Yoga Podcast with Dr Shyam

In this deep conversation Scott Johnson is joined by his good friend Greg Nardi. They talk to Shyam Ranganathan, a field-changing researcher, scholar, author and teacher of philosophy, and an expert in the neglected traditions of Indian moral philosophy. Shyam talks about his life as a philosophy researcher, his work on decolonisation and his translation of the yoga sutra named, Patanjali Yoga Sutra

In this open and honest conversation Scott and Greg unpack Shyam’s translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. Shyam shares how translation works, how his movement into philosophical research and south asian studies compelled him to write a translation of Patanjai’s Yoga Sutra. He also shares on the decolonisation of yoga and how he is focusing now on trauma response.

“This conversation with Shyam Ranganathan has been 2 years in the making. Both Greg Nardi and I had such a great time talking to Shyam about the way he translated the yoga sutra. It’s important to understand his perspective on research and translation so you can possibly find your own.“

Scott Johnson – November 2022

“In today’s episode, Amy chats with Dr. Shyam Ranganathan. Shyam is a thought-leader, author, and teacher of Eastern Philosophy, and an expert in the traditions of Indian Moral Philosophy. Dr. Ranganathan is a trained scholar and researcher of philosophy and is the author, editor, and translator of numerous peer-reviewed, scholarly works.

His research focus across disciplines is understanding how non-Western traditions are marginalized in a Westernized world, and how BIPOC traditions of philosophy can help understand this process of colonialism and provide alternatives to inform our way forward and away from colonialism.

Amy & Dr. Ranganathan discuss What Yoga is and yoga as a philosophical practice, the benefits of true Yoga, understanding who you are as an individual, and so much more. Today’s episode promises to be enlightening.

They talk about the following:

Shyam’s thoughts on Trauma-Informed Yoga and why this is phrase he does not prefer to use
What is Yoga?
What is The Purpose of Yoga?
What it takes to understand Yoga Philosophy from a clear lens
Shyam’s advice on finding an ideal teacher of Yoga Philosophy
Models of Yoga Education
How Shyam interacts with his students and what he expects in the learning arena
The benefits of true Yoga, which include being authentically true to yourself
Living life on your terms in all situations and with all people
A key component in knowing and understanding who you are at your core level of being”

Dr. Shyam is a scholar-practitioner and professor of the department of philosophy at the York Centre For Asian Research at York University in Toronto, Canada, and the founder of yogaphilosophy.com.

Dr. Shyam translated the Yoga Sutra as a project as an undergrad taking South Asian Studies. This is what sparked his interest in yoga. Through studying the ancient sources of yoga, he recognized how time and colonialism had changed the yoga practice. Then, he began to understand the true philosophy behind the yoga practice.

Yoga is a devotional practice for doing the right thing and becoming a better version of yourself. It creates independence and self-responsibility, two huge parts of yoga often left out of Western practice.

Devotion to yoga is about recognizing the ideal of the practice and committing yourself to it even if you don’t fully understand it. Because when you’re devoted, you challenge yourself to go deeper, understand, and become better.

Challenge yourself to deepen your practice by going deeper than Asanas and really understand the yoga practice as a whole. After that, yoga is just another part of your life. It becomes second nature when you truly understand the philosophy.

“Yoga as Sovereignty and Civil Disobedience

I invited Professor Shyam Ranganathan to talk with Russell and I about some of the integral concepts found in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. In this conversation, you’ll learn how these essential practices are vital for us to actively participate in and how through our participation we can reshape not only ourselves but the world.

Dr. Shyam is an incredibly insightful authority on both South Asian and Western Philosophy. He is able to weave together classical thoughts about Logos or Logic, Linguistic Theory with Civil Disobedience, Cultural Appropriation, and the teaching of Patanjali. We discuss the essential practices of Ahimsa and Isvara Pranidhana and how they relate to the idea of non-violent resistance, Satyagraha.

This episode is so funny and so good… Ontologically speaking! We know you’re going to have as much fun listening to it as we had recording it. It was a treat and an honour to host Shyam on our podcast. “

@interoceptiveperformance

“Many people have an idea of what yoga is but for some, an important aspect gets left out. ⠀
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Understanding yoga philosophy is crucial in honoring the roots of yoga and sharing it authentically.
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Tune in LIVE on Wednesday, April 28th when Dr. Shyam Ranganathan joins us live to share his knowledge of yoga philosophy to help us get the most from our practice.
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Head over to my biz page and hit “get reminder” so you will know when we go live.”

