What makes yoga yogic instead of something else? Join me for a chat with J. Brown about the evolution of physical practice and what connects modern yoga to ancient tradition.... To quote J.'s show notes, we "discuss the tendency of historical figures to invent things but still present them as being very old,” along with “influences that led to a modern postural approach,” and other topics from Tantra to the Hatha Pradipika. We also cover philosophical distinctions – including duality and non-duality – and whether yoga is more about how and why than it is about what.
This was a fun conversation with Julie Smerdon about my book – I hope you enjoy it! To quote the show notes: "From his days as a foreign correspondent for the New York Times to his current scholarly work, Daniel has been a fierce advocate for exposing the truth, both in journalism and in yoga. Daniel has a no-nonsense, fact-based approach to the history of yoga philosophy that I really appreciate. In this episode, we chat about his background, his scholarly work, and the truth about what we know about the origins of the way we practice today."
I thoroughly enjoyed this discussion with Laurent Roure for The Penny Drops podcast. Laurent runs courses on pranayama, and trains teachers to teach it. Our chat was wide-ranging, inspired by an article I wrote about breathing techniques. We focused on what scholars know about the origins of pranayama, how practice has changed – from something ascetic to something transformative – and how teachers present it today, albeit with caution. As the show notes put it: “A fun episode about serious themes and subjects!”
Join me online (Wednesday May 19, 7.00 PM UK time) for a free discussion about yoga’s development over the centuries. We’ll explore what inspired it originally, and when it evolved into what it is now – as well as how that relates to modern practice. There’ll be time to ask questions about any aspect of yoga’s history and philosophy. The overall aim is to see the big picture of what comes from where, as well as considering why things change. The talk expands on ideas from The Truth of Yoga, which is available both as a book and an online course.
This was a really fun discussion about links between yoga and other approaches. Andrew Rosenstock and Nikki Olsen asked lots of great questions that got us exploring all sorts of connections. They’re both rolfers who incorporate yoga with other forms of bodywork, and their Touching Into Presence podcast explores the diversity of methods of healing “the body, mind and beyond". We also talked about my book, The Truth of Yoga, and how it strikes a balance between scholarly knowledge and making this accessible to modern practitioners.
A heartfelt conversation with Jivana Heyman of Accessible Yoga. We discuss my book, The Truth of Yoga, and broader questions of how to teach yoga philosophy more accessibly. We also explore whether ancient texts promote social engagement, and reflect on the importance of defining objectives. The show notes sum it up well: “Do we want a relationship with tradition in the first place? And if we do, what are we actually trying to achieve with yoga?” The ultimate choice is to become more consciously involved in the world, as opposed to retreating from it.
I enjoyed this conversation with Stuart Sarbacker, a professor at Oregon State University. Like me, Stuart has recently published a book about yoga history, and he’s also a teacher and longstanding practitioner. We talked about some of the main themes of The Truth of Yoga, and more broadly about contemporary issues. There were also some good questions about the distinctions between yoga scholarship and practice, which yielded interesting exchanges. The event was hosted by Grass Roots Books (in Corvallis, Oregon), on Sunday, March 14.
It was an honour to be invited to speak at the Jaipur Literature Festival. My conversation with Ranju Roy about The Truth of Yoga was streamed on Friday, February 26. It’s now available to watch on the festival’s Facebook and YouTube pages, and also embedded in this post. Ranju and I talked about the past, the present and the future of yoga, while discussing the nature of truth on multiple levels, from the practical to the philosophical – and even the political. It would have been nice to be in Jaipur itself for the conversation, but hopefully another time soon!
This is a prize draw for a copy of The Truth of Yoga by Daniel Simpson. To enter, please follow @truthofyoga, like the competition post and tag two friends who you think would be interested. There is no purchase necessary to enter. Five winners will be selected at random from the entries received in accordance with these terms. The decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. The prize draw opens at 12:00 pm GMT on 24/02/2021 and closes at 11:59 pm GMT on 27/02/2021. Any entries received outside these times and dates will not be eligible.
I enjoyed this chat with Ron Purser. As he puts it: “Our conversation dives deep into the complex and patchy history of yoga, swimming through early, classical and hatha yoga – along with some interesting observations on modern yoga, including whether Silent Disco Yoga is a thing! Kidding aside, this is a serious conversation – and I learned a great deal, especially just how fertile the soil was when the yogic traditions were taking hold – and the creative cross-fertilization between classical yoga traditions and the Buddhists at the time.”
