Ancient Futures
Timeless wisdom for modern dilemmas, combining yoga philosophy, practical insight and critical thinking. Hosted by Daniel Simpson.
Episodes
Liberating Insights – Tamara Cohen
What if everything we think is a dream? Would nothing be real? Or might it reveal how to live in infinity, untroubled by suffering? 🤯Tamara Cohen wrote her PhD about the Yogavāsiṣṭha – a text whose original name was the Mokṣopāya, or “means to liberation”. Structured as a dialogue between the sage Vasiṣṭha and the young prince Rāma, it explains how to set oneself free from conceptual delusions.As
The Odyssey Mindset – Sam Akbar
What might we learn about mental resilience from ancient Greek mythology? 💭Sam Akbar is a clinical psychologist and Oxford-trained classicist. Her new book is The Odyssey Mindset, which explores timeless guidance from Homer’s epic on finding purpose and strength in the face of life’s challenges.Sam’s speciality is trauma. She’s worked with refugees who’ve fled torture, war and sexual violence, and
Building Bridges – Daniel Simpson
What if yoga meant technology, jihad or sex with multiple partners? 😳That’s just a sample of the thought-provoking papers presented in Paris at the Yoga Darśana Yoga Sādhana conference last week. This podcast shares a few reflections on what was discussed, plus my own presentation on misleading books that manipulate readers to generate sales (slides available here).Expanding on a range of convers
Yiddishland – David Mazower
How might we be inspired by a worldwide community of Yiddish-speaking Jews, whose cultural identity was broadly internationalist?David Mazower is the author of Yiddish: A Global Culture, which accompanies an exhibit he curated at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts.Our conversation explores the heritage and influence of Yiddish – the everyday language of East European Jews, which bec
Ethics and Yoga – Brett Parris
What defines the right thing to do, and how helpful is yoga in doing it? 🤔Yogic traditions present different frameworks for ethical conduct, with varying degrees of engagement in worldly affairs. If their aim is to promote liberation, can they also support human rights? Might ideas about the highest good, or a self in all beings, provide orientation? If so, which philosophy seems the best fit?Bret
Propagandananda? – Ian Alexander
How reliable are articles on yoga by contributors to Wikipedia? 🤷♂️More than they used to be, thanks to the input of Ian Alexander, who’s personally edited between a third and half of them. Many meet the criteria for what the free encyclopaedia calls a “good article” – combining clear and neutral writing with verifiable sourcing and broad coverage.For the 25 years since Wikipedia launched, it’s b
Human Technology – Dan Turello
What does it mean to be human in the age of AI? 🤖How old is the fear of machines taking over? What might we learn about how to respond from previous examples? Is technology dehumanising or can it also be liberating? How could philosophy expand our understanding of its potential?Dan Turello is a cultural historian, photographer and author. His new book Connection: How Technology Can Make Us Better
Ways of Seeing – Daniel Simpson
How do we know what we think we know? Are our opinions our own, or are they conditioned by external influences? What helps to balance opposing views? How important are such questions to yoga – both philosophically and practically?This podcast explores some of the voices in my head. It was inspired by a recent conversation about the Yoga Sūtra on my year-long course, The Path of Knowledge. There ar
Beyond McMindfulness – Ron Purser
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comIf mindfulness has drawbacks, what’s the alternative? 🤔Ron Purser is perhaps best known as the author of McMindfulness, critiquing the movement as “capitalist spirituality”. His latest book Mind Space is radical in other ways. It considers how to meditate without being a meditator – inspired by the writings of
Buddhist Violence – Sonia Faleiro
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comAlthough Buddhism is widely considered a peaceful tradition, some of its monks incite hatred and slaughter. Sonia Faleiro explores this trend in her latest book The Robe and the Sword: How Buddhist Extremism is Shaping Modern Asia.Drawing on reporting from Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand, she unflinchingly sho
The Path is a Spiral – Daniel Simpson
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comHow do I interpret my rollercoaster ride on the yogic path? 🎢This is a different sort of podcast to the usual interview – my guest today is my younger self. Responding to a listener’s question, I reflect on how to deal with the challenging “ups and downs of the yogic journey”.To help with that, I turn to the w
The Love of Wisdom – Valentin Gerlier
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comCan wisdom be taught? What if it were more about questions than finding "the answer"? How might reading be a meditative practice? Can writing from earlier centuries provide inspiration without mediation by academic experts?Valentin Gerlier is a scholar, musician and author, who is also the founder of the Schoo
Contemporary Tantra – Tova Olsson
