114: Yoga & Religion: Expert Insights with Firdose Moonda MA

“Is Yoga a religion?” is an often-asked question, and the deeper we delve into the historical and philosophical underpinnings of the practice, the less simple and straight-forward the answer becomes.

Here to guide us on that complex conversational journey is returning guest Firdose Moonda, who holds an MA in the Traditions of Yoga and Meditation from the School of Oriental and African Studies and is undertaking doctoral work into the politics of yoga.

Listen in to unpack yoga’s historic and present-day entanglements with South Asian religions, and explore the responsibilities of modern yoga teachers in the West.

“Yoga is highly politically religious.” – Firdose Moonda MA

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“Are we still teaching yoga if we are taking out so many of those historic and cultural elements?” – Rachel Land

Show Notes:

Defining religion [3:44]
Can you be spiritual but not religious [7:02]
Evolution of yoga: the Vedic period [10:58]
Emergence of Buddhism and Jainism [15:51]
Hatha yoga, and separation of yoga from religion [19:30]
Is yoga even more entangled with religion today [23:55]
Contributions from Tantra & South Asian Islam [24:55]
Implications of the international day of yoga [29:44]
Can yoga teachers avoid politics, history, religion and philosophy entirely [34:40]
Finding your place as a teacher in the modern yoga world [43:50]
We are also creating yoga history [48:18]
More resources, and a final word of caution [54:49]