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Daniel Simpson

Timeless wisdom for modern dilemmas, combining yoga philosophy, practical insight and critical thinking. Hosted by Daniel Simpson. 

ancientfutures.substack.com

Ancient Futures

What 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 author of The Book of Dharma – subtitled “Making Enlightened Choices” – and Yoga and the Dark Night of the Soul, which draws on ideas from the Bhagavad Gītā. He’s also spoken on these topics at the United Nations, and offers a wide range of workshops and seminars.

Together, we discuss what he calls the Dharma Code, a framework of principles informing wise conduct. These overlap with ethical precepts, and help people fulfil their potential. We nonetheless reflect on drawbacks to expecting any system to have all the answers, since it's helpful to find one’s own way.

Although Simon is adept at making subjects accessible, he is also a scholar with an Oxford PhD – you can find out more about his research here.

🔎 For yogic perspectives on wisdom, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com

🙏 Donations make this podcast sustainable – please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... Your support is greatly appreciated!
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

Enlightened Choices – Simon Haas

What 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 Borkataky-Varma and Anya Foxen are co-authors of The Serpent’s Tale, subtitled “Kuṇḍalinī, Yoga and the History of an Experience.” Both are scholars as well as practitioners – of Tantra (Sravana) and yoga (Anya) – and their research combines historical analysis with people’s experiences.

Together, we explore why it can be hard to differentiate the physical from the psychological and the spiritual. We also ask if there are limits to what Kuṇḍalinī stands for and reflect on the challenges involved in defining them. In the process, we consider why reports of Kuṇḍalinī awakenings are increasingly common.

Although The Serpent’s Tale is an academic book, it’s an engaging guide to some fascinating characters – along with cultural overlaps between East and West that explain the evolution of Kuṇḍalinī narratives over the centuries. As we discuss, the most famous of these is the story of Gopi Krishna.

🧘‍♂️ To explore the evolution of yogic traditions, join me online at truthofyoga.com

🙏 Donations make this podcast sustainable – please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... Your support is greatly appreciated!
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

Kuṇḍalinī Experiences – Sravana Borkataky-Varma + Anya Foxen

What 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 Jessica Böhme, PhD. Jes is the founder and director of the Institute for Practical ekoPhilosophy, “a post-disciplinary research and education institute dedicated to cultivating wisdom as a way of life for personal and planetary transformation.”

She also writes wild:philosophy, a weekly Substack newsletter that offers “no easy answers, only better questions”, and runs a monthly PhilosophyGym, where people can “stretch their thinking” and “stay supple with uncertainty”. We consider how these qualities cultivate agency, and how that translates to effective activism.

Jes describes her priorities as “personal development in service of the whole”, and encourages people to think about life as a laboratory. Some of her experiments are listed here, including wearing one outfit for over a year. The point is not to find a magic answer, she says, but to be open to exploration.

🔎 For yogic perspectives on wisdom, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com

🙏 Donations make this podcast sustainable – please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... Your support is greatly appreciated!
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

Practical Wisdom – Jessica Böhme

What 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 Prāṇāyāma in Early Modern Yoga. Her research explores the reinterpretation of breath-based techniques in light of ideas from Western occultism, fitness and science, as well as Hindu reform movements and nationalist responses to colonial rule.

Our conversation explores how these currents inspired new approaches – from the origins of “deep” and “rhythmic” breathing to reinvented metaphors for teachings that date back to the early Upaniṣads and beyond. As a result, we chart the many continuities that coexist with change.

Before her PhD work on prāṇāyāma, Lena’s focus was dance and music, which she now teaches – alongside religion – to early years educators. You can find out more about her research here. She also mentioned Karl Baier (who posts work here), and Anya Foxen (whom I interviewed here).

🧘‍♂️ To explore the evolution of practices, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com

🙏 Donations make this podcast sustainable – please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... Your support is greatly appreciated!
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

Breath Cultivation – Lena Kraler

﻿What 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 accompanying book – titled Tradecraft: Writers on John le Carré – explores their experiences. Reflecting on her trip with the author to Congo, Michela Wrong sheds light on the collaborative process, while demystifying complex subjects such as the malevolent role of Rwanda in fomenting conflict.

Michela is an Africa specialist, whose books tell engaging stories for the general reader. However, as we discuss, the most compelling non-fiction rarely matches the reach of a bestselling novel. We nonetheless reflect on the importance of reporting, and the damaging impact of scaling it back on our shared understanding.

I’ve long been a fan of how le Carré – a.k.a. David Cornwell – laced his plots with psychological drama and moral ambiguity as people struggle to do the right thing. This has a few parallels with epic yoga narratives. Our conversation mostly covers worldly matters, but we also talk about the workings of human delusions.

Finally, for non-UK listeners, here’s some context on Mr Bates vs the Post Office.

