Hindu Scholars Series

In this 5 lecture series Dr. James Mallinson takes a deeper look at the Hatha Yoga lineage. He covers many areas from the texts to the practitioners, the philosophies to the practices. James is one of the world’s foremost experts on Hatha Yoga. His work has uncovered some of the most recent findings in the Hatha Yoga story making a major contribution to the interpretation of Yoga in the modern world. This series is a fascinating look at the connections which led the ancient world of Yoga into the modern forms of practice today. 1: Prehistory of Hatha Yoga 2: Hatha Yoga textual traditions pre 15th century 3: Hatha Yoga textual traditions post 15th century 4: Practices of Hatha Yoga 5: Practitioners and purpose of Hatha Yoga James Mallinson is Senior Lecturer in Sanskrit and Classical Indian Studies at SOAS, University of London. Dr Mallinson has a BA in Sanskrit and Old Iranian from the University of Oxford (1991), an MA in South Asian Area Studies (with ethnography as its primary subject) from SOAS (1993) and a DPhil. from the University of Oxford (2001). His doctoral thesis was a critical edition of the Khecarīvidyā, an early text on haṭha yoga, and was supervised by Professor Alexis Sanderson. After completing his doctoral studies Dr Mallinson worked as a principal translator for the Clay Sanskrit Library, for which he produced five volumes of translations of Sanskrit poetry. He has also published translations of two haṭha yoga texts, the Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā (2004) and Śivasaṃhitā (2007) for YogaVidya.com. In addition to these books Dr Mallinson has published numerous articles, book chapters and encyclopedia articles, all of which can be downloaded from https://soas.academia.edu/JamesMallinson. In addition to his textual studies, Dr Mallinson’s work on the history of yoga is informed by the several years he has spent living with traditional yogis in India.

The Philosophy of the Yoga Sutra with Karen O’Brien-Kop This course takes an in-depth look at the philosophy underpinning the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. Over 5 lectures Karen explains the historical and cultural background in which the text was compiled. Each chapter and section of the Yoga Sutra is explained in detail, unpacking the deeper meaning of the sutras. This is a very clear and highly informative look at this popular and influential text. Session 1: Overview & historical background Session 2: First chapter – Samadhi Session 3: Second chapter – The practice of yoga Session 4: Third chapter – Extraordinary powers or siddhis Session 5: Fourth chapter – The goal of yoga practice, kaivalya Dr. Karen O’Brien-Kop is Lecturer in Asian Religions and Ethics at the University of Roehampton. She was formerly Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Religions and Philosophies at SOAS University of London.

In this 5 lecture series Graham Burns gives a broad overview of the Upanishads, explaining the history and culture in which they arose. He takes you through several themes that are explored in some of the more prominent Upanishads. He illuminates important concepts that begin to form the foundation of much of Indian thought. Graham presents this lecture series in a clear, intelligent way that is sure to make the wisdom of the Upanishads accessible for anyone interested in learning more about the foundations of Indian philosophy. Session 1: Introduction to the Upanishads & their historical background Session 2: Key ideas found throughout the Upanishads Session 3: Exploring the narratives found throughout the texts Session 4: Stories of Atman or the Self Session 5: Philosophical interpretations Graham Burns is a former City lawyer turned yoga teacher and academic. He has a Master’s degree (with distinction) in Religions from SOAS, University of London, where he focused on ancient Indian religion and philosophy and the historical roots of the yoga traditions. He is a faculty member for the Yogacampus Yoga Teacher Training Diploma programmes, as well as a Senior Teaching Fellow at SOAS (The School of Oriental and African Studies of London University) where he teaches Hinduism and philosophy and is a member of the Centre of Yoga Studies. As well as a law degree from Durham University many years ago, Dr. Graham Burns has more recently completed a PhD. in ancient Indian religious philosophy at SOAS. As well as regular yoga classes and trainings in London and internationally, Graham teaches yoga history, philosophy and Sanskrit on the Yogacampus Yoga Teacher Training Diploma course.

Over 4 sessions Ruth will explore the roles women have made in the history of ancient and modern yoga practice. Session 1 – Ruth discusses themes such as power, control and purity, types of female practitioners and their relation to modern practitioners. Session 2: Ruth discusses the role of gendered polarities in the traditions and the metaphysics of gender. Session 3: In this session Ruth explores the gendered yogic body. Session 4: In this session Ruth discusses the issues of women in globalised modern yoga

