Welcome to the Liberating Yoga Podcast. My guest today is Dr. Shyam Ranganathan.
While mainstream American culture limits yoga to a mere fitness class or a “woo-woo” spiritual endeavor that belongs at home, it began as a philosophical commitment toward ethical action and sovereignty.
In this episode of the Liberating Yoga Podcast, host Harpinder Kaur Mann is in conversation with Scholar and Historian of Philosophy, Dr. Shyam Ranganathan. Together, they dive deep into the ways yoga’s current definitions have been shaped by Western colonization and how we can reclaim the practice today to fight racism and colonialism.
00:00 - Intro
02:19 - What Is Yoga?
03:59 - Yoga as Unity of Self
06:21 - Yoga vs. Fitness
07:22 - Colonialism’s Impact
13:27 - Internalized Colonialism
16:57 - Race, Religion, and History
19:33 - Pre-Colonial Philosophy
23:15 - Ethics & Dharma
26:54 - What Is Pre-Colonial Yoga?
28:14 - Yoga’s Ethical Model
30:42 - Modern Yoga & Colonization
33:26 - Yoga as Decolonial Practice
35:49 - Yoga Studies & White Supremacy
41:01 - Yoga Heals Colonial Trauma
44:43 - Egotism & Power Structures
47:27 - Yoga as Political Action
50:11 - Tokenism in Yoga
55:12 - Diversity vs. Change
57:38 - Lifelong Learning
1:02:05 - Why Only Āsana?
1:05:42 - Big Y vs. Small y Yoga
1:08:09 - Philosophy vs. Industry
1:12:00 - Teaching vs. Selling
1:14:23 - Embracing Change
1:15:06 - Where to Learn More
Find Dr. Shyam Ranganathan Online
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Thank you for watching this video and checking out the channel. My practice is rooted in my spiritual background of Sikhism and Buddhism and ancestral roots in Panjab, India - this informs my desire to teach yoga authentically as a spiritual practice. To learn more, please find all of our resources below.
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