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat exactly is Tantra, and how do modern teachings relate to traditions? Which other ideas inform intimacy workshops? Why is there often an emphasis on secrecy and power, and how is this exploited to enable abuse?Tova Olsson is a scholar of religion, as well as a teacher of yoga and Tantra. Our conversation e
Ask Me Anything – Daniel Simpson
What would you like me to talk about in 2026? 🗣️As another year draws to a close, I’m reflecting on new types of podcasts. Today marks my 75th episode and while I plan to continue with the interview format, I’m also working on other ideas – including answering questions about any topic.So if there’s anything you want me to clarify, or to investigate, or if you have a dilemma you’d like to resolve
Enlightened Choices – Simon Haas
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat does it mean to choose wisely? Which kinds of values support this? To what extent are they related to ethics? How similar are Indian traditions to modern ideas about what to prioritise? Might teachings need reframing to speak to us clearly?Simon Haas presents ancient wisdom for everyday life. He is the au
Kuṇḍalinī Experiences – Sravana Borkataky-Varma + Anya Foxen
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat exactly is Kuṇḍalinī? It depends... What began as an energetic metaphor has morphed into a framework for transcending trauma, and much else besides. Does a snake-like entity really ascend? What sparks the experience? If it happens by chance, how should someone respond? There are few simple answers.Sravana
Practical Wisdom – Jessica Böhme
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat if change had more to do with relationships than miracle solutions? Which priorities help them work better? How does one take meaningful action without having the power to determine its outcomes? Who ought to act if not us?In this podcast, I talk about these questions – along with many others – with Jessi
Breath Cultivation – Lena Kraler
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat distinguishes contemporary breath-control from earlier prāṇāyāma? 💨To what extent have external influences shaped Indian practices? How have things changed since the mid-nineteenth century? How might that relate to broader trends in yoga history?Lena Kraler is the author of Yoga Breath: Prāṇa and Prāṇāyām
Le Carré in Action – Michela Wrong
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat distinguishes fiction from facts? John le Carré is renowned for Cold War spy thrillers, yet over half his books were published after 1990 and they tackled modern issues that he had to research. A new exhibition in Oxford documents his methods, and spotlights the networks of experts who helped him.An acco
Transformative Stories – Lily Dunn
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat was the impact of the Osho / Rajneesh cult on the families of members? Why might some people struggle to heal old wounds? To what extent is abuse of children still unacknowledged? How can telling one’s story facilitate recovery?Lily Dunn is an author, teacher and mentor of literary memoir. She explores it
Studying Yoga – Theo Wildcroft + Barbora Sojkova
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat might scholars learn from yoga practitioners, as well as vice versa? To what extent do their worldviews differ? Are their methods of inquiry compatible? Since many academics also practise yoga, as well as educating teachers via courses and trainings, can these roles be compartmentalised?Theo Wildcroft and
Embodied Resistance – Anjali Rao
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat might we learn from the marginalised stories of women in yogic traditions? 🧘♀️Although female practitioners are prevalent today, ancient texts mostly talk about men. However, broadening the focus beyond ascetic yogis, we find empowered women – as well as awkward truths about social restrictions.Anjali Ra
Natural Harmony? – Daniel Simpson
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat does it mean to be well in yogic terms? How far does this involve integration with natural surroundings? 🌳Many early teachings prioritise the opposite, promoting withdrawal and inward focus, while the goal in the best-known text – Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra – is to disengage completely from material things.Th
Shall All Be Well? – Hannah Lucas
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat can we learn from a medieval hermit about how to live? A surprising amount perhaps. Julian of Norwich is the author of the oldest surviving book by a woman in English – her Revelations of Divine Love provides a fascinating guide to what it means to be well despite experiencing suffering.Hannah Lucas is a
Evolving Traditions – Richard Davis
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comTo what extent has yoga been influenced by socio-political forces, or competition for resources between different groups? Does understanding historical context help to make sense of teachings? What might we learn from the past that’s still relevant today?Richard Davis is an emeritus professor of religion at Ba
Moulding Minds – Jessica Frazier
