The Indian Wisdom Podcast Dr. Raj Balkaran

Why are yoga poses named about mythic characters? In this episode, Dr. Raj discusses the relationship between mythic stories and yoga poses. He also talks about the backstory of his book “The Stories Behind the Poses" and tells the story behind Vīrabhadrāsana, Warrior pose.

The Indian Wisdom Podcast is released weekly and covers traditional Indian wisdom through storytelling, Hindu mythology, jyotiṣa (vedic astrology), yoga, ayurveda, and Sanskrit. This show is hosted by Dr. Raj Balkaran, a Sanskrit scholar, storyteller and online educator. In addition to academic training, he was lineally trained by Mantriji, our sangha's parama-guru. He teaches at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and at The Indian Wisdom School where he applies ancient Indian wisdom to modern Western life. He is also the author of "The Stories Behind the Poses: The Indian Mythology that Inspired 50 Yoga Postures."

Personal Website: https://rajbalkaran.com

Courses: https://indianwisdomschool.com

Podcast: https://indianwisdompodcast.com

Interested in studying with me? Check out my free course Goddess Stories: Telling Tales of the Sacred Feminine: https://www.indianwisdomschool.com/goddess-stories-1 

This week we're sharing an exciting crosspost and conversation with Bernardo Kastrup, PhD from the New Books Network: New Books in Indian Religions podcast. At the vanguard of the modern renaissance of metaphysical idealism, Bernardo presents cogent argumentation that reality is essentially mental, and examines the proper place of the scientific method in this deliberation. Bernardo’s research exhibits some astonishing parallels with ancient Indic thought.You can find Bernardo's vast amount of fascinating work at https://www.bernardokastrup.com. 

The Indian Wisdom Podcast is released weekly and covers traditional Indian wisdom through storytelling, Hindu mythology, jyotiṣa (vedic astrology), yoga, ayurveda, and Sanskrit. This show is hosted by Dr. Raj Balkaran, a Sanskrit scholar, storyteller and online educator. In addition to academic training, he was lineally trained by Mantriji, our sangha's parama-guru. He teaches at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and at The Indian Wisdom School where he applies ancient Indian wisdom to modern Western life. He is also the author of "The Stories Behind the Poses: The Indian Mythology that Inspired 50 Yoga Postures."

Personal Website: https://rajbalkaran.com

Courses: https://indianwisdomschool.com

Podcast: https://indianwisdompodcast.com

Interested in studying with me? Check out my free course Goddess Stories: Telling Tales of the Sacred Feminine: https://www.indianwisdomschool.com/goddess-stories-1 

Hear Dr. Raj tell the story of Sage Mārkaṇḍeya, the boon that brought him into the world, and the boon that grants him immortal life, forever young, ever sixteen. How do we know when we are making the right decision, and are we truly able to know the consequences of our actions?

This story is also embodied in the yoga posture pāśāsana, noose pose: "Configured to emulate the knot and the function of the noose, this pose requires a great deal of rotation, as if one is rung out by the knots of karma. Surrender to the power of karma as destiny and embrace the power of dharma as free will. And summon grace to make the impossible, possible."

The Indian Wisdom Podcast is released weekly and covers traditional Indian wisdom through storytelling, Hindu mythology, jyotiṣa (vedic astrology), yoga, ayurveda, and Sanskrit. This show is hosted by Dr. Raj Balkaran, a Sanskrit scholar, storyteller and online educator. In addition to academic training, he was lineally trained by Mantriji, our sangha's parama-guru. He teaches at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and at The Indian Wisdom School where he applies ancient Indian wisdom to modern Western life. He is also the author of "The Stories Behind the Poses: The Indian Mythology that Inspired 50 Yoga Postures."

Personal Website: https://rajbalkaran.com

Courses: https://indianwisdomschool.com

Podcast: https://indianwisdompodcast.com

Interested in studying with me? Check out my free course Goddess Stories: Telling Tales of the Sacred Feminine: https://www.indianwisdomschool.com/goddess-stories-1 

Tales of Durga from the Devī Māhātmya (The Greatness of the Goddess) continued: the creation of Kālī, the Seven Mothers, and the Goddess’ ultimate triumph over demonic foe. What would the world look like if we took seriously the idea of an indwelling feminine power pervading the earth, its creatures, and our fellow humans?

