This talk explores the teacher-student (guru-śiṣya) relationship through three pivotal Upanishadic stories (800-500 BCE): Nachiketa’s encounter with Death, Śvetaketu’s lessons from his father, and Yājñavalkya’s philosophical debates. These narratives illuminate the internal qualities necessary for spiritual transformation during the historical

Tradition, Adaptation, and Practice: Honoring Women’s Bodies Across Life Stages Yoga has always been a living tradition, evolving to meet the needs of those who practice it. In this lecture, we explore how yoga—particularly the Iyengar Yoga tradition—has adapted to

Rediscovering Yoga’s Overlooked Feminine Voices This lecture brings to light the women who shaped yoga’s philosophical, devotional, and practical traditions—from ancient debate halls to the quiet, generational passing of wisdom. Drawing on my doctoral research in Sanskrit and Tamil sources,

An experimental exploration for the Yoga Readers community.
In the session, we’ll dive into 5 foundational asanas – guided by the voices of B.K.S. Iyengar and Geeta S. Iyengar, based on Light on Yoga and Yoga: A Gem for

The brilliance of Samkhya lies in its practical relevance to our daily experience. When we recognize the distinction between pure awareness and mental activity, our yoga practice transforms from physical exercise to a technology for self-understanding. Rather than identifying with

In this final exploration of the guru-śiṣya tradition, we examine teachers’ ethical responsibilities through three Mahābhārata narratives: Droṇācārya and Ekalavya, Droṇa and Arjuna, and Karṇa and Paraśurāma. These stories from 400 BCE – 400 CE illuminate complex questions about knowledge

In this second exploration of the guru-śiṣya tradition, we examine unconventional wisdom sources through narratives from India’s epic literature: Dattatreya finding teachers in nature, Lakṣmaṇa learning from his enemy Rāvaṇa, and Bhīṣma offering wisdom from his arrow-bed. These texts (400