Radio Eka

Garima Gupta Kapila is the founder and head of the Swasth Yog Institute. She was part of the core Leadership team for Teach For India (TFI) from its start-up years, and a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. She graduated from IIT Delhi in 2005, with a B. Tech in Computer Science & Engineering.

Garima has completed Masters of Science in Yoga, post-graduate diploma in Yoga Therapy, is a Professional Certified Life Coach (PCC), Integral Somatic Experiencing practitioner and a Lown Scholar at the Harvard School of Public Health.

In this episode Garima talks about her journey, Yoga Therapy and her approach in applying yoga therapy at Swasth Yog Institute. 

Website: www.swasthyog.health

You can find the details of their upcoming workshops here: www.swasthyog.health/apply

This audio and video podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. We also organise daily meditation and yoga classes on zoom. 

Learn more on our website: www.ekameditation.com

You can download the eka app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app.

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ekameditation&hl=en_IN&gl=US 

IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eka-yoga-for-mental-health/id1490547025 

You can register here for free trial to our live zoom classes: https://eka.practicenow.us/ 

Follow us - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/

Chase Bossart is a Yoga teacher and a yoga therapist, and has been studying yoga for over three decades. And for the majority of that time he has studied with Guru TKV Desikachar, son of T. Krishnamacharya — who is often referred to as the Father of Modern Yoga. Altogether, he has spent more than 4 years in Chennai, India studying a wide range of yoga and yoga therapy topics with Mr. Desikachar and the teachers at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in the Viniyoga tradition. 

Chase spent six years at the Healing Yoga Foundation in San Francisco as Director of Education & Yoga Therapy. In 2013, he founded the Yoga Well Institute in Mill Valley, California, where he continues his mission of teaching yoga philosophy, yoga therapy and his insights on Eastern vs.Western models of health and disease.   In this episode, Chase discusses Yogic Anatomy and the approach of yoga for therapy. We especially loved his commentary on the Koshas.  

To learn more about the Yoga Well institute, please visit their website: https://www.yogawell.com 

Also if you are looking to deepen your practice, then look up their program - 'Deepen Your Yoga Program: A 300 hour Practitioner's Training' on the website. They can also be found on Instagram at: @yogawellinstitute  

This audio and video podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. We also organise daily meditation and yoga classes on zoom. Learn more on our website: www.ekameditation.com  You can download the eka app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app. 

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ekameditation&hl=en_IN&gl=US

IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eka-yoga-for-mental-health/id1490547025

You can register here for free trial to our live zoom classes: https://eka.practicenow.us/

Follow us - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/

Prasad Rangnekar is a Yoga educator based in Mumbai, India who’s been teaching Yoga over the last 26 years as a science of Mind, Body and Life transformation. A frail child, who was often in and out of hospitals, Prasad’s Yoga Asana journey started at the age of nine when his mother admitted him to a month long Yoga training to improve his health. He has had the blessing of studying under many accomplished Yogic masters but those who have left a deep impact on his life are Tatambari Avadhoot, Baba Bhola Nath, Nari Nath and his Satguru, Shri Swami Samartha Maharaj. He takes 4 months off every year for Mauna Sadhana (silent practice), to go deeper into silence, meditation and study. Prasad’s holistic approach to Yoga has helped thousands across the world in over 15 countries, and he has personally mentored over 200 Yoga teachers till date.  

In this episode, Prasad narrates his own experience with yoga and silence. He talks about yoga as a way to free ourselves of the various identities that we attach to ourselves, and that he says is the root cause of our anxiety. He emphasises the importance of consistent practice and in believing and staying on one's chosen path.  Prasad is the Founder-Director of  Yogaprasad Institute and conducts Yoga Teacher Trainings and Retreats to spread the wisdom of Yoga in its traditional form. 

This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. We also organise daily meditation and yoga classes on zoom. Learn more on our website: www.ekameditation.com

You can download the eka app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app.

