Join me for two events in London (on April 9 and 10) exploring “Pole Yoga”. Better known as mallakhamb, this Indian discipline was used by wrestlers to cultivate strength and flexibility. To what extent do yoga and wrestling overlap? As we’ll discuss, techniques such as sun salutations probably came from a similar place. Both events explore a new film called The Wrestler’s Cane by Philippa Frisby, which highlights the work of Uday Deshpande, who’ll also be attending – and if you want to try “pole yoga” yourself, he’s offering workshops while he’s in London…
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.
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.
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!
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.”
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."
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.”
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.”
A wide-ranging interview about the origins of yoga and how it developed, people’s search for meaning, finding one’s way by taking wrong turns, and why getting slaphead stoned didn't get me enlightened. As broadcast on the SenseSpace podcast (March 23, 2020). The show notes call it “a conversational journey with the eccentric and insightful Daniel Simpson through hash smoking Indian yogis, the history of meditation, 'woo woo', 'McMindfulness', Tantra and Spiritual Bypass,” as well as “the importance of embodied acceptance.”
Alan Wallace has reacted to my essay on Buddhist meditation and cognitive sciences. We exchanged a few emails, archived here. As the essay noted: "To Wallace’s frustration, science dismisses 'nonphysical influences in organic evolution or in human affairs,' despite having 'no technology that can detect the presence or absence of any kind of consciousness, for scientists do not even know what exactly is to be measured.' His critique is sound but he makes few suggestions (apart from endorsing meditation)..."
