For the Love of Yoga with Nish the Fish

Nishanth Selvalingam
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The world of Yoga is wide and varied. In this podcast, yogi Nish the Fish shares the deeper dimensions of Yoga, Vedanta and Tantra, asking the big questions: why do we practice? What is meditation? What is the purpose of a human life? What is Beauty? What is Death? Nishanth Selvalingam studied various South Asian philosophies with his Shaivite grandfather in an ashram in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and moved to Los Angeles to study philosophy, teach yoga and play guitar in a rock band. Join him and special guests as they explore Yoga, in all its splendours. For more episodes and instruction, and to support this humble offering of the heart, visit me on Patreon: patreon.com/yogawithnish

  1. Mātangī & The Poetry of Impurity | Sattva Maxxing in Vāmācara

    6H AGO

    Mātangī & The Poetry of Impurity | Sattva Maxxing in Vāmācara

    We start with a little review of rasa vada, the theory of aesthetic "flavors of Consciousness" that are very much emphasized in our Tāntrik iconography & poetics before presenting Mātangī Devī as a a radical invitation to reclaim those rasas, or "flavors" which are commonly rejected as impure or unspiritual or unwholesome in the name of a deeper, more inclusive & capacious non-dual understanding. And to discuss the ucchistā approach (the spirituality of impurity/trangression), we need to say more about śānta-bhāva, Abhinavagupta's 9th meta-flavor that imbues all the other flavors (even the "unspiritual" or disturbing ones) with poetic and aesthetic (read also: spiritual) meaning. The discussions around śānta-bhāva which engage Bharata and Anandavardhana, two important aesthetic philosophers that influence Abhinava's Tāntrik exegesis, present a new understanding of "sattva" as that luminosity inherent in consciousness itself and not just a feature of the mind nourished by food purity, yogic disciplines & spiritual practices. The thesis then is as follows: contemplating Mātangī and the spirituality of impurity is contingent upon an understanding of the meta-flavor of Śānta-bhāva which itself present a sort of meta-sattva that does not negate rajas, agitation or tamas, inertia but rather includes them and exalts them! As such, I can say that all spirituality (and Vāmacāra is no exception) is about sattva maxing only in this lecture, I want to refine our understanding of just what it is we mean by "sattva", as per the interpretations of Kaula masters like Somananda, Abhinava & others. Also, we indulge in a long digression at the top of the lecture on the nature of bhoga, enjoyment, the Vedic orientation toward bhoga and the age old question of is bhoga mutually exclusive with yoga, spirituality? Here's a playlist of all our videos on the daśamahavidyās with a Śri Vidyā orientation.  Support the show Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST  Use this link and I will see you there: https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815 For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at: https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

    3h 8m
  2. What is a Woman? | & Why God Is A Woman

    2D AGO

    What is a Woman? | & Why God Is A Woman

    Isn't interesting that around the same time that the narrative of the quintessential serpentine representation of the divine, dark feminine, chaos embodied, Tiamat's evisceration by Marduk, the male storm God par excellence gained mythological dominance, Hammurabi hammers the "law" into his stone, thus enshrining the role of the conscious, analytic, externally-oriented & physicalist mind as more important or "holier" than the feminine, subconscious, interiorized, symbolic & archetypical mind? Isn't also interesting that after this mythological narrative gained dominance, and after this major historical event, the religious traditions of the late neolithic era and up the present day have been shifting further and further away from Goddess worship (i.e an immanence-oriented, world embracing, embodied approach to religion) in favor of the more transcendentalist, world hating, body-denying, struggle-oriented "father sky" idea? In this talk, after we explore some ideas about Sanskrit as a gendered language and the widespread implications of that, and after we make a few claims about shifting our discussions on gender to a more interiorized, psychological place, and certainly after some long digressions on feminist theories of the 19th century (Virginia Woolf, Vivekananda etc.), we turn to one of the most important things we could ever discuss as a śākta (I.e, goddess oriented) community: what is a woman? And more importantly: in what sense is God a woman? Really, this lecture is just three hours of us unpacking the rishikā, Ariana Grande's mahavākya: God Is A Woman. Support the show Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST  Use this link and I will see you there: https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815 For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at: https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