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat does it mean to have mental plasticity? ♳Unless the mind is to some extent controlled, it controls our experience. This axiom of yoga philosophy has helpful applications in everyday life – from avoiding being triggered by politics to making wise choices.Jessica Frazier is a lecturer at Oxford University,
Harm Reduction – JS Rafaeli
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat might the world look like if heroin was provided on prescription at local pharmacies? 💉This is not a thought experiment. It used to be the basis of a policy that experts call the “British System” – in the early 1960s in London, the biggest dealer of drugs was Boots the Chemists.JS Rafaeli is the author of
Embracing Uncertainty – Daniel Simpson
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comTo what extent is knowledge an obstacle? Is ignorance bliss? 🤔Although it can be helpful to admit to not knowing, it rarely feels comfortable. I’ve been reflecting on that recently while working on some writing about yoga and politics, and it’s also a theme on my year-long course, The Path of Knowledge.This po
Awake Like Blake – Mark Vernon
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWere the all-embracing visions of William Blake shaped by Indian philosophy? 🪷A new book by Mark Vernon explores what inspired Blake alongside his influence. Although he died 200 years ago, he was a prophet for our times, perceiving the spirit of some of the issues we're still grappling with – from rapid techn
Sacred Geography – Yeshe Palmo
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat does it mean to inhabit a world that’s alive with deities, which might be less like gods than enlightened aspects of the mind? How could that influence how we relate to ourselves, to each other and to our surroundings?Yeshe Palmo has practised tantric Buddhism for roughly four decades, inspired by an empo
Nature Spirits – Sushma Jansari
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat inspired the creation of Indian sacred images? They played no part in early Vedic rituals, in which priests made offerings into a fire, asking gods for reciprocal blessings. Others did something similar with embodiments of nature, whose spirits – called yakṣas and yakṣīs – were sculpted in earthenware and
Psychedelic Yoga? – Stuart Sarbacker
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comDo yogic practices and psychoactive substances lead somewhere similar? Stuart Sarbacker is a scholar and practitioner of yoga based in Oregon, where adult use of psilocybin – the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms – was recently legalised (though some places opt out).As well as studying and teaching yo
Identity Crises – Michael Holden
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comLife can be both physically and mentally fragile – as Michael Holden explores with candid humour. His most recent book, The Reluctant Carer, describes moving in with his ailing parents, and trying to look after them while navigating multiple personal setbacks.One of these – not featured in the book – involved
Spiritual Cannabliss? – Karan Madhok
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat makes it holy to get really stoned? This is an unavoidable question in India, where smoking cannabis is banned but done by dreadlocked devotees. Meanwhile, weed smoothies are frequently drunk at religious festivals.The writer Karan Madhok investigates this paradox – along with many others – in his new boo
Yoga for Adults – Paul Bramadat
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat if the most important yogic posture was curiosity? That’s how Paul Bramadat, a scholar and practitioner, approaches research on a personal passion. He describes his new book Yogalands as “a skeptical but devoted insider’s perspective” on postural yoga and its place in the world.As we discuss, this involve
The Rest is Poetry – Lindsey Hilsum
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comAre there limits to what can be said in factual prose? Might poets sometimes do a better job of conveying deeper meaning and emotional truth? Lindsey Hilsum has reported on conflicts for more than 30 years. Her latest book, I Brought the War with Me, juxtaposes poetry with frontline experiences.Our conversatio
Political Yoga – Sunila Kalé and Christian Lee Novetzke
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comHow closely connected are yoga and politics? Many people today try to keep them apart, but an ancient tradition sees yoga as politics. Although its theories might be distinct from yogic philosophies and mind-body disciplines, they’re nonetheless part of a broader understanding of what yoga means.A new book cal
Historical Prediction – Michelle Pfeffer
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comHow do people cope with uncertainty? What differentiates ways of predicting the future from scientific study of patterns – be that in epidemiology or forecasting weather? Might techniques of divination reveal as much about the past and the present as what happens next?Michelle Pfeffer (formerly Aroney) is a hi
Catastrophe Ethics – Travis Rieder
