The Yogic Studies Podcast

By Yogic Studies

What's The Yogic Studies Podcast about?

In-depth explorations into the traditions of Yoga, Sanskrit, Indian Philosophy, and South Asian Religions. Featuring candid conversations and interviews with scholars and practitioners. Hosted by Seth Powell.

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The Yogic Studies Podcast episodes:

04.15.2024
45. Lucy May Constantini | Kaḷarippayaṟṟ˘: Martial Art of Kerala
In this episode we speak with Lucy May Constantini about her fascinating research and practical experience studying the south-Indian martial art tradition of kaḷarippayaṟṟ˘. We discuss Lucy's background of training in Kerala, the history of kaḷari, the role of the...
03.19.2024
44. Kate Hartmann | Pilgrimage and Buddhism
In this episode we welcome back Kate Hartmann, former director of Buddhist Studies Online, to discuss all things pilgrimage and Buddhism. We discuss how Kate first got into pilgrimage studies as a grad student at Harvard, whether pilgrimage is a...
12.14.2023
43. Christopher Jain Miller | Embodying Transnational Yoga
In this episode we speak with Christopher Miller about his recent monograph, Embodying Transnational Yoga: Eating, Singing, and Breathing in Transformation (Routledge 2023) and his upcoming online course at Yogic Studies. We begin by discussing his academic background and how...
11.08.2023
42. Samuel M. Grimes | Newar Buddhism, Nepal, and Yoga
In this episode we speak with Samuel Grimes about his research and experience with the tradition of Newar Buddhism in Nepal. We discuss the unique history of Buddhism in Nepal, the decline of Buddhism in India, and what it means...
10.04.2023
41. Keith Edward Cantú | The History of Theosophy and Yoga
In this episode we welcome back Keith Cantú for a wide ranging conversation on the history of the Theosophical Society and in particular its unique relationship with the modern history of yoga. We discuss the influence of figures like Helena...
06.28.2023
40. Caley Smith | The World of Vedic Sanskrit
In this episode we speak with Caley Smith about the ancient and fascinating world of Vedic Sanskrit. We discuss some theories and debates about the origins of Sanskrit, its relationship with other Indo-European languages, the nature and scope of the...
06.07.2023
39. Lubomír Ondračka | Yogic and Tantric Bodies
In this episode we speak with Lubomír Ondračka about his research on conceptions of the body within yogic and tantric traditions. We first discuss his background in chemical engineering and studying Indology in the Czech Republic, and how his interest...
03.25.2023
38. Carl Ernst | The History of Sufism and Yoga
In this episode we speak with Carl Ernst about his career of scholarship on Sufism—which he describes as the tradition of ethics and spirituality associated with Islam. In particular we discuss the unique history of Sufism's engagement with Hindu forms...
12.11.2022
37. James Mallinson | Dattātreya's Discourse on Yoga
In this episode we welcome back Jim Mallinson for another update on his pioneering research into the earliest Sanskrit texts of Haṭha Yoga. We discuss the Light on Hatha Yoga Project (2021–2024) which will produce a critical edition of the...
11.02.2022
36. Philip Deslippe | Early American Yoga and the "Swami Circuit"
In this episode, we speak with return guest Philip Deslippe about his research on the history of Early American Yoga. Philip shares with us his archive of knowledge and stories from the "Swami Circuit"—the network of forgotten South Asian yoga...
09.27.2022
35. Arti Dhand | The Great Epic, Mahābhārata
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Arti Dhand about her research, teaching, and podcasting on India's great epic, the Mahābhārata. We discuss her background and training in Religious Studies, comparing the Mahābhārata with Game of Thrones, the nature of...
08.03.2022
34. Dagmar Wujastyk | Entangled Histories of Yoga, Āyurveda and Alchemy
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Dagmar Wujastyk about her journey to Indology and the study of Sanskrit and Āyurveda, and her early travels in India studying and observing Āyurvedic physicians and centers. We discuss the research and findings...
06.30.2022
33. Stuart Sarbacker | Aṣṭāṅgayoga: Eight Limbs of Yoga
In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Stuart Ray Sarbacker for a wide-ranging discussing about his upcoming course, YS 121 | 8 Limbs of Yoga: History, Theory, and Practice of Aṣṭāṅgayoga. We discuss the nature of Patañjali's "classical" model, some...