    2h 54m
  3. Partying As Spiritual Practice | Sukhopaya, The Path of Bliss

    APR 24

    Partying As Spiritual Practice | Sukhopaya, The Path of Bliss

    In this bold little talk, I wanted to discuss the ānanda-mīmāmsa section in taittirīyopanishad: are the three different types of bliss different in kind?/ is spiritual bliss different from "worldly" bliss so that I can articulate the poetical, aesthetically oriented practice of Śaiva non-duality called the "sukhopāya, path of pleasure"  as in Vijñāna-Bhairava, verses 68-75!  I also wanted to discuss the root "bhaj-" in "Bhakti", to discuss congregational spirituality and make some comparatives to the bliss oriented, congregational activity we calling having a good time!  You'll find all our classes on the Vijñāna-Bhairava Tantra here: https://www.patreon.com/collection/143200 Support the show Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST  Use this link and I will see you there: https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815 For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at: https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

    3h 7m
  4. Two Transmission of Tantra | Jñānā vs. Kriyā, Meditation vs. Ritual

    APR 20

    Two Transmission of Tantra | Jñānā vs. Kriyā, Meditation vs. Ritual

    In Tantra, you find two separate transmissions that seem to be in tension with one another: one one hand, there are the Jñāna or contemplation oriented traditions (for example, the Vijñāna-Bhairava Tantra or Somānanda's śiva-drshti) that privilege subtle, interior practices involving the intellect and spacious, sky-like awareness (think: Dzogchen) and on the other hand, in the vast majority of instances, there is the kriyā approach which centers formal, external, often deity-oriented ritualistic/ceremonial practice. The former might dismiss the latter as gross or preliminary (like we see in the Verses 8-13 in the Vijñāna-Bhairava, for example or like we see with Abhinava Gupta and Somānanda re-interpreting external practices like pūjā, homa, yāga, japa etc. to be internal, contemplative modes). In this talk, which we gave as part of our Denver 2026 retreat, I explain these two seemingly contradictory streams in the Tāntrik world with an appeal to Jñāna and Kriyā śaktis, the inherent powers of Consciousness, i.e God/Śiva to cognize and to act. More importantly, with an appeal to Icchā Śakti, which Somānanda prioritizes, we will reconcile the seeming dyad of Jñāna-Kriya or Knowledge/Action or Meditation/Ritual or Internal/External by subsuming in this third category, Icchā, the pure pre-cognitive, restful Desiring power of God!  This is a pretty subtle lecture and I enjoyed thinking about this out loud with you. Thank you for being there in person and online! Support the show Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST  Use this link and I will see you there: https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815 For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at: https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

    2h 45m
  5. Kali, Christ & Sticking It To The Man | Who Can Teach Tantra?

    APR 19

    Kali, Christ & Sticking It To The Man | Who Can Teach Tantra?

    After some ecstatic & triumphant kirtan (which you can watch in the last video here) at our second session at our second Denver retreat in April 2026, we take up our evening's lecture, an Easter special featuring some of my most inspired reflections on Tantra, gnostic Christianity and the politics of spirituality to answer the question: Who has the right to teach & practice Tantra?  We reference some of Cynthia Bourgeault's and Elaine Pagel's academic work on the early history of Christianity to consider the politics around the resurrection of Christ (i.e Mary vs Peter, Gnostic Christianity vs Orthodox Christianity) which I'm going to argue mirrors the politics of Left-Hand Path vs Right Hand Path (read also: institutional) Tantra.  Much of this lecture is my loving middle finger to those who say we should not be doing what we're doing. Whatever such people may say and however good their intentions, with love and respect we say to them, like the Gnostics before us: we're going to do it anyway.  Support the show Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST  Use this link and I will see you there: https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815 For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at: https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