Join me in Mystic – via the recording of an online talk about The Truth of Yoga, including questions on yoga history and philosophy from local practitioners. This free event (held on Saturday, January 30 at 2:00 PM EST) was co-hosted by Bank Square Books and the Mystic Yoga Shala in Connecticut. I presented a short summary of the book, including some examples of modern misconceptions, then focused on how yoga can help reduce suffering. The discussion was part of the bookshop’s Self Improvement Series.
How do we know what’s true? Strap yourself in for a 20-year flashback as I talk to J. Brown about the "war on terror", and how working as a journalist blew my mind and got me focused on yoga... To quote J.'s show notes, we "discuss Daniel's experience of writing for the NY Times after 9/11, why he decided to leave behind a career in journalism and pursue yoga scholarship, what we actually know about the origins of yoga, and making clear distinctions between what texts say and what we choose to do with them.”
This is a great conversation! I've known Scott Johnson since 2014, but we'd never sat down for a really long chat – and when we did, a lot of fun things happened. From yoga to the media, psychedelia and beyond... Here's Scott's summary: "Daniel is a breath of fresh air. His knowledge on the philosophy and history of yoga is so deep yet he is able to share it in a beautifully open, simple and understandable way." Thank you, Scott – I enjoyed it too! Even if you pushed me to give an opinion about what yoga means… :) See the show notes for more.
A brief introduction to The Truth of Yoga, including a reading from the opening chapter. Recorded for the Boulder Bookstore in Colorado, which has been hosting video Q&As due to Covid restrictions preventing book tours. In response to half a dozen questions, I describe the book’s aims, which are broadly summed up by its subtitle (“A Comprehensive Guide to Yoga’s History, Texts, Philosophy, and Practices”). For more information, including excerpts and interviews, visit this page, which also has a link to a very short trailer…
I enjoyed this recent interview with Seth Powell. We had a great chat about what inspired The Truth of Yoga, what makes it accessible, and how it strikes a balance of traditional wisdom and scholarly knowledge. To quote the show notes: "In this episode we talk with Daniel Simpson about… his writing process, his background as a foreign correspondent, making the historical texts and philosophies of yoga accessible to modern practitioners, perceptions on yoga in China, and the idea of authenticity in modern yoga practice."
Here’s the “too long; didn’t read” version of my book, distilling its “comprehensive guide to yoga’s history, texts, philosophy, and practices” into 59 seconds. It inevitably leaves a lot out, but still packs a lot in by moving quickly… (“To sum it all up, pay attention!”) An unabridged audiobook is also available at regular speed, read by Tim Bruce. A course to accompany The Truth of Yoga will be released soon. For more information, see truthofyoga.com or sign up here for email updates.
This interview explores philosophy in practice. Here’s a brief sample: “A lot of mental anguish is based on ideas about who we are, and the things that we want, and whether we get them or not. If these stories we tell ourselves stop, even just for a moment, it weakens their grip. None of this is actually linked to the practice of postures, but they can still be approached with a similar mindset of detachment. However, using the body has pitfalls. It’s easy to get fixated on what it can do, so physical practice can strengthen the ego, instead of helping us see through its illusions.”
Join me online (Saturday, January 9, 2021, at 2:30 PM GMT) to explore my new book, The Truth of Yoga. I’ll give a short talk before answering questions about any aspect of yoga history and philosophy that might be of interest. To quote the booking page: “Yoga keeps changing. Some of its teachings sound timeless, while others have been discarded or reinvented. As priorities shift, what preserves their connection to what went before? What defines a practice as yogic and not something different? How can we align with tradition in the twenty-first century?” Come and share ideas!
A wide-ranging chat about The Truth of Yoga with Raj Balkaran, on the New Books in Hindu Studies podcast. We discussed my background as a reporter, which helps me distil complex topics and make them accessible. We also talked about the wonders of online learning in the age of Covid, exploring and reconciling tensions between theory and practice, and the importance of building bridges between scholars and practitioners to deepen understanding. Both Raj and I teach courses at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, where this is our priority.
A recent discussion about my forthcoming book, The Truth of Yoga, with Jacob Kyle, who hosts the Embodied Philosophy podcast. To quote the show notes, we discussed: “Differentiating yoga history and yoga philosophy as evolutionary systems of ideas; Debunking commonly misunderstood concepts and myths; Connection points to tradition within modern practices; Postural practice and being definitive about the unknown; Reinterpreting yoga traditions, cultural appropriation and exploitation of yoga; The nature of ultimate and relative truths in yoga.”
