Yoga

One of these misconceptions is that Tantra is only about 1000 years old and that it has very little to do with the much older yogic tradition. From the emic perspective presented here, however, we have learned that Tantra may be the root source of all the yogic paths and philosophies that evolved from a rich oral tradition within Shaivism and outside Vedic society at the dawn of Indian civilization.

I’m not convinced my yoga is better than your yoga because I am not in your body or your life or your circumstances or family constellation. I do not know where you come from or what makes you tick. I do not know what your body “needs”.

Ava Taylor, Founder of YAMA Talent, is a tenacious entrepreneur & avid yogi.

Daniel Simpson is the author of The Truth of Yoga, an accessible guide to yoga history and philosophy. This episode was previously recorded as part of the Future of the Yoga Teacher Summit and is being republished for its depth and relevance.

Nikki Myers is the founder of The Yoga of 12-Step Recovery. Based in its theme, “the issues live in the tissues,” Y12SR is a relapse prevention program that weaves the art & science of yoga with the practical tools of 12-step programs.

The Oxford Dictionary defines passion as a strong and barely controllable emotion. Many so-called positive emotions fit that bill. So what happens if we experiment with touching sorrow in times when we feel the most euphoric of highs? Cultivating the opposite in all situations, even in times of elation, prepares us for the inevitability that we will at some point feel the lowest of lows. 

Turning fifty, with its sea waves of hormonal change, brings much new information to the mind. You can feel some brittleness emerge and the pliancy of the joints realign. You are (or, I am) less interested in the farthest and deepest reaches of a pose, for example, but rather in the intricacies of the steps of the subtler body on the way there—on the way anywhere. 

Edwin Bryant is the professor of Hinduism at Rutgers University. He has published eight books, and authored a number of articles on the earliest origins of the Vedic culture, yoga philosophy, and the Krishna tradition.