    1h 3m
  6. How Meditation Works | Classical Yoga vs Tāntrik Yoga

    APR 15

    How Meditation Works | Classical Yoga vs Tāntrik Yoga

    There are many ways to understand the word "meditation." Given that this is one of the central modalities of spiritual life and given the ever increasing interest in meditation, I felt a definition and discussion around meditation to clarify what it is and isn't in the Patañjali Yoga tradition would be helpful. More importantly, after we sketched out the basics of classical yogic meditation (i.e concentration practice), we then compared it to Tāntrik meditation to show how the Tāntrik tradition innovates and develops Patañjāla meditation to make for more visualization, dynamism, emotional cultivation (rasa) and aesthetic meaning. While it does sound like I'm positioning Tāntrik meditation as more appropriate, wholesome and complete here, in truth, the two traditions not only build off one another and depend on one another but are also both equally valid and equally effective modalities, each suited to practitioners of different temperaments. Neither is better or worse than the other, just different. And by understanding nuances such as these, we can be clear as to what meditation is and what is expected of us as aspirants!  If you're interested in starting up your Tantrik practice, you'll find some resources for you here.  Support the show Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST  Use this link and I will see you there: https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815 For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at: https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

    2h 35m
  7. Śaiva Teachings in the Devī Māhātmyam

    MAR 30

    Śaiva Teachings in the Devī Māhātmyam

    Since it was Chaitra Navarātri last week, as part of our last Friday morning Abhinava Gupta Paramārthasāra class, we explored some key śaiva ideas that appear in the opening teaching of the Devī Māhātmyam. In this talk, we first explain the mythic context in the Bhagavad Gītā, the Upanishads and of course, the Devī Māhātmyam and explain from a śaiva perspective, why all these aesthetic and poetic features of the teacher are central to our metaphysical and soteriological framework! Also, we distinguish between soteriology, metaphysics, epistemology and of course, axiology/aesthetics. We explain how the latter is especially emphasized in the śaiva tradition, making śaiva tantra unique in its soteriological framework that embraces art, pleasure, relationships & engaging with the world at large. You'll find a playlist of all our Navarātri themed lectures around the Devī Māhātmyam here: https://www.patreon.com/collection/784368 and you'll find our previous classes on the Paramārthasāra of Abhinava Gupta (i.e Introduction to Tāntrik Śaiva Monism, Svatantrya Vada) here: https://www.patreon.com/collection/106196 Support the show Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST  Use this link and I will see you there: https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815 For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at: https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

    2h 26m
  8. How To Start Your Daily Tāntrik Pūjā Practice

    MAR 30

    How To Start Your Daily Tāntrik Pūjā Practice

    This is rather foundational discussion about the role of pūjā (ceremonial worship) in spiritual life in the modern age. As you know, the Tāntrik tradition is above all, when we consider the primary sources, about rituals and ceremonies. Now, these can often be very intimidating to learn given their technical and often elaborate nature. And this is especially a problem when you love pūjā but don't have the time and/or inclination to get all the materials and worship for 5 or 6 hours at a time, every single day! What then can you cut out in order to create your own personalized practice that makes sense for you? Is it even okay to personalize and customize the rituals presented in the texts? And if so, how do we make executive decisions like this at all on our own without compromising the efficacy of the complete system with our own idiosyncratic editing? We also have a cool discussion in the beginning about how pūjā is the perfect spiritual practice for the modern digital age. I also introduce you to some pretty esoteric Kaula deities: Ānanda Bhairava & Ānanda Bhairavi and their yāmala, which forms the third deity in the trinity: Samvit Devī or often just Vijayā or Suvijayā in some of the Kaula texts. Naturally, we point out the obvious purvāmnaya flavor in this presented of the devi-traya, trinity of Kula deities! All of this will probably whet your appetite to learn pūjā. As such, here's a step by step, mantra by mantra pūjā tutorial using several paddhathis (ritual manuals), classical and modern without copious (some might even say, gratuitous) exegesis: https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799 Support the show Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST  Use this link and I will see you there: https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815 For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at: https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

    1h 53m
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About

The world of Yoga is wide and varied. In this podcast, yogi Nish the Fish shares the deeper dimensions of Yoga, Vedanta and Tantra, asking the big questions: why do we practice? What is meditation? What is the purpose of a human life? What is Beauty? What is Death? Nishanth Selvalingam studied various South Asian philosophies with his Shaivite grandfather in an ashram in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and moved to Los Angeles to study philosophy, teach yoga and play guitar in a rock band. Join him and special guests as they explore Yoga, in all its splendours. For more episodes and instruction, and to support this humble offering of the heart, visit me on Patreon: patreon.com/yogawithnish

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