Join me online (Apr 29 – May 26) to get immersed in the Upanishads, exploring foundations of yoga philosophy as well as the earliest frameworks for practice. This engaging course relates timeless wisdom to modern priorities. Over four modules, we'll cover a selection of early Upanishads, tracing key themes in a series of videos. We’ll also look at links between the Vedas and Upanishads, as well as their influence on later traditions. Each module combines live discussion with pre-recorded lectures. You can also ask questions at any time via the course website.
Join me for an online immersion in the Hatha Pradipika (16 hours of teaching, study on demand). The course explores connections between modern yoga and early traditions of physical practice, in which postures are merely a warm-up for subtler techniques. These steady the mind by raising various forms of energy. Over four modules, we’ll read the whole text, as well as looking at others that sparked its ideas. The format is clear and engaging, including recordings of live Q&As and video lectures using slides and other visual aids. Sign up now to start today!
Calling all men – come and get empowered to share more of who you are by joining a supportive international community. Hosted on Zoom by Daniel Simpson and Matthew Green, this monthly men’s group explores what's going on for us at a deeper level, encouraging us all to get in touch with what matters. Each session has a theme, blending small group discussions with practical insights. We meet on Sundays for 90 minutes (from 7:00 – 8:00 pm, UK time), and our next session is on January 21, 2024.
Calling all men – come and get empowered to find deeper fulfilment in your relationships! Join Daniel Simpson and Matthew Green for a four-week immersion (November 5-26, 2023), in which we’ll explore how this process starts by improving our relationship with ourselves. We’ll develop our capacity to speak authentically, listen more deeply, and draw clear boundaries without shutting down. In the process, we’ll enhance our skills for relational life, whether that’s with a partner or anyone else. We meet online and there’ll be practical “homework” between live sessions.
Join me online for a four-week immersion in the Bhagavad Gita (Sep 25 – Oct 22, 2023). It's a text with a timeless message about social engagement, and it explains how to find peace of mind by serving others. One can live in the world and attain liberation – a goal that speaks directly to modern practitioners, in contrast to the more ascetic aims of other texts, such as the Yoga Sutra. The course format is engaging and clear, without oversimplifying. Together, we’ll explore the whole text through a mix of live discussions and pre-recorded videos. Join us today!
Calling all Iyengar yoga teachers... and anyone else who might be interested! I'm running a six-part course on philosophy for the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Los Angeles, helping teachers to prepare for assessments. We will focus in particular on the Yoga Sutra and the Bhagavad Gita, but also look more broadly at yogic traditions. All sessions are conducted on Zoom, and they’re open to anyone anywhere. They're held on Saturdays at 9.00 am Pacific time, which is 5.00 pm in the UK and 6.00 pm in most of continental Europe. The dates are August 5 and 12, September 9 and 16 and October 7 and 14. You can find out more about the syllabus here, where you can also book.
Join me to explore why we still study the Yoga Sutra. Unlike most classes today, Patanjali's text doesn't teach sequenced postures, and its goal involves renouncing the world. So why is it so influential? This free talk with online Q&A presents some suggestions – with particular focus on asana. It was recorded on May 23, and is now archived on YouTube. If you’d like to dive deep into the Yoga Sutra, join me for an online course at truthofyoga.com. It runs live from June 5 to July 2 (2023), and will later be available on demand.
Join me online for an in-depth guide to the Yoga Sutra. Together, we’ll explore why yoga doesn’t always mean union, why Patanjali’s system has more than “eight limbs”, and why its overall objectives are often quite different to modern priorities. Together we'll read the full text, with reference to commentaries that help to explain its traditional meaning. You can study on demand, so you set your own pace. Each module has a series of videos, including recorded Q&As, and you can ask questions at any time via the website. The approach is insightful and fun without dumbing down.
Join me "in L.A." (via Zoom) to discuss the Upanishads! We'll be drawing inspiration from the oldest texts that talk about yoga and freedom from suffering. Among other questions, we'll be asking "Who am I really?" as well as "What is my purpose?" and "How might philosophy guide me?" This interactive workshop brings philosophy to life – there will be plenty of time to ask questions, and the focus is on practical insights with everyday relevance. It’s hosted by the L.A. Iyengar Yoga Institute on Saturday, April 29 (11.30 am - 1.30 pm Pacific Time, which is 7.30 - 9.30pm in the UK).
How far can yoga be stretched before becoming else? Join me on Sundays in March for a four-week immersion in contemporary history. Together, we’ll explore (among other topics): how postures came to predominate; when the goal became health and wellness; why all approaches to yoga get merged into “union”; what it means to be authentic in the 21st century. As a result, we’ll build a bridge between the past and the future, charting ways to stay connected to tradition while continuing to innovate. The course runs live via Embodied Philosophy. Find out more here.