05.20.2022
32. Sravana Borkataky-Varma | Hijrās, Women, and Gender in Śākta Tantra
In this episode we welcome back to the Podcast, Sravana Borkataky-Varma. We catch up on her latest book projects, research, and teaching at Harvard Divinity School. We discuss the categories of so-called Classical Tantra vs. Neo Tantra, and some of...
05.03.2022
31. Rajiv Ranjan | On Teaching and Learning Hindi
In this episode we sit down with Rajiv Ranjan to discuss all things Hindi. We learn about Rajiv's remarkable journey from growing up in rural north-east India to MSU university professor, scholar, and author. We discuss the relationship between Hindi...
03.21.2022
30. Raj Balkaran | The Significance of the Devīmāhātmya
In this episode we sit down with return guest Raj Balkaran to catch up and dive deep into the world of the Devīmāhātmya. Raj shares with us about the publication of his latest book, The Stories Behind the Poses (2022)...
01.25.2022
29. Varun Khanna | The Wisdom of the Upaniṣads
In this episode we sit down with Varun Khanna to discuss his upcoming course, YS 207 | The Upaniṣads. We first learn about his background as a pre-med student stumbling into Sanskrit when he tried to study Ayurveda in India,...
12.13.2021
28. Keith Edward Cantú | Esotericism, Bauls, and Sabhapati Swami
In this episode we sit down with Keith Cantú for a wide ranging conversation on the language and categories of esotericism, the occult, and yoga. We learn about Keith's background, travels, and language training as well as unique experience learning...
10.14.2021
27. James Mallinson | The Source Texts of Haṭha Yoga
In this episode we welcome back Jim Mallinson for an update on his pioneering research into the earliest Sanskrit texts of Haṭha Yoga. We review some of the major findings from the 5-year ERC Haṭha Yoga Project and learn about...
09.14.2021
26. Adrián Muñoz | The Study of Yoga in Latin America
In this episode we speak with Adrián Muñoz about his academic path and research at El Colegio de México where he is currently heading an exciting new project on the history of yoga in Latin America. Adrián tells Seth about...
06.12.2021
25. Edwin Bryant | Bhakti Yoga and the Bhāgavatapurāṇa
In this episode we speak with Edwin Bryant about his upcoming course, YS 205 | Bhakti Yoga: The Bhāgavatapurāṇa and his latest book Bhakti Yoga: Tales and Teachings from the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2017). Dr. Bryant regales...
05.10.2021
24. Jvala Singh | The History of Sikhi and Yoga
In this episode we sit down with Sikh scholar and historian Jvala Singh to discuss the history of yoga within Sikhi, the topic of his upcoming Yogic Studies course YS 116 | Sikhism and Yoga. Jvala tells Seth how he...
04.18.2021
23. Patton Burchett | Bhakti, Tantra, Yoga, and Sufism in North India
In this episode we talk with Patton Burchett about his latest book A Genealogy of Devotion: Bhakti, Tantra, Yoga, and Sufism in North India (2019, Columbia University Press) and his upcoming course, YS 115 | A History of Yoga and...
04.09.2021
22. Kate Hartmann | Buddhism, Pilgrimage, and BSO
In this episode we sit down with Kate to celebrate the launch of Buddhist Studies Online. We learn about her story, her background in academia and Buddhism, travels in Asia, how she first met Seth as grad students at Harvard,...
02.26.2021
21. Philipp Maas | What is Sāṅkhya Philosophy?
In this episode we speak with return guest Dr. Philipp Maas about the ancient school of Sāṅkhya—which he describes as India's philosophy par excellence for its wide and enduring influence on Indian culture. Giving us a taste of his upcoming...
02.20.2021
20. Suzanne Newcombe + Karen O'Brien-Kop | Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies
In today's episode we talk with Dr. Suzanne Newcombe and Dr. Karen O'Brien-Kop about their recent collaboration co-editing The Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies (2021), and the labor of love that went into creating this interdisciplinary collaboration. We...
02.09.2021
19. Theodora Wildcroft | Post-Lineage Yoga: From Guru to #MeToo
In this episode Dr. Theodora Wildcroft discusses her new book, Post-Lineage Yoga: From Guru to #MeToo (2020). We explore the historical shifts that have been reshaping yoga in the west: from the ways schools of yoga have been forced to...
01.24.2021
18. Jacqueline Hargreaves | The Luminescent and Embodied Philology
