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Ancient Futures

Timeless wisdom for modern dilemmas, combining yoga philosophy, practical insight and critical thinking. Hosted by Daniel Simpson. ancientfutures.substack.com

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

80:35

Higher Truths – Hari-kirtana das

Ancient Futures ·

2024/06/19

What makes people wary of getting immersed in the Bhagavad Gītā? To start with, it’s set in a war zone, where God issues edicts to kill and upholds social hierarchy. Yet its message is also inspiring, making yoga compatible with everyday life, and developing a loving awareness that sees all beings equally.This podcast with Hari-kirtana das explores his new book on the Gītā’s teachings, which is subtitled A Guide to Exploring Timeless Principles of Transcendental Knowledge and Integrating Them Into

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61:16

Timeless Tongues – Suhas Mahesh

Ancient Futures ·

2024/06/05

What makes for good translations from an old language? For Suhas Mahesh and Anusha Rao – co-editors of How to Love in Sanskrit – it's “a game of compromise”. Rather than fixating on “excessive attention to irrelevant detail”, they focus instead on making words come alive. So a female lament from 2,000 years ago becomes: “Dear God, make him hang out with other women more. He does not seem to realise what a catch I am.”This is a rich conversation about life in general, not just linguistics. We talk

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60:31

Sacred Values – Elizabeth Oldfield

Ancient Futures ·

2024/05/22

Which qualities might help us to thrive In a turbulent world? For Elizabeth Oldfield – who hosts a podcast called The Sacred – the key is to prioritise values that bring us together and strengthen relationships."I want to be growing into faith, hope and love – not out of them," she explains in this discussion about her new book, titled Fully Alive. Its framework for moulding one's character might sound surprising – the seven deadly sins. However, as Elizabeth clarifies, the point is to rethink

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74:11

Becoming Immortal – Jason Birch

Ancient Futures ·

2024/05/08

What was haṭha yoga before it meant postures?As the scholar Jason Birch explains, medieval yogis used a three-part sequence of physical methods to raise vital energy and empty their minds (video here). Their ultimate goal was transcendence of death.Our conversation discusses Jason’s book, The Amaraugha and Amaraughaprabodha of Gorakṣanātha: The Genesis of Haṭha and Rājayoga. We also explore other questions, including:• What might practitioners learn from this system, and other recent findings?• Is

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60:30

Aligned with Life – Amy Landry

Ancient Futures ·

2024/04/24

What does it mean to “study” yoga, rather than “practise”? The two aren’t mutually exclusive, explains Amy Landry, who’s hosting a series of online discussions on how to combine them. The Study Yoga summit runs live from April 29 to May 3, with replays available. There are more than a dozen contributors – one of whom is me – and the interviews are shaped by Amy’s extensive experience as a teacher and practitioner of yoga and other Indian disciplines, including classical dance and Āyurveda.Amy also

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86:50

Who Are We? – Francesca Ferrando

Ancient Futures ·

2024/04/10

When John Donne wrote “no man is an island”, his alternative was to be “involved in mankind”. Francesca Ferrando has broader ideas. As a philosopher and “leading voice in the field of posthuman studies”, Francesca's aim is to get us to think in terms of life.The Art of Being Posthuman – Francesca's new book – is a string of meditations about how to do this. Our conversation considers connections with Indian traditions, and in the process discusses (among other topics):* Why life is diverse,

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56:32

Compassion in Action – Panel Discussion

Ancient Futures ·

2024/03/27

A different sort of podcast this week – the recording of a panel at the Oxford Literary Festival. The topic is "Religion and Animal Welfare", based on a book by the former chief executive in Compassion in World Farming, Joyce D’Silva.I shared some yogic perspectives on non-harming, speaking between Amir Khan – a wildlife advocate, broadcaster and Muslim – and the former archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton.I’ve since become a signatory of the CIWF Vision for Fair Food and Farming, which I

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70:00

Collective Detox – Matthew Green

Ancient Futures ·

2024/03/13

Yoga philosophy deals with three kinds of pain. These relate to ourselves, to how we interact with others, and to powerful forces beyond our control. This podcast engages with all of them, and highlights communal approaches to healing.Matthew Green works as an editor for DeSmog, an investigative website. He also writes Resonant World, a newsletter about collective trauma, and Toxic Workplace Survival Guy, which offers advice on how to navigate challenging office environments.We talk about his

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64:53

Heartfulness – Oren Jay Sofer

Ancient Futures ·

2024/02/28

What’s love got to do with a world in crisis? Everything, says Oren Jay Sofer in his new book, Your Heart Was Made for This. No matter how overwhelming things might seem, we can cultivate capacities that help us to respond with sensitivity and strength.Oren teaches Buddhist meditation, mindfulness and communication (the subject of his last book, Say What You Mean – which I found very helpful when running a men's group). We touch on all these topics in a wide-ranging chat about ways to awaken in