The Indian Wisdom Podcast is released weekly and covers traditional Indian wisdom through storytelling, Hindu mythology, jyotiṣa (vedic astrology), yoga, ayurveda, and Sanskrit. This show is hosted by Dr. Raj Balkaran, a Sanskrit scholar, storyteller and online educator. In addition to academic training, he was lineally trained by Mantriji, our sangha's parama-guru. He teaches at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and at The Indian Wisdom School where he applies ancient Indian wisdom to modern Western life. He is also the author of "The Stories Behind the Poses: The Indian Mythology that Inspired 50 Yoga Postures."

Personal Website: https://rajbalkaran.com

Courses: https://indianwisdomschool.com

Podcast: https://indianwisdompodcast.com

Interested in studying with me? Check out my free course Goddess Stories: Telling Tales of the Sacred Feminine: https://www.indianwisdomschool.com/goddess-stories-1 

Continuing our look into the "Glory of the Goddess," the story of the Devī Māhātmya, this episode features the birth of terrifying Kālī from the indignant wrath of the Goddess. Kālī is a response to demonic attempts to objectify, commodify, and possess the Goddess. She emerges when the demons make a mad dash to drag the Goddess by her hair! Embodied in this lesson are themes of strength, intensity, and focus in overcome the obstacles we face. This story is embodied in the yoga posture vṛścikāsana, scorpion pose.

The Indian Wisdom Podcast is released weekly and covers traditional Indian wisdom through storytelling, Hindu mythology, jyotiṣa (vedic astrology), yoga, ayurveda, and Sanskrit. This show is hosted by Dr. Raj Balkaran, a Sanskrit scholar, storyteller and online educator. In addition to academic training, he was lineally trained by Mantriji, our sangha's parama-guru. He teaches at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and at The Indian Wisdom School where he applies ancient Indian wisdom to modern Western life. He is also the author of "The Stories Behind the Poses: The Indian Mythology that Inspired 50 Yoga Postures."

Personal Website: https://rajbalkaran.com

Courses: https://indianwisdomschool.com

Podcast: https://indianwisdompodcast.com

Interested in studying with me? Check out my free course Goddess Stories: Telling Tales of the Sacred Feminine: https://www.indianwisdomschool.com/goddess-stories-1 

In this episode, Dr. Raj hosts a candid conversation with renowned Sanskritist and online teacher Antonia Ruppel on her love of the language, teaching philosophy, views on academia, and exciting online programming. She’ll be teaching an upcoming course at The Indian Wisdom School on how to pick the best English translation of Sanskrit texts (no Sanskrit background or language learning required!).

👉 You can register for the course, Sanskrit in Translation here: https://www.indianwisdomschool.com/sanskrit-in-translation  ✨ Use code "Sanskrit2024" for 25% OFF. The course begins May 9 and will be available on-demand for anyone unable to make it live to the classes.

The Indian Wisdom Podcast is released weekly and covers traditional Indian wisdom through storytelling, Hindu mythology, jyotiṣa (vedic astrology), yoga, ayurveda, and Sanskrit. This show is hosted by Dr. Raj Balkaran, a Sanskrit scholar, storyteller and online educator. In addition to academic training, he was lineally trained by Mantriji, our sangha's parama-guru. He teaches at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and at The Indian Wisdom School where he applies ancient Indian wisdom to modern Western life. He is also the author of "The Stories Behind the Poses: The Indian Mythology that Inspired 50 Yoga Postures."

Links for Dr. Raj

Personal Website: https://rajbalkaran.com

Courses: https://indianwisdomschool.com

Podcast: https://indianwisdompodcast.com

Links for Dr. Antonia Ruppel

Personal Website: https://www.antoniaruppel.com

The Cambridge Introduction To Sanskrit: https://www.cambridge-sanskrit.org

An Introductory Sanskrit Reader: https://brill.com/display/title/56844