In this 5 part lecture series Gwilym Beckerlegge discusses the life and legacy of Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), the Hindu teacher who was arguably the first 'global guru'. Vivekananda has been influential in shaping, among other things, Hindu notions of social activism, and what has come to be known as Modern Yoga, which is now practised beyond India. Gwilym covers the influence of Vivekananda's own guru, the widely revered Sri Ramakrishna, Vivekananda's fascinating journey from India to the United States and Europe at the turn of the 20th century, and the institutions Vivekananda started in Ramakrishna's name. Vivekananda has been a highly influential but contentious figure in the history of recent Hindu tradition. These lectures will explore aspects of Vivekananda’s legacy with particular reference to the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, the movement Vivekananda founded in his guru's name, and the Vivekananda Kendra, also inspired by Vivekananda, which came into existence in 1972. The Kendra, however, promotes in Vivekananda’s name an ideology strongly influenced by Hindu nationalism. Through an examination of these two movements, the lecture will illustrate the diffuse and durable nature of Vivekananda’s influence, and in the process explain why Vivekananda has been judged by some to have been a contradictory and controversial figure. Session 1 - Introducing Vivekananda and his guru Ramakrishna Session 2 - Vivekananda in the USA and London Session 3 - Establishing the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in India: Vivekananda and the spiritual discipline of service Session 4 - Continuity, discontinuity, and innovation in Vivekananda's ideas Session 5 - Vivekananda and his Hindu nationalist admirers

Over five lectures, Gavin Flood, professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion in the Theology and Religion Faculty at Campion Hall at Oxford University, gives an overview of the history, theory and practice of Tantra. He explores aspects from the Śaiva Siddhānta tradition to the Non-Saiddhāntika, to Buddhist Tantra. He gives an overview of the many developments in thought, cosmologies and the varied and fascinating practices that have emerged over the centuries. Session 1 Tantra in history, an overview Session 2 The Śaiva Siddhānta Tradition, rituals, cosmology, initiation and liberation Session 3 The Non-Saiddhāntika traditions including the path of purity and the path of power Session 4 Tantric Śaiva views of the self, the porous self & the gnostic self, Tantric meditation Session 5 Buddhist Tantra – Vajrayāna and the influence of Śaivism Gavin Flood is a Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion in the Theology and Religion Faculty and academic director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. Gavin read Religious Studies and Social Anthropology at Lancaster University and taught at the universities of Wales (Lampeter) and Stirling before coming to Oxford. He was elected to membership of the British Academy in 2014. His research interests are in medieval Hindu texts (especially from the traditions of Shiva), comparative religion, and phenomenology. Two recent books are The Importance of Religion: Meaning and Action in Our Strange World (Oxford: Blackwell, 2013) and The Truth Within: A History of Inwardness in Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism (Oxford University Press, 2014).

Over three sessions Suzanne explores how yoga came to Britain, covering the individuals and movements that influenced the exchange between the yoga from India, and the cast of characters in Britain that eagerly received these exotic ideas and practices that have become part of mainstream, modern life. Session 1: Suzanne introduces British travelogues from India in the seventeenth century, the influences of colonial India and the Theosophical Society, Watkins Bookshop, Jiddu Krishnamurti, the physical culture movement, the presentations of yogic powers and how medical science searched for answers before penicillin, the first appearance of yoga on British television in the 1940's and Paul Brunton. Session 2: We hear about the importance of B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Yoga, Gerald Yorke and the Inner London Education Authority, Swami Sivananda, the first yoga studios in Britain, Pattabhi Jois and Derek Ireland. Session 3: Suzanne emphasises the importance of The Beatles, The Asian Music Circle, the hippie trail, the arrival of Indian gurus, Gandalf's Garden, drug culture and the expansion of consciousness, Centre House, Yogini Sunita, Wilfred Clark and the Wheel of British Yoga and the tensions between tradition and authenticity.

Over three sessions Daniela explores Hindu asceticism, featuring the differences among the main ascetic groups and then focusing on their sādhanās or spiritual disciplines with close attention to the practice of austerities and the practice of yoga. Session 1: An introduction to Hindu asceticism providing a historical background of its origin and developments, highlighting differences among the main ascetic groups, especially the Śaivas and Vaiṣṇavas. Session 2: A discussion about tapas (the inner spiritual fire) developed through tapasyās (austerities). We will explore how the notion of tapas developed over the centuries and how it adapted to changing religious and ascetic contexts. Session 3: Yoga from the ascetic perspective, highlighting the main meditative practices of yoga as well as the role of yoga as a sādhanā over the centuries to present day. Daniela Bevilacqua is a South-Asianist specialising in Hindu asceticism, which she investigates through an ethnographic and historical lens. She received her PhD in Civilizations of Africa and Asia from Sapienza University of Rome and in Anthropology from the University of Paris Nanterre. Her PhD research was published by Routledge under the title Modern Hindu Traditionalism in Contemporary India: The Śrī Maṭh and the Jagadguru Rāmānandācārya in the Evolution of the Rāmānandī Sampradāya. She worked as a post-doc research fellow at SOAS, for the ERC-funded Haṭha Yoga Project (2015– 2020). She has published several articles and book chapters related to asceticism, and yoga studies. She is currently a Research Fellow at SOAS.