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ekameditation&hl=en_IN&gl=US

IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eka-yoga-for-mental-health/id1490547025

You can register for a trial of our live classes on zoom here: https://eka.practicenow.us/

Follow us - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/

On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJmqURsdN0OiRdwDtXpNg4A

Marjorie Woollacott, an accomplished neuroscientist and a meditator for many decades, bridges for us the meditation and neuroscience worlds.  Starting with how the brain filters vast amounts of information, to how linear thinking on the left side of the brain suppresses expanded awareness on right side of brain, she helps us understand what the current neuroscience models explain about the experience of meditation. We also paint a vision of what could be the impact of meditation on the modern world. So if you’ve ever wondered about the impact of yoga on the brain, this is the conversation to tune into!   

Marjorie is an Emeritus Professor of Human Physiology, and member of the Institute of Neuroscience, at the University of Oregon in America. She is the  President of the Academy for the Advancement of Postmaterialist Sciences (AAPS) and the Research Director for the International Association of Near-Death Studies (IANDS). Marjorie received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Southern California, has published more than 200 scientific articles and written or co-edited eight books. Her most recent book- Infinite Awareness- has won several awards. This book beautifully combines her research as a neuroscientist with her insights and self-revelations about the mind’s spiritual power from decades of her meditation practice.

This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. We also organise daily meditation and yoga classes on zoom. Learn more on our website: www.ekameditation.com

You can download the eka app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app.

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ekameditation&hl=en_IN&gl=US

IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eka-yoga-for-mental-health/id1490547025

You can register for a trial of our live classes on zoom here: https://eka.practicenow.us/

Follow us - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/

On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJmqURsdN0OiRdwDtXpNg4A

Kamal Maliramani is the founder of Energizer yoga and has been practicing yoga for over 15 years. He began his journey looking to start meditation and was encouraged to begin with asana to establish stillness in the physical body. He studied in the traditions of Hatha, Iyengar, Ashtanga and later in Acro yoga. Along with Hatha Yoga Asanas, he conducts regular courses and workshops on Yoga Sutras to help people connect with the philosophy and take yoga beyond the mat into their daily lives. His mantra is add life to living – “People are living, but there’s no life, with Yoga we bring life to living” he says.  Kamal has given his gracious voice to the Hindi meditation audios on the Eka meditation app.  

Through this interaction we learnt Kamal's definition of awareness and how yoga is all about connecting with forces beyond the mat. His simple stories and easy narratives make the subject of awareness accessible and easy to understand. Awareness, he says, is the goal of all yoga practices and it helps us to see the interconnection between all things.  If you liked listening to Kamal, don't forget to subscribe to our channel.  

This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. 

Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. We also organise daily meditation and yoga classes on zoom. Learn more on our website: www.ekameditation.com  

You can download the eka app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app. 

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ekameditation&hl=en_IN&gl=US

IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eka-yoga-for-mental-health/id1490547025

You can register for a trial of our live classes on zoom here: https://eka.practicenow.us/

Follow us - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/

On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJmqURsdN0OiRdwDtXpNg4A

Ashima Goyal is a writer, an editor, a socio-emotional learning educator, an artist, a community-builder (and visionary behind Romania's first Karma Kitchen), a cook (and food blogger!), and a spirited volunteer. Her service has spanned from online space-holding, to hands-on direct disaster aid in grassroots villages after serious floods in Uttarakhand, to transformative 'hands, head, heart' retreats. Her work has focused on transforming her environment by first transforming herself through small acts of service. Her mantra is "bloom where you are planted."  Her education includes Electrical Engineering from IITB and Masters in Social Policy & Development from London School of Economics.  She taught mindfulness to elementary school kids in Mongolia and Romania, and currently develops learning products that bring holistic education to school students.  Through this interaction we learnt Ashima's definition of mindfulness and her approach to cultivating mindfulness. We understand the subject from the lens of children and how we can learn from children to be present, and at the same time support them in retaining their attention and awareness as they grow into adults. Ashima touched our hearts with her shining eyes, ear to ear smile, and simple explanations.  

