I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation with Laura von Ostrowski (video included). Her new book explores how modern practitioners use Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, focusing particularly on Ashtanga Vinyasa. As we discuss in our chat, this raises lots of broader questions. To start with, what exactly is the philosophy of yoga? Has it changed over time? Are there many different yogas? How do today’s theories relate to the past, as well as to practice and everyday life? And if we reinterpret texts to suit modern priorities, might it better to write new ones ourselves?
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!”
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 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.”
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.
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."
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.”