In this episode, we talk with scholar-practitioner Jacqueline Hargreaves about her work with the Hatha Yoga Project, her unlikely background as an engineer that first brought her to India, and her life as a nomadic yoga researcher with her partner...
01.03.2021
17. Stuart Sarbacker | Tracing the Path of Yoga
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Stuart Ray Sarbacker about his newest book Tracing the Path of Yoga: The History and Philosophy of Indian Mind-Body Discipline (2021, SUNY Press). We explore the origins of yoga, what Stuart calls the...
12.25.2020
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 process, his background as a foreign...
12.11.2020
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, the "birth" of modern yoga in the 19th and...
11.28.2020
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 nature of religious exoticism, white possessivism, and cultural appropriation...
10.20.2020
13. Raj Balkaran | Purāṇas 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 Purāṇas, the Devī Māhātmya and Sūrya...
09.10.2020
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 Haṭha yoga and asceticism, frameworks for understanding the yogic...
09.04.2020
11. Philipp Maas | The Pātañjalayogaśāstra and its Textual History
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Philipp Maas about his pioneering textual research on the Yogaśāstra of Patañjali and its commentarial tradition, the authorship and dating of the Yogasūtra and its commentary the Bhāṣya, the surviving Sanskrit manuscripts of...
08.09.2020
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 guidance from H.H. the Dalai Lama, the nature...
07.26.2020
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 thesis on the Amanaska, Rāja...
07.12.2020
8. Sravana Borkataky-Varma | Śākta 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 Śākta tantra lineage at Kāmākhya, discovering Religious Studies and the academic path, her doctoral research, the role of female practitioners,...
06.28.2020
7. Karen O’Brien-Kop | Pātañjala Yoga, Yogācāra Buddhism, and Re-Thinking the Category of "Classical Yoga"
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Karen O’Brien-Kop (University of Roehampton) about her intertextual research on Pātañjala and Buddhist Yoga, rethinking the category of “Classical Yoga,” the yoga of Yogācāra Buddhism, Buddhist definitions of yoga, botanical metaphors for liberation,...
06.21.2020
6. Ben Williams | Śaiva Tantra, Abhinavagupta, and the Tantric Sahṛdaya
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 Śaiva Tantra, the Kashmiri exegete Abhinavagupta and his concept of the guru,...
06.14.2020
5. James Mallinson | The History and Practice of Haṭha 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 and yogīs, key findings from...
06.07.2020
4. Philip Deslippe | Making Sense of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga
In this episode, we speak with Philip Deslippe (UC Santa Barbara) about his research on the modern history and construction of Kundalini Yoga, the controversies surrounding the late guru Yogi Bhajan, as well as the role and positionality of the...
05.25.2020
3. Antonia Ruppel | On Teaching and Learning Sanskrit
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Antonia Ruppel (LMU, Munich) about her study and teaching of the Sanskrit language, from elite universities to the St. James Senior Boys' School, the richness and diversity of Sanskrit literature, her recent Sanskrit...
05.17.2020
2. Daniela Bevilacqua | Hindu Asceticism and Haṭha Yoga
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Daniela Bevilacqua (Post-Doc Research Fellow, SOAS) about her background in History and Anthropology, her doctoral work on the Rāmānandī Sampradāya, her ethnographic fieldwork for the Haṭha Yoga Project, and the role of yoga...
05.11.2020
1. Finnian Gerety | Vedic Ritual, OṂ, and Early Yoga
In this first-ever Yogic Studies Podcast episode, we speak with Dr. Finnian Gerety (Brown University) about his background as a musician, his journey to Indology and Sanskrit studies at Harvard University, his fieldwork among Nambudiri Brahmins in the south-Indian state...
05.11.2020
0. Seth Powell | Introducing the Yogic Studies Podcast
In this brief introduction, Seth introduces listeners to the Yogic Studies Podcast. He shares his story of how yoga led him to academia, to the PhD at Harvard University, the study of Sanskrit, the world of yoga research, and the...