Ashima has also shared with us some wonderful resources for further reading and exploration: Pebble Meditation: Book: A Handful of Quiet https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13590614-a-handful-of-quiet Wait: by Antoinette Portis https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22718683-wait Mindful Games by Susan Kaiser Greenland https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29236414-mindful-games 

If you liked listening to her, don't forget to subscribe to our channel. 

 This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. We also organise daily meditation and yoga classes on zoom.

 Learn more on our website: www.ekameditation.com  

You can download the eka app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app.  

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ekameditation&hl=en_IN&gl=US

IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eka-yoga-for-mental-health/id1490547025

Follow us - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/

On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJmq... 

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/ekameditation

Lalithashree Rajesh is a yoga and meditation teacher who is eager to help people become more mindful and lead a fulfilling life. After exploring various spiritual paths for 15 years, she is now a regular practitioner of Vipassana meditation and yoga. She completed an RYT200 certification in 2018 and more recently, a Yin Yoga teacher training. In addition to regular asana, pranayama and meditation classes, she also takes classes for a group of adults with special needs. In the past, she has conducted classes for various underprivileged groups such as destitute children, remand home inmates, individuals with special needs, and children with cancer.Lalitha has an engineering background and an IT experience of 15 years, during which she gained expertise in software documentation and team management (along with the art of balancing a career and a home with two growing boys). Now yoga and meditation are her way of life and (pre)occupation. 

In this episode, Lalitha helps us understand how mindfulness is a stepping stone to building awareness. She talks about awareness being a deeper state than mindfulness, and shares insights from both her Vipassana and yoga experiences. This insightful conversation with our very own Eka teacher set the foundation for future episodes in this series.  T

his podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. We also organise daily meditation and yoga classes on zoom. Learn more on our website: www.ekameditation.com  

You can download the eka app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app. 

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/de... 

IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eka-yog...  

You can register for free trial classes with our teachers live on zoom here: https://eka.practicenow.us/students/e...  

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On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJmq...

Prof. B.N. Gangadhar, a Senior Professor of Psychiatry and the former Director of the prestigious National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in India, talks about the impact of yoga on the brain and the nervous system. 

Prof. Gangadhar has been a pioneer in both clinical and research work relating to the application of Yoga in psychiatric disorders. He has made significant contributions in understanding the neurobiology of Schizophrenia and has been awarded several prestigious awards and honours including thePadmashri in 2020.Prof. Gangadhar is a great proponent of yoga as a means to improve the mental and emotional health of patients with mental health issues.

Through this interaction we learnt how yoga helps in building neuromotor coordination, agility, and balance; and how it helps in reducing cortisol (the stress horomone) and in turn helping us repair the brain and reverse ageing related deterioration in the brain. This discussion will provide you the most important and recent insights into the emotional and mental health benefits of yoga from the best in the field. We do hope you enjoy it and please don't forget to subscribe!

This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. Learn more and download the app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app.

Follow us:

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On Twitter:https://twitter.com/ekameditation

Sunil Kudva is the founder of Elite Fitness Mumbai. He is a qualified Personal Trainer, Aerobics & Aqua Aerobics Instructor, Les Mills Trainer, Yoga & Pilates Trainer, and CrossFit Certified Trainer. Sunil has trained hundreds of fitness instructors, established successful fitness and yoga centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Melbourne and Mexico.

In this episode, Sunil talks about the importance of building muscular strength and endurance, and also gives us the steps to do so. He says one dooesn't have to go to the gym necessarily to build strength, but it is important to educate ourselves and work on our weaknesses in order to build strength. Yoga is excellent to build joint mobility, flexibility, and body weight training and can be a great foundational practice for everyone. 