“Welcome to another episode of the Decoding Purpose Podcast.

Now today’s episode is one that I hold close to the heart for several reasons, and that is because this subject, this practice, this process and philosophy is one that has literally kept me sane throughout the craziness that has been 2020. In Fact it kept me sane through various chapters of my life. What I am talking about is none other than the art and practice of yoga.

So what does yoga have to do with our life purpose? In my opinion everything. See just like yoga, I am a firm believer that purpose is a practice, and that a huge part of living with a purpose is all about showing up on the mat. Leaning into the postures, just as we lean into our lives.

Just like yoga, there will be days where the postures flow, and other days where we feel challenged, but as we move through the process, and as we keep showing up for the sovereignty that is our life purpose we continue to move towards an integrated state of being. A state of wholeness and a place of union. A coming together of the possibilities for our life, channeled through us, and through our bodies. Though our purpose.

Personally practicing yoga has been so much more than a form of exercise in my world. I have found my dharma on the mat. As we discuss in today’s episode in exploring the nature of yoga – It has enabled me to stop viewing my life as an autobiography, in order to play an active role in creating my own script with the golden ink of purpose.

For all of these reasons, in today’s podcast I wanted to talk to someone who is way more qualified than I to decode yoga philosophy. Coming all the way from Toronto, Dr. Shyam Ranganathan is the founder of Yoga Philosophy – a scholar-practitioner initiative – and a virtual school of yoga. He is a field-changing researcher, scholar, author and teacher of philosophy, and an expert in the neglected traditions of Indian moral philosophy, which covers practical questions of how to live, what to aim for, and what we should value-including Yoga.

So without further delay let’s get on the mat, and get ready to decode our dharma, through the lens of our limbs, our breath and all the beautiful states of being the practice of yoga provides.

Welcome to the podcast.”

From Aundhati Baitmangalkar who interviewed me:

“I’ve been wanting to do an episode on yoga philosophy since day 1 of this podcast. But was looking for the right guest to share with all of you. I’m thrilled to bring Dr. Shyam Ranganathan to share all things yoga philosphy today!

We covered the subject of what encompasses yoga philosophy and the end goal of studying all about yoga philosophy. Dr. Shyam also shares his knowledge on how to measure progress, the dangers of interpreting yoga based on experience, and also some of the consequences when wannabe experts and philosophers speak about yoga philosophy.

We further discuss Hinduism and its relationship to yoga. There’s an endless discussion about yoga philosophy. If you’re curious to learn about what yoga philosophy means in its truest sense, hit play right away.

Dr. Shyam Ranganathan is a researcher, scholar, and author. He is a faculty at the Department of Philosophy at York University in Ontario, Canada. He is an expert in the neglected traditions of Indian moral philosophy with practical questions of how to live, what to aim for, and what we should value including yoga. He writes in the areas of Ethics, Political Philosophy, the Philosophy of Thought, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Religion, and Asian Philosophy, especially Indian Philosophy, Indian moral philosophy, and philosophies of meditation.

Episode Highlights:

Dr. Shyam talks about how yoga and philosophy became parts of his life
How western imperialism affected yoga
Dr. Shyam talks about the dangers of loosely interpreting something and what we can do about them
The definition of yoga according to Dr. Shyam
What the yoga philosophy encompasses
Is there an end goal in studying yoga philosophy? Is the progress measurable?
Where to start your yoga philosophy journey as a modern yoga teacher
Is it important to find yoga teachers of South Asian descent or those who have extensive Sanskrit studies when approaching yoga philosophy?
How long does it take to learn yoga philosophy?
Hinduism and its relation to yoga”

Why is yoga philosophy important? Our hosts, @tainaberardi and @serenitysayeon passionately discuss the answer with Dr. Shyam Ranganathan of YogaPhilosophy.com. We also dive further into his keynote presentation from LMU Yoga Day 2020, where he focused on sovereignty, ethics, and the big questions underlying yogic theory. Tune in to learn how to critically approach everyday life as a yogi.

What does the West get wrong about yoga? Far more than it gets right, say Shyam Ranganathan and Vijay Satnarine.

Ashtanga Yoga Dispatch:

“In today’s new episode of the Ashtanga Dispatch podcast, Dr. Shyam Ranganathan of @yogaphilosophy_com explains the conundrum of ethical interpretation and why logic is a far better tool than experience:

“In the Yoga Sūtras, there’s asmitā, egotism – we might call it narcissism, this kind of need to inflate the importance of your own outlook. But there’s a flip side to this, a kind of fragility. Because if it’s all about you, then you’re going to have a lot of trouble understanding alternatives because you’re going to feel constantly rejected. And so we might think that explanation (of ethics) in terms of beliefs — which is what interpretation is — is needed, it’s actually a huge obstacle.”

