The Yogic Studies Podcast
Episodes
52. Tamara Cohen | Exploring the Mokṣopāya and Yogavāsiṣṭha
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Tamara Cohen about her background in Siddha Yoga, meditation, and how she came to pursue a PhD at the University of...
51. Sunila Kale and Christian Novetzke | The Yoga of Power
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Sunila Kale and Dr. Christian Novetzke from the University of Washington about their recent publication, The Yoga o...
50. Anya Golovkova | Śrīvidyā, Tantra, and the Goddess
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Anya Golovkova about the world of Śrīvidyā and the Hindu tantric traditions. We learn about her background growi...
49. Daniela Bevilacqua | From Tapas to Modern Yoga
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with return guest and teacher Dr. Daniela Bevilacqua to discuss the publication of her latest work, From Tapas to Modern Yog...
48. Brian Dana Akers | The Yoga Manifesto and the World of Yoga Publishing
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we speak with Briana Dana Akers, who is a publisher, editor, and translator, best known for his translation of the Haṭhapradīpikā....
47. Zoë Slatoff | Yoga, Vedānta, and Ashtanga Yoga
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we speak with Zoë Slatoff about her background as an Ashtanga Yoga practitioner and teacher turned academic and Sanskrit professor at...
46. Kunsang | From Buddhist Nun to Tibetan Translator
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we speak with Kunsang about her upcoming series of courses in Classical Tibetan. We learn about her fascinating journey growing up in ...
45. Lucy May Constantini | Kaḷarippayaṟṟ˘: Martial Art of Kerala
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we speak with Lucy May Constantini about her fascinating research and practical experience studying the south-Indian martial art tradi...
44. Kate Hartmann | Pilgrimage and Buddhism
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we welcome back Kate Hartmann, former director of Buddhist Studies Online, to discuss all things pilgrimage and Buddhism. We discuss h...
43. Christopher Jain Miller | Embodying Transnational Yoga
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we speak with Christopher Miller about his recent monograph, Embodying Transnational Yoga: Eating, Singing, and Breathing in Transform...
42. Samuel M. Grimes | Newar Buddhism, Nepal, and Yoga
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 his...
41. Keith Edward Cantú | The History of Theosophy and Yoga
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 r...
40. Caley Smith | The World of Vedic Sanskrit
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 or...
39. Lubomír Ondračka | Yogic and Tantric Bodies
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we speak with Lubomír Ondračka about his research on conceptions of the body within yogic and tantric traditions. We first discuss h...
38. Carl Ernst | The History of Sufism and Yoga
25 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 as...
37. James Mallinson | Dattātreya's Discourse on Yoga
11 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we welcome back Jim Mallinson for another update on his pioneering research into the earliest Sanskrit texts of Haṭha Yoga. We discu...
36. Philip Deslippe | Early American Yoga and the "Swami Circuit"
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 archiv...
35. Arti Dhand | The Great Epic, Mahābhārata
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Arti Dhand about her research, teaching, and podcasting on India's great epic, the Mahābhārata. We discuss h...
34. Dagmar Wujastyk | Entangled Histories of Yoga, Āyurveda and Alchemy
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Ind...
33. Stuart Sarbacker | Aṣṭāṅgayoga: Eight Limbs of Yoga
30 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
32. Sravana Borkataky-Varma | Hijrās, Women, and Gender in Śākta Tantra
20 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Di...
31. Rajiv Ranjan | On Teaching and Learning Hindi
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 nor...
30. Raj Balkaran | The Significance of the Devīmāhātmya
21 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
29. Varun Khanna | The Wisdom of the Upaniṣads
25 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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-m...
28. Keith Edward Cantú | Esotericism, Bauls, and Sabhapati Swami
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
27. James Mallinson | The Source Texts of Haṭha Yoga
14 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 som...
26. Adrián Muñoz | The Study of Yoga in Latin America
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 n...