Follow Sunil on instagram - https://instagram.com/elitefitnessmumbai

This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. Learn more and download the app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app.

Follow us:

On Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/

On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJmqURsdN0OiRdwDtXpNg4A

On Twitter:https://twitter.com/ekameditation

Neha Gothe, is the Director of the Exercise Psychology Lab, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, that explores the bio-psycho-social health benefits of physical activity across the lifespan. Her research agenda has focused on promoting physical activity, including non-traditional modes such as yoga, as a means to improve health and quality of life. Dr. Gothe’s research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and she mentors Masters and Doctoral students. 

In this episode, Dr. Neha talks about the importance of including 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity aerobic exercise and two days of muscle strengthening exercises in one's routine for a long and disease free life. 

In this series, we seek to understand the science of exercise and what is it that yoga asana does well, and what is it that it doesn't. Is yoga enough as your only form of exercise? Or not? Join us in exploring this question in an in-depth way!

This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. Learn more and download the app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app.

Follow us:

On Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/

On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJmqURsdN0OiRdwDtXpNg4A

On Twitter:https://twitter.com/ekameditation

Eka is a place to learn the various practices of yoga such as yoga nidra, pranayama, meditation, chanting and asana. We focus on the benefits of yoga for mental and emotional wellbeing.

We have a mobile app and we organise live classes on zoom. 

With the Radio Eka podcast, we will delve deeper into the history, philosophy, and science of yoga. This podcast will be hosted by Priyanka Jain and Shruti Deorah.

Learn more and download the app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app.

Follow us:

On Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/

On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJmqURsdN0OiRdwDtXpNg4A

On Twitter:https://twitter.com/ekameditation

William K. Mahony, a professor of Religious Studies at Davidson College in the United States, shares his wisdom on how one can heal from deep grief, especially in the current times of COVID when we as a society have collectively experienced grief. He discusses "Dukha", as described in the yoga sutras, and wonderfully explains the theory of Koshas.

A yoga practitioner for more than five decades, Bill has earned academic degrees from the Yale University and the University of Chicago. As a professor, he teaches courses on contemplative and devotional sensibilities of religions originating in India, with an emphasis on the philosophies of yoga. The recipient of a number of prestigious teaching awards and research fellowships, he travels to India frequently and has lived in contemplative settings for extended periods of time. He has also written books on a variety of subjects, and his recent book, Exquisite Love: Reflections on the Spiritual Life based on Nārada’s Bhakti Sūtra,consists of Bill’s extended commentaries on a 10th century Sanskrit text on spiritual love.

You can learn more about William Mahony here: https://wkmahony.com/

In this episode, he is in conversation with Shruti Deorah, co-host of the Eka podcast. Shruti has completed her 200 hours TTC in Yoga, is a mom of two, and is dedicated to solving climate change with her work in renewable energy policy.

This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. Learn more and download the app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app. 

Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/

Carlos Pomeda, a yoga practitioner and teacher for over 40 years as well as an academic scholar of Sanskrit and religious studies, talks about the essential learnings from the Bhagavad Gita for COVID times. He discusses the importance of cultivating a centered state of awareness through any of the various practices of yoga, expounds the idea of reincarnation, and narrates his favourite verses from the Gita. 

Originally from Spain, Carlos spent 18 years as a monk of the Saraswati order, under the name Swami Gitananda, including 9 years of traditional training and practice in India. During this time he learned the various systems of Indian Philosophy and immersed himself in the practice of yoga, becoming one of the senior monks of the tradition and teaching meditation and philosophy to tens of thousands of students around the world.

He combines this experience and traditional training with his academic background, which includes two Masters Degrees: one in Sanskrit, from U.C. Berkeley (where he has taught) and another one, in Religious Studies, from U.C. Santa Barbara. He is currently working on a book on the topic of “Karma and the Journey of the Soul”, as well as a new translation of the Śivasūtra, an important Tantric text of the Kashmiri tradition.