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comHow can we address global problems – such as catastrophic climate change – when individual actions make very little difference? What’s the right thing to do when there aren’t easy answers? Is it wrong to do nothing? Is everything relative, or are there better ways to think about solutions?As Travis Rieder writ
Who Am I? – Robert Rowland Smith
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat does it mean to be human, and how can one access one’s innermost self? Robert Rowland Smith writes popular books about practical philosophy, including a memoir that discusses what he’s learned from his relationships – as well as a career as an Oxford don, a strategic adviser and a personal coach, among ot
Slowing Down – Elliot Cohen
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com"What are we doing wrong that requires us all to be so resilient so often?” That’s the basic question that frames a new book by Elliot Cohen. The Psychology of Slow Living investigates ways to avoid being frazzled by a culture of urgency fuelled by quests for instant gratification via digital technology and ov
Why History Matters – Philipp Maas
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comN.B. for more on this topic, see this article.What if the text known as the Yoga Sūtra never existed – at least not to start with? Philipp Maas is a scholar of Patañjali’s yoga, whose work suggests its teachings were originally transmitted as part of a larger philosophical text with explanations.We discuss how
Lost in Translation – Dorothy Figueira
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat do Heinrich Himmler and Mohandas Gandhi have in common? Both were inspired by the Bhagavad Gītā. As Dorothy Figueira explains, what they found in it were mental projections. So Gandhi saw promotion of non-violence, while Himmler thought it justified killing for an avatar of God called Adolf Hitler.These i
Disaster Nationalism – Richard Seymour
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comA shift in focus for the podcast this week to discuss a new book by Richard Seymour. Subtitled “The Downfall of Liberal Civilization”, Disaster Nationalism investigates “a struggle for our collective soul”, along with the psychology of far-right movements.As Richard warns, these can take many forms – including
Life and Breath – Isabel Tew
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comIs prāṇāyāma the same thing as breath-work? Both labels are commonly used to teach similar techniques. They’re also increasingly hard to distinguish, because of ongoing changes in methods and objectives. This conversation with Isabel Tew examines the overlaps as well as distinctions between modern systems.Isab
Yogic Flashbacks – Daniel Simpson
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comThis is a different sort of podcast, featuring interviews I did half my life ago. I originally planned to make a radio documentary, but the audio wound up on MiniDiscs gathering dust.In 2001, I was a foreign correspondent searching for answers. I hoped I might find some in India at the world’s biggest gatherin
From Me to We – Thomas Legrand
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat might it look like to live in a world that combines ancient wisdom with newer ideas about sustainable development? In his recent book Politics of Being, the social scientist Thomas Legrand explores the potential for shifts in perspective that could help us to face converging challenges.At the heart of his
Dark Sides of Light – Mariana Alessandri
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhy is “light” used as a metaphor for “good”, while “dark” means “bad”? How does that blind us and what might we do about it? As Mariana Alessandri writes in Night Vision, difficult feelings such as anger, sorrow, grief, depression and anxiety can be sources of knowledge, so we need to embrace them as part of
Gurus Go West – Mick Brown
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comHow did Westerners first get involved with Eastern teachers, and is the age of the guru now over? In his latest book, The Nirvana Express, Mick Brown presents a colourful cast of seekers, writers, mystics, tricksters and chancers – he reveals people’s flaws without obscuring the sincerity of spiritual quests.A
Recovery Dharma – Matthew Hahn
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comHow does someone heal an addictive mind? Matthew Hahn is a co-founder of Recovery Dharma, which uses Buddhist methods to overcome addictions. He also contributes to the Boundless Freedom Project, teaching mindfulness, ethics and compassion to people in prison and on their return to the outside world.Our conver
Asian Inspiration – Chris Harding
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat can we learn from over 2,000 years of fascination with the East? Chris Harding explores this question in The Light of Asia – a book that shares its title with a poem about the Buddha from the nineteenth century. His focus is on characters whose personal engagement with Asian traditions shaped Western perc
Union or Duality? – Zoë Slatoff
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comDoes yoga really mean union? As Zoë Slatoff explains in this fascinating chat about philosophy and Sanskrit, the simplest answer is probably “sometimes”…Zoë’s PhD explores how yoga became entangled with non-dual Vedānta, blurring distinctions between the two systems. One important catalyst was the popularity o