This course is a comprehensive guide to contemporary yoga and its origins. Whether you’re a teacher, a curious practitioner or just interested in history, it’s an overview of all the most important themes with lots of fascinating details. We explore where postures come from, the role of female practitioners and other topics from politics to science. The course runs for almost two months, and it’s available to study on-demand, with an online forum for asking questions at any time. There are also some live Q&As on Zoom. You can find out more and sign up here.
Join our transformative men’s group to explore what really matters to you, and how to turn that into action. Our supportive community will help you get clearer about what you want and start making it happen. Find out what’s holding you back and begin to let go of unhelpful patterns. We often try to do this alone, but it’s easier with others. In this four-week immersion, you’ll discover the power of collective intention, empowering you to find your own way to whatever inspires you. We meet online from October 2 - 23, 2022. Tune in and commit!
Join me in June for an engaging guide to the Bhagavad Gita! It teaches yoga as a way to act wisely in everyday life, and unlike many other yogic texts, it says there's nothing to renounce except self-centred thinking. Over four weekly sessions, we'll look at key verses and discuss them together. Among other topics, we'll examine what it means to live life as an offering, reflect on definitions of social justice, and see why the divine that exists in all beings inspires ethical conduct. The format of the course is accessible and fun. Participate in person, online or via replay.
Join me for an hour-long talk on the Bhagavad Gita’s innovations (recorded on Wednesday, October 27, 2021). Unlike other early yogic texts, which promote renunciation, the Gita’s focus is worldly activity. It combines the philosophy of earlier Upanishads with devotional religion, providing seeds of inspiration for the later evolution of physical yoga. The talk was hosted online by Yoga Alliance, and accessible to anyone. The recording is also on YouTube. For a deeper exploration of the Gita’s ideas, an online course is available here.
Here’s the recording of a recent talk about pranayama. It was streamed online (on Tuesday, July 6) and includes Q&A. Here’s a brief introduction: “For much of the history of yoga, control of the breath was the main technique of physical practice. This talk will explore its development – from ascetic and Vedic origins to complex tools for transforming the body and dissolving the mind.” The event was hosted by Yoga Alliance, and was open to non-members. A recording is also archived at yourya.org/events, with a PDF of quotes used in slides.
Join me online for a 12-hour course to accompany my book, The Truth of Yoga. It's an overview of yoga's evolution in four modules, from the earliest history to modern debates about authenticity. The format combines group discussion with video lectures, and the style is engaging without oversimplifying. If you've ever felt confused about yoga philosophy, this course is for you. And even if you've studied for years, you'll still find something new – an accessible guide to the latest research, and a comprehensive overview of how today's yoga relates to the past.
The Truth of Yoga provides a clear and accessible overview of yoga’s evolution. The book’s concise and engaging chapters describe key themes that have influenced practices over the centuries. Accompanying online courses go a step further, diving deeply into yogic texts – such as the Yoga Sūtra and Bhagavad Gītā – to present what they teach in an interactive format. They‘re light-hearted and fun, and they offer a mixture of scholarly knowledge and traditional wisdom. You can find out more – and enrol today – at: http://truthofyoga.com
Join me for a series of online classes discussing Yoga Beyond Postures – hosted by the 92nd Street Y in New York. Today, the word "yoga" is often used as a synonym for physical contortions. Yet for most of its history, the practice was different. It involved sitting still and refining awareness, and its goal was to free us from suffering. Over three weekly sessions, we will explore what this means in accessible ways, examining insights from yoga philosophy, and investigating how to embody them. The course is inspired by my newly published book, The Truth of Yoga.
How do we interpret traditional texts in the twenty-first century? Priorities have changed since the earliest yogis renounced worldly life. Which teachings still speak to us clearly across the millennia, and how do they relate to the way we live now? This online workshop (Saturday, February 13) explores ideas from The Truth of Yoga, which is an accessible guide to the history of yoga, examining links between philosophy and practice. Drawing inspiration from ancient ideas, we will reflect on what it means to find freedom from suffering in everyday life.
It can feel daunting to study alone. We often have books that we’d like to explore, but don’t find time to sit and read. And even if we do, they might spark questions we struggle to answer. It helps to discuss ideas with someone else who offers structure and support. Whatever your priorities — from reading a text to a broader inquiry on how modern practice relates to tradition — we’ll focus clearly on your goals, devising a plan that helps achieve them. Online and in person (location permitting).