You can learn more about Carlos Pomeda here: http://www.pomeda.com/

In this episode, he is in conversation with Shruti Deorah, co-host of the Eka podcast. Shruti has completed her 200 hours TTC in Yoga, is a mom of two, and is dedicated to solving climate change with her work in renewable energy policy.

This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. Learn more and download the app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app. Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/

Saraswati Clere, an esteemed yoga teacher from the US, talks about the various practices to manage anxiety, particularly the power of tuning into our breath and slowing down our breathing. She also fondly reminisces the time she spent in India and how she is ever grateful for the practice of yoga. 

Saraswati is the owner of Yogakula, a yoga studio in Berkeley, California. She is a 500 RYT Yoga Teacher Trainer and has for more than 30 years   studied and taught alongside some of the most experienced yoga educators in the US.

Saraswati produced an award-wining documentary, narrated by Annette Bening that features 50 of the world’s leading experts – doctors, researchers and yoga educators. She is also the host of the "Wisdom of Yoga" podcast. You can learn more about her at: https://www.yogakula.com/

In this episode, she is in conversation with Shruti Deorah, co-host of the Eka podcast. Shruti has completed her 200 hours TTC at Yogakula, is a mom of two, and is dedicated to solving climate change with her work in renewable energy policy.

This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. Learn more and download the app fromwww.ekameditation.comand use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app. Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/

References in this episode:

Research articles by Dr Timothy Mcall

http://www.drmccall.com/uploads/2/2/6/5/22658464/yam_117conditions.pdf

http://www.drmccall.com/bio.html

Dr. Raghav Shah, a highly accomplished psychiatrist from Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, talks about the epidemic of mental health issues within the COVID pandemic. He then shares how one can identify a mental health issue, and what are some of the preventive approaches one can adopt in their daily routines. Dr. Raghav recommends a good routine and a healthy lifestyle as the cornerstone of good mental health. 

Dr. Raghav has a DM in De-addiction, MD in Psychiatry, and he is the Director - CARe RHL (Centre for Addiction Recovery), Jaipur, Rajasthan. He is also the Director & consultant at Department of Psychiatry , De-addiction and Mental Health services at Rajasthan Hospital (RHL), Jaipur.

You can follow him on https://www.instagram.com/raghavshah18/

or check out the website for Centre for Addiction Recovery - http://rhlcares.com/

This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. Learn more and download the app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app. Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/

In the second episode of the COVID wellbeing series, we talk to Sudeepta Shanbhag about how pranayama is an excellent practice to include for strengthening the lungs and for recovering from COVID. 

Sudeepta is an ERYT 500 who started practicing yoga in her early teens and has studied with teachers in India and the US specialised in different traditions. Her 900+ hrs of training include a Yoga Nidra 200hr training, Level 1 and 2 training in Special needs, Yin, Vinyasa and many more. She is a lead trainer in TTC programs and teaches asana, pranayama, meditation and yoga nidra. Her interest lies in making yoga accessible to everyone and teaches children and adults with special needs like cerebral palsy, autism (motor skills, balance, changing behaviour patterns) and kids with cancer (pain relief, emotional resilience). She is a mother to energetic twin boys who help her appreciate the practice of sitting in stillness.

In this series we speak to experts and bring you the scientific knowledge and spiritual wisdom behind the various yogic practices and ideas that can help manage the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of the COVID situation.

This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. Learn more and download the app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app.

In the COVID wellbeing series we speak to experts and bring you the scientific knowledge and spiritual wisdom behind the various yogic practices and ideas that can help manage the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of the COVID situation. 

For the first episode we talk to Bernie Gourley about immunity, and how asana and yoga nidra are both amazing practices to boost the natural immunity of the body.

Bernie is a writer and yoga teacher (RYT-500.) While he holds graduate degrees in International Affairs and in Economics, in recent years he has focused on studying the science of improved mind / body performance. He teaches asana and pranayama as a means to better health, clarity, and emotional stability. His website can be found at:  www.berniegourley.com

This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. Learn more and download the app fromwww.ekameditation.comand use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app.