Into the Unknown – Kamalashila
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWho are we really, beyond our ideas about ourselves and the world? After more than half a century as a Buddhist practitioner, Kamalashila (Anthony Matthews) reflects on his life and impending death – he was recently told he had four months to live.As he wrote back in April: “What is happening to me happens to
Higher Truths – Hari-kirtana das
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat makes people wary of getting immersed in the Bhagavad Gītā? To start with, it’s set in a war zone, where God issues edicts to kill and upholds social hierarchy. Yet its message is also inspiring, making yoga compatible with everyday life, and developing a loving awareness that sees all beings equally.This
Timeless Tongues – Suhas Mahesh
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat makes for good translations from an old language? For Suhas Mahesh and Anusha Rao – co-editors of How to Love in Sanskrit – it's “a game of compromise”. Rather than fixating on “excessive attention to irrelevant detail”, they focus instead on making words come alive. So a female lament from 2,000 years ag
Sacred Values – Elizabeth Oldfield
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhich qualities might help us to thrive In a turbulent world? For Elizabeth Oldfield – who hosts a podcast called The Sacred – the key is to prioritise values that bring us together and strengthen relationships."I want to be growing into faith, hope and love – not out of them," she explains in this discussion
Becoming Immortal – Jason Birch
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat was haṭha yoga before it meant postures?As the scholar Jason Birch explains, medieval yogis used a three-part sequence of physical methods to raise vital energy and empty their minds (video here). Their ultimate goal was transcendence of death.Our conversation discusses Jason’s book, The Amaraugha and Ama
Aligned with Life – Amy Landry
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat does it mean to “study” yoga, rather than “practise”? The two aren’t mutually exclusive, explains Amy Landry, who’s hosting a series of online discussions on how to combine them. The Study Yoga summit runs live from April 29 to May 3, with replays available. There are more than a dozen contributors – one
Who Are We? – Francesca Ferrando
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhen John Donne wrote “no man is an island”, his alternative was to be “involved in mankind”. Francesca Ferrando has broader ideas. As a philosopher and “leading voice in the field of posthuman studies”, Francesca's aim is to get us to think in terms of life.The Art of Being Posthuman – Francesca's new book –
Compassion in Action – Panel Discussion
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comA different sort of podcast this week – the recording of a panel at the Oxford Literary Festival. The topic is "Religion and Animal Welfare", based on a book by the former chief executive in Compassion in World Farming, Joyce D’Silva.I shared some yogic perspectives on non-harming, speaking between Amir Khan –
Collective Detox – Matthew Green
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comYoga philosophy deals with three kinds of pain. These relate to ourselves, to how we interact with others, and to powerful forces beyond our control. This podcast engages with all of them, and highlights communal approaches to healing.Matthew Green works as an editor for DeSmog, an investigative website. He al
Heartfulness – Oren Jay Sofer
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat’s love got to do with a world in crisis? Everything, says Oren Jay Sofer in his new book, Your Heart Was Made for This. No matter how overwhelming things might seem, we can cultivate capacities that help us to respond with sensitivity and strength.Oren teaches Buddhist meditation, mindfulness and communic
Beyond Burnout – Anna Schaffner
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhy do so many of us feel so exhausted these days? What can we do to avoid burning out, or to help us recover? Anna Schaffner is a scholar-turned-coach, whose new book is Exhausted: An A-Z for the Weary. It offers timeless inspiration, noting “we still have much to learn from the ancients, and from other cultu
Teaching Accessibly – Jivana Heyman
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat does it mean to make yoga accessible? Jivana Heyman first used the term when he started to train disabled teachers. But its significance is broader, pointing students towards something subtler – their own true nature beyond mind and body.As Jivana explains in his latest book, The Teacher’s Guide to Access
Dharmic Drama – Miriam Fernandes
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat can we learn from an ancient text about war and peace, among the many other topics in the Mahābhārata? Or as a new adaptation puts it: “In times of division, how do we find wholeness? Are we destined to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors? And how can we build a new world when we have nearly destroyed th
Relational Yoga – Ranju Roy + Dave Charlton