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60:25

Beyond Burnout – Anna Schaffner

Ancient Futures ·

2024/02/14

Why do so many of us feel so exhausted these days? What can we do to avoid burning out, or to help us recover? Anna Schaffner is a scholar-turned-coach, whose new book is Exhausted: An A-Z for the Weary. It offers timeless inspiration, noting “we still have much to learn from the ancients, and from other cultures.” We talk about crossovers with yoga philosophy and Buddhist ideas, and in the process consider (among other topics):* Why there’s so much social pressure to work too hard* What drives

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76:17

Teaching Accessibly – Jivana Heyman

Ancient Futures ·

2024/01/31

What does it mean to make yoga accessible? Jivana Heyman first used the term when he started to train disabled teachers. But its significance is broader, pointing students towards something subtler – their own true nature beyond mind and body.As Jivana explains in his latest book, The Teacher’s Guide to Accessible Yoga, that’s a goal more aligned with traditional texts than performing contortions. But does it set the bar high to reveal the true self? And if it’s found in all beings, does it also

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59:52

Dharmic Drama – Miriam Fernandes

Ancient Futures ·

2024/01/17

What can we learn from an ancient text about war and peace, among the many other topics in the Mahābhārata? Or as a new adaptation puts it: “In times of division, how do we find wholeness? Are we destined to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors? And how can we build a new world when we have nearly destroyed this one?”The production’s co-author, Miriam Fernandes, also stars as a storyteller – a key role in the Mahābhārata’s own story. It’s been told and retold in many different forms over the

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73:05

Relational Yoga – Ranju Roy + Dave Charlton

Ancient Futures ·

2024/01/03

How do we relate to the problem of suffering? Does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body (to quote Still Ill by The Smiths)? Are there ways to get more comfortably entangled, or is the answer to renounce all attachments?Ranju Roy and Dave Charlton have been practising yoga since the 1980s, and teaching together for 20 years. They’re also co-authors of a book titled Embodying the Yoga Sūtra, sharing practical insights on yoga philosophy. Our conversation explores what they’ve learned

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69:57

Why Study Yoga? – Graham Burns

Ancient Futures ·

2023/12/20

What are the benefits of studying yoga academically? Is critical thinking a practical obstacle? Are the two ways of seeing complementary? Expanding on a recent essay, I talk about these questions – among many others – with Graham Burns.Graham has been teaching yoga for more than 20 years. He holds a PhD from SOAS, University of London, and wrote his thesis on the Vedic Upaniṣads. He also taught on the M.A. in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation, to which I contribute.As I explain in the introduction,

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72:24

Yoga Beyond Poses – Mary Richards

Ancient Futures ·

2023/12/06

What might yoga look like if it we weren't making shapes? As Mary Richards explains in Teach People, Not Poses, the purpose of practice is self-inquiry, so one way to start is by getting more familiar with physical form, instead of contorting to follow instructions.Mary’s approach is down-to-earth, yet shaped by decades of study. A self-described “anatomy nerd”, she’s also guided by philosophy, having first encountered yoga via the Bhagavad Gītā as a teenager. Among other topics, our conversation

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24:55

Doing Less Harm – Christopher Miller

Ancient Futures ·

2023/11/22

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comYogic traditions often highlight non-harming (ahiṃsā), but to what extent is harm an inevitable part of worldly life? Is it more realistic to try to reduce it, or is anything short of removing it part of the problem? There are few easy answers…Christopher Miller is a scholar and practitioner. He’s co-founder of the Arihanta Institute, which offers courses on Jain studies, and he’s the author of a book entitled

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26:56

Yoga and Psychology – Isabel Dziobek

Ancient Futures ·

2023/11/08

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat might yoga philosophy look like if it was shaped by contemporary science? How compatible are cognitive therapies with traditional ideas about alleviating suffering?Isabel Dziobek is a professor of psychology at the Humboldt University of Berlin, and she’s also a yoga teacher. As we discuss, there are no easy answers to these sorts of questions. Yogic teachings define the self differently to modern

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26:38

A Pilgrim's Progress – Ranju Roy

Ancient Futures ·

2023/10/25

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat’s the purpose of yoga and where does it lead? 🤔In his forthcoming book, Ranju Roy compares the process of practice to going on a pilgrimage. The journey spirals inwards and outwards, from deep contemplation to communal gatherings, and goals are less important than walking the path.The book includes Ranju’s own sūtras – i.e. pithy expressions of practical pointers – interspersed with stories from decades of

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27:06

Yoga for Life – Alex Medin

Ancient Futures ·

2023/10/11

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat does it mean to live a yogic life in the twenty-first century? Alex Medin runs Nøsen, a Norwegian retreat centre, which hosts an annual yoga festival, and is part of a programme that rehabilitates former prisoners and drug addicts.Alex doesn’t do things by halves. He’s studied yoga and Sanskrit academically, as well as exploring physical practice to advanced levels. He’s also lived in India for extended

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27:53

Ecstatic Integration – Jules Evans

Ancient Futures ·

2023/09/27

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat helps people to cope with traumatic events that can sometimes accompany altered states? Jules Evans researches this question for the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project. He’s also the author of books about Stoic philosophy, ecstatic transcendence and strategies for navigating “spiritual emergency”.That term covers all sorts of crises, not just those arising from psychedelics. People get into

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