Yoga is union - eka - with the universe. Hear the delightful explanation of the true essence of yoga in the concluding episode of this series. 

"The Origins of Yoga" is written and narrated by Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati.

This podcast is brought to you by Eka - a yoga and meditation app from India.  Please use the code 'radio' to get one week free access to the app when you download it. For further details visit www.ekameditation.com

Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati's website is https://www.tantricaashramtrust.org/

She is a genuine mystic yogini. Trained with a Himalayan tradition, in the mountains and forests of Lithuania, she is the humble custodian of a sacred feminine tradition that teaches women how to bring around illumination, regeneration and youth. With the detachment of a genuine acetic, she is able not only to bestow ancient knowledge but can also help guide others with the insight that comes from this unique vantage point. "Every moment with her is an opportunity for enlightenment." Martin Faulks.

In the final episode of this series, we explore the rise of Tantra and its eventual decline. Modern Hatha yoga has its roots in Tantra, and it will be interesting for you to learn how Tantra and its practices are still practiced by yogis around the world in the form of Hatha Yoga.

"The Origins of Yoga" is written and narrated by Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati.

This podcast is brought to you by Eka. For further details visit www.ekameditation.com

Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati's website is https://www.tantricaashramtrust.org/

She is a genuine mystic yogini. Trained with a Himalayan tradition, in the mountains and forests of Lithuania, she is the humble custodian of a sacred feminine tradition that teaches women how to bring around illumination, regeneration and youth. With the detachment of a genuine acetic, she is able not only to bestow ancient knowledge but can also help guide others with the insight that comes from this unique vantage point. "Every moment with her is an opportunity for enlightenment." Martin Faulks.

In the fifth episode of this series, we explore the rise of Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga in around 300 CE, and the rise of Hinduism as we know it. We revisit the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna from the Bhagavad Gita, and understand a new synthesis of attaining moksha - the yoga of the heart, devotion, and that of doing one's work without a sense of entitlement or attachment.

"The Origins of Yoga" is written and narrated by Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati.

Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati's website is https://www.tantricaashramtrust.org/

She is a genuine mystic yogini. Trained with a Himalayan tradition, in the mountains and forests of Lithuania, she is the humble custodian of a sacred feminine tradition that teaches women how to bring around illumination, regeneration and youth. With the detachment of a genuine acetic, she is able not only to bestow ancient knowledge but can also help guide others with the insight that comes from this unique vantage point. "Every moment with her is an opportunity for enlightenment." Martin Faulks.

"The Origins of Yoga" is written and narrated by Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati. In the fourth episode of this series, we explore the rise of  two most important religions in a period of about 6th century BCE in India that laid the foundation of spirituality as we know it.

The Jains adopted non-violence or ahimsa or harmlessness to the self and to any other living being in a deep and absolute way. Vardhamana  Mahaveera showed the way to moksha or nirvana through friendliness and goodwill towards the whole universe. Jainism is still considered the highest form of belief by many in India.

Around the same few centuries, Gautama or Siddhartha founded Buddhism. He went on a quest to find the unchanging and undamaged dimension of the human spirit and showed a unique way to attain nirvana. His teachings are still followed by more than 300 million followers around the world.

The philosophies of Jainism, Buddhism, and Yoga - all emerged within the same few centuries - and have been unmatched since.

Disclaimer: The dates and information in the series comes from the personal research of the author and may or may not match what you may find in history textbooks. We like to believe that the understanding of the ideas and philosophies is more important than the accuracy of these facts, and this also gives us a sense of "shruti" - the way knowledge was transmitted before it was written down.

Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati's website is https://www.tantricaashramtrust.org/

She is a genuine mystic yogini. Trained with a Himalayan tradition, in the mountains and forests of Lithuania, she is the humble custodian of a sacred feminine tradition that teaches women how to bring around illumination, regeneration and youth. With the detachment of a genuine acetic, she is able not only to bestow ancient knowledge but can also help guide others with the insight that comes from this unique vantage point. "Every moment with her is an opportunity for enlightenment." Martin Faulks.

"The Origins of Yoga" is written and narrated by Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati. In the third episode of this series, we explore the rise of the  philosophy known as Samkhya, between a period of 1st and 6th century CE in India. 

Samkhya analysed the cosmos into seperate components, and described a process of evolution that brought the world into being. At its centre was the idea of Purusha - an absolute reality that was a part of every single human being. Samkhya states that at the very beginning of reality purusha had become entangled with prakriti, and the disassociation of purusha from prakriti is the liberation that a yogi seeks.

Samkhya influenced Hinduism, yoga, and all the other schools of philosophies that emerged later in India. 

Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati's website is https://www.tantricaashramtrust.org/

She is a genuine mystic yogini. Trained with a Himalayan tradition, in the mountains and forests of Lithuania, she is the humble custodian of a sacred feminine tradition that teaches women how to bring around illumination, regeneration and youth. With the detachment of a genuine acetic, she is able not only to bestow ancient knowledge but can also help guide others with the insight that comes from this unique vantage point. "Every moment with her is an opportunity for enlightenment." Martin Faulks.

"The Origins of Yoga" is written and narrated by Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati. In this episode, we go back to a period from 7th century BCE to 2nd century BCE to the era of the Upanishads, or Vedanta - the end of the Vedas. And we explore how in this period there was a gradual shift from an external ritualistic culture towards a more internalised introspection. The spiritual technology was evolving, and human sages were discovering that any spiritual quest would work only if people abandoned their self-abrasive ego - bringing us closer to the key ideas of yoga.

This period had the most influence on Hindu Spirituality and Culture than any other period in the Vedas. 

Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati's website is https://www.tantricaashramtrust.org/

She is a genuine mystic yogini. Trained with a Himalayan tradition, in the mountains and forests of Lithuania, she is the humble custodian of a sacred feminine tradition that teaches women how to bring around illumination, regeneration and youth. With the detachment of a genuine acetic, she is able not only to bestow ancient knowledge but can also help guide others with the insight that comes from this unique vantage point. "Every moment with her is an opportunity for enlightenment." Martin Faulks.

"The Origins of Yoga" is written and narrated by Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati. In this episode, she takes us back to a period from 3000 BCE to 1000 BCE and explores how in this period the ritualistic practices of the Indian religion transitioned into a more non-violent nature. This is when the idea of Non-Violence first came into existence. Non-Violence is the first yama in the eightfold path of Patanjali Yoga, and also a foundational idea in the Indian religious philosophy.

Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati's website is https://www.tantricaashramtrust.org/

She is a genuine mystic yogini. Trained with a Himalayan tradition, in the mountains and forests of Lithuania, she is the humble custodian of a sacred feminine tradition that teaches women how to bring around illumination, regeneration and youth. With the detachment of a genuine acetic, she is able not only to bestow ancient knowledge but can also help guide others with the insight that comes from this unique vantage point. "Every moment with her is an opportunity for enlightenment." Martin Faulks.

"The Origins of Yoga" is written and narrated by Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati. In this episode, she discusses the reasons why anyone with an interest in yoga will benefit from understanding the ancient roots of this practice.

Her website is https://www.tantricaashramtrust.org/

Swami Hamsa Jnanananda Saraswati is a genuine mystic yogini. Trained with a Himalayan tradition, in the mountains and forests of Lithuania, she is the humble custodian of a sacred feminine tradition that teaches women how to bring around illumination, regeneration and youth. With the detachment of a genuine acetic, she is able not only to bestow ancient knowledge but can also help guide others with the insight that comes from this unique vantage point. "Every moment with her is an opportunity for enlightenment." Martin Faulks.