Heart Yoga Radio

This short podcast is stimulated by Yoga Sutras 2.49 to 2.52. In these few short aphorisms, Patanjali outlines four elements of pranayama.The first three prefigure the  much later Hatha Yoga pranayama of Svatmarama which is an operation of will upon the body, particularly upon rhythms of breath. The fourth pranayama is a more subtle breath disciplne which reveals the 'light'! [19 minutes. Free]

This conversation takes the form of a ramble around our house on a rainy Friday afternoon. We start off with a discussion of Nietzsche's 'eternal return of the same' which leads to the question of Nietzsche's attitude to Socrates. From there, the Socratic question emerges for consideration. We talk about both its existential and political dimensions, drawing out the questioning of desire and its relation to future thinking and utopianism.  There's lots more and even a concluding guitar improvisation entitled 'story'. [43 minutes. Free.]

This short podcast is one of our 'glossary' style talks. It elucidates Patanjali's take on asana as well as Svatmarama's as found in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and contrasts both of these with 'modern postural yoga'. I go on to suggest a particular approach to asana practice which I find to be fruitful. [11minutes. Free.]

In this podcast we take a look at what happens when people worry about the opinions others have about them and how meditation can counter this worry. [23 minutes. Free.]

This short podcast takes a swipe at the current platitude that 'everything happens for a reason', characterising it a an escapist notion. [9 minutes. Free.]

In this seond part of four, the theme of the coincidence and mutual dependence of opposites comes to the fore. This is a theme central to the world-views of our three sages: Buddha, Lao Tzu and Heraclitus. Amongst particular opposites discussed are oneness and multiplicity, chaos and cosmos, high and low, nirvana and samsara and more. The discussion also considers language, human suffering and flourishing, interconnectedness and strategies for living.

In this podcast, Anna and Pete discuss the meaning of life and how grand narratives supply off-the-peg answers to the big conundrums that face human beings by reference to a 'transcendental guarantee'. We find this strategy for ameliorating meaninglessness to be defective on a number of counts and recommend that individuals freely choose and pursue their own projects whilst dancing under the open sky. [30 minutes. Free.]

In this podcast we consider the inner freedom promised by yoga and meditative disciples in general. The discussion touches on vedanta, the yoga sutra, existentialism, slavery, and more. The core point is that the moment we commit to yoga, we necessarily embrace our ineluctable freedom. [47 minute. Free.]

This short blast came out of a question Anna was asked about the possible impact of yoga practice on one's happiness. The conversation segues into a brief discussion of santosha which is Patanjali's term for contentment, and then into a consideration of psychological resilience. These are themes that we will expand upon in future podcasts. [16 minutes. Free.]

In this podcast, Pete Yates and Anna Ingham try and give some helpful guidlines to people attempting to navigate the spiritual supermarket, especially the sprawling section labelled 'Yoga'. [17 minutes.Free.]