What's The Yogic Studies Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Yogic Studies Podcast episodes:

45. Lucy May Constantini | Kaḷarippayaṟṟ˘: Martial Art of Kerala

44. Kate Hartmann | Pilgrimage and Buddhism

43. Christopher Jain Miller | Embodying Transnational Yoga

42. Samuel M. Grimes | Newar Buddhism, Nepal, and Yoga

41. Keith Edward Cantú | The History of Theosophy and Yoga

40. Caley Smith | The World of Vedic Sanskrit

39. Lubomír Ondračka | Yogic and Tantric Bodies

38. Carl Ernst | The History of Sufism and Yoga

37. James Mallinson | Dattātreya's Discourse on Yoga

36. Philip Deslippe | Early American Yoga and the "Swami Circuit"

35. Arti Dhand | The Great Epic, Mahābhārata

34. Dagmar Wujastyk | Entangled Histories of Yoga, Āyurveda and Alchemy

33. Stuart Sarbacker | Aṣṭāṅgayoga: Eight Limbs of Yoga

32. Sravana Borkataky-Varma | Hijrās, Women, and Gender in Śākta Tantra

31. Rajiv Ranjan | On Teaching and Learning Hindi

30. Raj Balkaran | The Significance of the Devīmāhātmya

29. Varun Khanna | The Wisdom of the Upaniṣads

28. Keith Edward Cantú | Esotericism, Bauls, and Sabhapati Swami

27. James Mallinson | The Source Texts of Haṭha Yoga

26. Adrián Muñoz | The Study of Yoga in Latin America

25. Edwin Bryant | Bhakti Yoga and the Bhāgavatapurāṇa

24. Jvala Singh | The History of Sikhi and Yoga

23. Patton Burchett | Bhakti, Tantra, Yoga, and Sufism in North India

22. Kate Hartmann | Buddhism, Pilgrimage, and BSO

21. Philipp Maas | What is Sāṅkhya Philosophy?

20. Suzanne Newcombe + Karen O'Brien-Kop | Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies

19. Theodora Wildcroft | Post-Lineage Yoga: From Guru to #MeToo

18. Jacqueline Hargreaves | The Luminescent and Embodied Philology

17. Stuart Sarbacker | Tracing the Path of Yoga

16. Daniel Simpson | The Truth of Yoga

15. Mark Singleton | Yoga Body, 10 Years Later

14. Amanda Lucia | White Utopias, Yoga, and Transformational Festivals

13. Raj Balkaran | Purāṇas and Hindu Mythology

12. Ruth Westoby | Women and Gender in Yoga

11. Philipp Maas | The Pātañjalayogaśāstra and its Textual History

10. Ian Baker | Tibetan Yoga, Hidden Lands, and Bringing Esoteric Teachings to Light

9. Jason Birch | Manuscript Hunting and the History of Medieval Yogas

8. Sravana Borkataky-Varma | Śākta Tantra, Female Practitioners, and Misperceptions of Tantra

7. Karen O’Brien-Kop | Pātañjala Yoga, Yogācāra Buddhism, and Re-Thinking the Category of "Classical Yoga"

6. Ben Williams | Śaiva Tantra, Abhinavagupta, and the Tantric Sahṛdaya

5. James Mallinson | The History and Practice of Haṭha Yoga

4. Philip Deslippe | Making Sense of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga

3. Antonia Ruppel | On Teaching and Learning Sanskrit

2. Daniela Bevilacqua | Hindu Asceticism and Haṭha Yoga

1. Finnian Gerety | Vedic Ritual, OṂ, and Early Yoga

0. Seth Powell | Introducing the Yogic Studies Podcast