25. Edwin Bryant | Bhakti Yoga and the Bhāgavatapurāṇa
12 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we speak with Edwin Bryant about his upcoming course, YS 205 | Bhakti Yoga: The Bhāgavatapurāṇa and his latest book Bhakti Yoga:...
24. Jvala Singh | The History of Sikhi and Yoga
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 S...
23. Patton Burchett | Bhakti, Tantra, Yoga, and Sufism in North India
18 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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, Col...
22. Kate Hartmann | Buddhism, Pilgrimage, and BSO
09 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 Bud...
21. Philipp Maas | What is Sāṅkhya Philosophy?
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
20. Suzanne Newcombe + Karen O'Brien-Kop | Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies
20 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode we talk with Dr. Suzanne Newcombe and Dr. Karen O'Brien-Kop about their recent collaboration co-editing The Routledge Han...
19. Theodora Wildcroft | Post-Lineage Yoga: From Guru to #MeToo
09 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Dr. Theodora Wildcroft discusses her new book, Post-Lineage Yoga: From Guru to #MeToo (2020). We explore the historical shifts that ha...
18. Jacqueline Hargreaves | The Luminescent and Embodied Philology
24 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk with scholar-practitioner Jacqueline Hargreaves about her work with the Hatha Yoga Project, her unlikely background as an eng...
17. Stuart Sarbacker | Tracing the Path of Yoga
03 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
16. Daniel Simpson | The Truth of Yoga
25 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk with Daniel Simpson about his upcoming book, The Truth of Yoga: A Comprehensive Guide to Yoga's History, Texts, Philosoph...
15. Mark Singleton | Yoga Body, 10 Years Later
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 re...
14. Amanda Lucia | White Utopias, Yoga, and Transformational Festivals
28 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Amanda Lucia about her new book, White Utopias: The Religious Exoticism of Transformational Festivals (2020, UC Pre...
13. Raj Balkaran | Purāṇas and Hindu Mythology
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
12. Ruth Westoby | Women and Gender in Yoga
10 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
11. Philipp Maas | The Pātañjalayogaśāstra and its Textual History
04 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Philipp Maas about his pioneering textual research on the Yogaśāstra of Patañjali and its commentarial tradition...
10. Ian Baker | Tibetan Yoga, Hidden Lands, and Bringing Esoteric Teachings to Light
09 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 moun...
9. Jason Birch | Manuscript Hunting and the History of Medieval Yogas
26 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
8. Sravana Borkataky-Varma | Śākta Tantra, Female Practitioners, and Misperceptions of Tantra
12 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Sravana Borkataky-Varma about her experience growing up in India, receiving initiation into a Śākta tantra lineag...
7. Karen O’Brien-Kop | Pātañjala Yoga, Yogācāra Buddhism, and Re-Thinking the Category of "Classical Yoga"
28 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Karen O’Brien-Kop (University of Roehampton) about her intertextual research on Pātañjala and Buddhist Yoga, re...
6. Ben Williams | Śaiva Tantra, Abhinavagupta, and the Tantric Sahṛdaya
21 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Ben Williams (Naropa University) about his story of growing up in spiritual community, the scholar-practitioner, th...
5. James Mallinson | The History and Practice of Haṭha Yoga
14 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with Dr. James Mallinson (SOAS, University of London) about his travels through India, meeting his guru, his journey to beco...
4. Philip Deslippe | Making Sense of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga
07 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with Philip Deslippe (UC Santa Barbara) about his research on the modern history and construction of Kundalini Yoga, the con...
3. Antonia Ruppel | On Teaching and Learning Sanskrit
25 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
2. Daniela Bevilacqua | Hindu Asceticism and Haṭha Yoga
17 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Daniela Bevilacqua (Post-Doc Research Fellow, SOAS) about her background in History and Anthropology, her doctoral ...
1. Finnian Gerety | Vedic Ritual, OṂ, and Early Yoga
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this first-ever Yogic Studies Podcast episode, we speak with Dr. Finnian Gerety (Brown University) about his background as a musician, his journey ...
0. Seth Powell | Introducing the Yogic Studies Podcast
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...