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comHow do we relate to the problem of suffering? Does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body (to quote Still Ill by The Smiths)? Are there ways to get more comfortably entangled, or is the answer to renounce all attachments?Ranju Roy and Dave Charlton have been practising yoga since the 1980s, and
Why Study Yoga? – Graham Burns
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat are the benefits of studying yoga academically? Is critical thinking a practical obstacle? Are the two ways of seeing complementary? Expanding on a recent essay, I talk about these questions – among many others – with Graham Burns.Graham has been teaching yoga for more than 20 years. He holds a PhD from S
Yoga Beyond Poses – Mary Richards
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat might yoga look like if it we weren't making shapes? As Mary Richards explains in Teach People, Not Poses, the purpose of practice is self-inquiry, so one way to start is by getting more familiar with physical form, instead of contorting to follow instructions.Mary’s approach is down-to-earth, yet shaped
Doing Less Harm – Christopher Miller
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comYogic traditions often highlight non-harming (ahiṃsā), but to what extent is harm an inevitable part of worldly life? Is it more realistic to try to reduce it, or is anything short of removing it part of the problem? There are few easy answers…Christopher Miller is a scholar and practitioner. He’s co-founder o
Yoga and Psychology – Isabel Dziobek
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat might yoga philosophy look like if it was shaped by contemporary science? How compatible are cognitive therapies with traditional ideas about alleviating suffering?Isabel Dziobek is a professor of psychology at the Humboldt University of Berlin, and she’s also a yoga teacher. As we discuss, there are no e
A Pilgrim's Progress – Ranju Roy
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat’s the purpose of yoga and where does it lead? 🤔In his forthcoming book, Ranju Roy compares the process of practice to going on a pilgrimage. The journey spirals inwards and outwards, from deep contemplation to communal gatherings, and goals are less important than walking the path.The book includes Ranju’
Yoga for Life – Alex Medin
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat does it mean to live a yogic life in the twenty-first century? Alex Medin runs Nøsen, a Norwegian retreat centre, which hosts an annual yoga festival, and is part of a programme that rehabilitates former prisoners and drug addicts.Alex doesn’t do things by halves. He’s studied yoga and Sanskrit academical
Ecstatic Integration – Jules Evans
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat helps people to cope with traumatic events that can sometimes accompany altered states? Jules Evans researches this question for the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project. He’s also the author of books about Stoic philosophy, ecstatic transcendence and strategies for navigating “spiritual emergency”
Method or Madness? – Ade Belcham
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comAde Belcham used to think it was obvious that yoga was good for him – until he got a hip replacement in his early 50s. That made him ask some searching questions, which he explored in a recent article for Spectrum, the British Wheel of Yoga magazine.For the previous two decades, Ade was a devoted Ashtanga prac
Embracing Adversity – Peter Sterios
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comPeter Sterios, who founded the yoga mat company Manduka, keeps learning the lesson of how to let go. He’s had to do that repeatedly – from selling his business to picking up the pieces when his teacher dismissed him. After 20 years of studying with Shandor Remete, the charismatic creator of Shadow Yoga, he was
Healing the Past – Dean Yates
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat helps someone heal from traumatic experiences? How important is community support? Why might it be unhelpful to say “it wasn’t your fault”? Can a “bruise on the soul” be more difficult to treat than a physical wound?Dean Yates is the author of Line in the Sand, a courageous account of “a life-changing jou
The Limits to Yoga – Carol Horton
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comHow far can yoga heal “a deeply troubled society”? When Carol Horton published these words in 2012, she was optimistic, becoming immersed in “yoga service”. But her experiences have left her more sceptical.As we explore in this wide-ranging chat, yoga can still be a helpful resource, but the extent to which it
Philosophy by Numbers – Richard Rosen
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comIt’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 t
How Healing is Yoga? – Daniel Simpson
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comInstead 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
Is This Yoga? – Anya Foxen + Christa Kuberry
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comCan 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 sin
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