🔎 To investigate truth from a yogic perspective, join me online at truthofyoga.com.

🙏 Donations make this podcast sustainable – please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... Your support is greatly appreciated!
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

Le Carré in Action – Michela Wrong

What 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 its potential in her new book, Into Being, which cites many writers including herself – Lily’s last book, Sins of My Father, describes her enchantment with an absent parent, who joined the Rajneeshees and later drank himself to death.

Examining this tangled relationship revealed her father’s narcissistic avoidance of responsibility. This was common in communes, with painful effects on the children raised there – sex with minors was widespread, as Lily noted in an article that brought her into contact with survivors of abuse.

One was Maroesja Perizonius, a Dutch director with whom Lily worked to develop a film titled Children of the Cult – available here if you’re in the UK, with a trailer here. Their stories were ignored by the Netflix series, Wild Wild Country, which focused instead on other cult transgressions, such as bioterrorism.

Our conversation explores all these topics, along with some practical guidance on writing, and the value of external help – from editors, mentors and therapists – in reducing the risk of self-deception. In the process, we consider what distinguishes creative non-fiction from making things up.

🧘‍♂️ For a modern take on yogic traditions, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com

🙏 Donations make this podcast sustainable – please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... Your support is greatly appreciated!
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

Transformative Stories – Lily Dunn

What 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 Barbora Sojkova are the co-editors of a new book titled Yoga Studies in Five Minutes, presenting short summaries of scholarly knowledge from a burgeoning field. Each of its chapters – written by specialists – answers frequently asked questions, such as “what is samādhi?” and “is yoga a religion?”

Our conversation explores how the book came together, asks if it caters both to academic readers and curious practitioners, and considers why context and critical thinking are important. We also talk about some common misconceptions, while reflecting on limits to what can be known – or at least articulated.

If you’re in the UK, there’s an in-person book launch on November 5 at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. Theo and Barbora are also preparing a round-table about scholarship and practice for the Yoga Darśana Yoga Sādhana conference in Paris next May. In the meantime, recordings of this year’s event are available here.

🙋‍♂️ To explore yogic wisdom from multiple angles, join me for The Path of Knowledge.

🙏 Donations make this podcast sustainable – please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... Your support is greatly appreciated!
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

Studying Yoga – Theo Wildcroft + Barbora Sojkova

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com

What 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 Rao is the author of Yoga as Embodied Resistance: A Feminist Lens on Caste, Gender, and Sacred Resilience in Yoga History. Our conversation explores hidden links between gender and caste, and the impact of colonialism on social hierarchies. We also discuss inspiring stories of radical females whom Anjali highlights.

Her overall aim is to encourage practitioners to think about ways to expand their perspectives, presenting yoga as an activist path to collective liberation. Her book is published on October 14, and available for pre-order now. She’s also hosting a reading group to talk about ways of dismantling oppression and developing agency.

👀 To integrate multiple perspectives on yoga, join me for The Path of Knowledge.

🙏 Donations make this podcast sustainable – please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... Your support is greatly appreciated!

Embodied Resistance – Anjali Rao

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com

What 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.

This podcast includes a talk I presented this summer at a British Wheel of Yoga event, whose themes were harmony, nature, community and wellbeing (slides available here). I was asked to present some historical context, which sparked conversations about how to reframe things for modern practitioners.

That’s basically the focus of my year-long course, The Path of Knowledge, which starts soon. We explore how yoga evolved from its earliest history to contemporary developments, and reflect on what keeps teachings relevant as well as connected to earlier traditions, while also developing critical thinking skills. Our international group meets on alternate Sundays – find out more and join us here.

🎓 For more courses on yogic wisdom – as well as free talks – visit truthofyoga.com.

🙏 Donations make this podcast sustainable – please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... Your support is greatly appreciated!

Natural Harmony? – Daniel Simpson

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com

What 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 scholar of Julian’s work, among other medieval contemplative literature. She explores the entanglement of illness and insight in her recent book Impossible Recovery: Julian of Norwich and the Phenomenology of Well-Being, including what Julian meant by saying “all shall be well” and “we are all one in love”.

Our conversation considers some parallels between Christian mystics and Indian traditions – particularly yoga, which Hannah also teaches. One dimension of this involves facing the world as it is instead of wishing it were otherwise, which has broad implications for everyday life, as we discuss.

See here for an introductory blog about Hannah’s book. She is the Newby Trust Research Fellow in English at Newnham College, University of Cambridge. From October, she will be an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow based at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and the Technical University Berlin.

🙋‍♂️ To explore the evolution of yogic traditions, join me for The Path of Knowledge.

🧘‍♀️ I’m also running a retreat that draws on highlights from the course (Sep 25-28).

🙏 Donations make this podcast sustainable – please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... Your support is greatly appreciated!

Embodied Resistance – Anjali Rao

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