“And the only reason we are able to get by with that is because of politics, right? If we occupy a certain realm because we share these kinds of beliefs with other people — or if we don’t have these beliefs, we learn how to pretend we do, which is the experience of marginalized people.”

“But it’s interesting when you consider what’s involved in learning — it can’t ever be your beliefs. That’s not learning anything new.” Dr. Shyam Ranganathan

This is honestly one of our best episodes and we hope you’ll enjoy! But also, be prompted to rethink some ideas and concepts related to ethics, philosophy, and your own belief systems. We know we certainly did!

>> Visit ashtangadispatch.com to listen. Or download the #podcast on #spotify #soundcloud #itunes or wherever you like to listen.

As always, thanks for being part of our listening and learning community. We appreciate your support and friendship — always.”

“Nazis lie. A lot. And the things they lie about are often too niche or too technical to find the truth. The Nazi Lies Podcast talks experts in subject areas nazis lie about to find the truth about nazi lies.”

In this episode, Dr. Ranganathan dispels myths created by Nazi efforts to appropriate the South Asian tradition. While wild, these myths are not so different from the colonizing approach to the study of South Asia that is the norm (and which Dr. Ranganathan’s work analyzes). Tune into this podcast to have your questions about Hinduism (gods, caste, the Hindu Right) answered.

As yoga teachers, we learn a little bit about yoga philosophy in our YTTs, but yoga philosophy is much more than just the 8 limbs, or the brief summary we may have come across in our studies. Dr. Shyam Ranganathan (he/him) is an expert in yoga philosophy and in this episode, he shares more about this topic, as well as how colonialism has influenced what we understand as yoga philosophy.

Dr. Shyam Ranganathan is the founder of Yoga Philosophy, and a field-changing researcher on the study and translation of philosophy, especially South Asian philosophy and Yoga. He holds an MA in South Asian Studies, and an MA and PhD in philosophy, and is a member of the Department of Philosophy, and York Center for Asian Research, York University, Toronto. Shyam is a translator of the Yoga Sūtra, and founded his organization, Yoga Philosophy, to provide support for those interested in answering the question – What makes something yoga?

Shyam explains how learning about philosophy helps us to get along and why not all opinions are equally good or right. He also shares more about how Europeans misunderstood things when they studied the communities they colonized and how that showed up in the yoga sutras and how they are translated. This continues to influence how yoga is taught and practiced in the world, today, especially in the West. He also gives us insight about the yamas and social justice, choices and responsibility, ahimsa, dharma, self-governing and Ishvara Pranidhana. This is a really rich conversation that all of us can learn from.

“In episode 8 of the Accessible Yoga Podcast, Shyam Ranganathan and Jivana Heyman have a discussion about Yoga philosophy through a South Asian perspective. They explore the various ways that Western imperialism shows up in the way we interpret and practice yoga, what the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita both say about our responsibility when it comes to other people (social justice), and how translations, interpretation, and a Eurocentric bias can completely change the context and the meanings of the teachings.”

The PRISON YOGA PROJECT shares yoga with incarcerated individuals. In this podcast, Dr. Ranganathan discusses the relevance of Yoga the philosophy to people in these difficult circumstances.

Dr. Ranganathan shares: “Colonial trauma is not simply a problem for those from colonized traditions. It is also a problem for those privileged by coming from colonizing traditions, and this trauma shows up in a host of pathologies, such as fragility and pretenses of ethnic or racial supremacy. Most notably, the problem shows up in widespread ignorance about the history of yoga, the philosophy, and the notion that understanding this can be replaced by experiences of a colonized world. Colonialism—and all trauma—attempts to repackage our problems as clinical and medical challenges, shielding the origins of trauma from criticism.

“Yoga teaches us that trauma is actually a moral and political problem that attempts to define us in terms of systemic challenges. We will explore these issues, and how yoga teaches us a way out of trauma.”

This is my discussion with Kim Weeks of the The Weeks Well podcast, which is about the modern practice of being your best self. We talked about my research on understanding how Non-Western traditions such as Yoga are marginalized in a Western world and how BIPOC traditions of philosophy can help understand colonialism and inform our way forward and away from it.