", and notes that his approach "has sparked broad discussions". This one is no less wide-ranging. Among other topics, we talk about:

* The backlash to some of his episodes, and how he handles criticism

* A shift away from polarisation to more harmonious forms of dialogue

* What inspires his choice of guests, and his approach to yoga generally

* Why he rejected his parents’ religion, and found solace in practices

* How he reconciles resistance to authority with embrace of a deity

Separately, there's still time to join me for my online course on the Yoga Sūtra “beyond eight limbs” – you can do that here.

Ancient Futures is free, but takes time to produce – donations are greatly appreciated! You can make one here as a subscriber, or buy me a coffee to fuel conversations.

Laura von Ostrowski is a scholar, and also a yoga teacher. As she explains in her book, there’s a fundamental mismatch between the Yoga Sūtra’s emphasis on physical transcendence and modern postural practice.

Focusing in depth on Ashtanga Vinyasa, she investigates how boundaries get blurred. We discuss the implications for yoga philosophy, as well as its links to contemporary practice and everyday life. If we reinterpret texts to serve different priorities, should we really write new ones?

To explore the Yoga Sūtra "beyond eight limbs", join me for a course at truthofyoga.com.

If you enjoy the conversation, and would like to fuel more, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!

Eddie Stern teaches yoga at the Broome Street Ganesha Temple in New York. Among other topics, we explore the connections – and some of the disparities – between yogic knowledge, scientific findings and academic study. Building on his book One Simple Thing, Eddie has been working on a master's of science degree. We begin by discussing his research, which investigates meaning and purpose, and how they help people cope with anxiety. Eddie also shares some thoughts on his own transition away from daily practice of Ashtanga yoga, reappraising his role as a teacher with a heartfelt apology.

If you enjoy the conversation, and would like to fuel more, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!

What does it mean to practise yoga authentically when so much has changed? If we don’t know how much we don’t know in historical terms, where does that leave us? Which narratives predominate? Who defines what's yoga and what isn't? I discuss these topics with VikramJeet Singh, who shares thought-provoking posts on the wisdom of yoga via his Instagram handle @wanderingmat. Our conversation was inspired by a recent course that Vikram attended. It raised a few questions, so he suggested a chat. We could have gone on much longer, so there might be another one soon…

If you enjoy the podcast, and would like to fuel more, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!

Which ideas keep traditions alive in the 21st century? Modern mindfulness removes Buddhist framing, but says most of its wisdom is part of the practice. Yoga is often taught similarly. Are there pitfalls to reinventing teachings? I recently discussed this with Frank Jude Boccio, the author of Mindfulness Yoga, which integrates the practice of āsana with insight meditation.

Among other topics, our conversation covered:

* What mindfulness means (not “be here now”)

* How to think for oneself while removing illusions

* Which traditional concepts might not seem relevant

* Whether seeking liberation is a helpful objective

* Why Frank Jude left Thich Nhat Hanh’s order

If you enjoy the podcast, and would like to fuel more, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!

It’s often said that yoga is timeless, but many modern methods are recent inventions. What keeps them anchored in earlier traditions? I recently explored this with Mike De Masi, who runs a discussion group devoted to the yoga of T. Krishnamacharya and his students – from B.K.S. Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois to T.K.V. Desikachar and Srivatsa Ramaswami.

Among other topics, our conversation covered:

* What “tradition” means when so much has changed

* Whether stories told by lineages stand up to scrutiny

* How one relates to other worldviews as a foreigner

* What scholarship on yoga can offer practitioners

* Why critique should be balanced with respect

If you enjoy the podcast, and would like to fuel more, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!

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RESOURCES

Worldwide Krishnamacharya Yoga Community

Breath of the Gods (a 2012 film about Krishnamacharya)

“The Yoga of the Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati” (Birch and Singleton)

The Goddess Pose (a book about the life of Indra Devi)

Srivatsa Ramaswami’s Vinyasa Krama website

Traditionally, physical yoga aims to raise vital energy. This is often described as a serpent-like power that dissolves the mind. However, one influential teacher saw Kuṇḍalinī differently. T. Krishnamacharya, who taught B.K.S. Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois, said it was a blockage that had to be burned, not a means to liberation. Simon Atkinson's book explains why. Drawing on his experiences as well as his research, this conversation explores implications for modern practitioners. Simon has practised yoga for more than 20 years in the tradition most closely associated with Krishnamacharya's son, T.K.V. Desikachar.

If you enjoy the conversation, and would like to fuel more, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!