Ancient Futures – Details, episodes & analysis

Why is “light” used as a metaphor for “good”, while “dark” means “bad”? How does that blind us and what might we do about it? As Mariana Alessandri writes in Night Vision, difficult feelings such as anger, sorrow, grief, depression and anxiety can be sources of knowledge, so we need to embrace them as part of humanity.

Her book is not a gloom manifesto. Instead, it seeks to clarify why we feel bad about feeling bad. This is an outcome of social pressure to look on the bright side, so telling each other “don’t worry, be happy” causes shame. As a philosopher, Mariana explains that the problem has ancient roots, which are entangled with positive thinking. She also highlights alternative sources with more helpful messages.

Our conversation explores practicalities, including how to strike a balance between acceptance and change – both individually and as a society. We touch on overlaps with yoga, such as the fusion of older ideas with Western “New Thought” (whose original “mind cure” shapes modern-day “manifesting”). And we consider ways of seeing beyond dark and light to more diverse perspectives.

Night Vision is out now in paperback, ebook and audio – it’s engagingly written, but with scholarly rigour. For a taste of Mariana’s work, try this New York Times essay on the children’s TV host Fred Rogers, whose “belief that we should validate emotions, not suppress them, is wisdom for all ages”.

🎓 Join me online for The Path of Knowledge, a year-long immersion in yogic traditions, relating ancient wisdom to modern priorities.

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How did Westerners first get involved with Eastern teachers, and is the age of the guru now over? In his latest book, The Nirvana Express, Mick Brown presents a colourful cast of seekers, writers, mystics, tricksters and chancers – he reveals people’s flaws without obscuring the sincerity of spiritual quests.

Alongside portraits of better-known subjects, from Vivekananda and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to Rajneesh, Mick notes the influence of Western occultists, and early interest in Ramana Maharshi – an exemplary sage who inspired The Razor’s Edge by Somerset Maugham and A Search in Secret India by Paul Brunton.

Our conversation explores the significance of these stories, alongside others from an earlier book, The Spiritual Tourist, which recounts Mick’s engagement with mystical teachers. In his day job, he works as a journalist – reporting in detail on guru abuses – so we talk about the value of critical thinking, while considering the merits of genuine teachers, who can only awaken what's found in oneself.

🎓 Join me online for The Path of Knowledge, a year-long immersion in yogic traditions, relating ancient wisdom to modern priorities.

🙏 To support this podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated

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 hosts a podcast called Living in Alignment, which weaves together wisdom for everyday life based on yogic inquiry. We talk about this and her forthcoming book, as well as the transformative power of knowledge in various forms – from scholarly research to experiential insight. Join me to explore these themes in an online immersion in early Upaniṣads. It runs live from April 29 to May 26, with Q&As on Sundays.

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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, non-hierarchical and interdependent

* Why humanity is more about relationships than individuals

* Why people can’t say what they want, or how much is enough

* How it helps to embrace the maxim: “my life is my work of art”

* Whether life is a game, and if so how to play it successfully

To explore some of the overlaps between "posthuman" thinking and yogic traditions, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com. An Upaniṣads immersion starts on April 29.

And if you'd like to support the podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!

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 recommend reading. We also talked about the Charter for Compassion – see here for more details.

To explore how yogic traditions relate to modern life, and alleviate suffering, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com. And if you'd like to support the podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!

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 transition from working in war zones to seeing how the world is a toxic environment, shaped by traumatised people and inhuman pressures. We also discuss a few remedies – including meditation and psychedelics, and other modalities used to treat trauma.

To explore how yogic traditions relate to modern life, and alleviate suffering, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com. And if you'd like to support the podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!

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 everyday life, while also working to transform the world.

Your Heart Was Made for This weaves personal stories with activist history to talk about techniques for relating more skilfully to one another, and to ourselves. In the process, it highlights 26 qualities from the Buddha’s teachings, including practical guidance on how to develop them, and reflections on their links to social change.

To explore some of the overlaps between Buddhism and yogic traditions, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com. And if you'd like to support the podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!

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 perfectionism, and why it’s not always “bad”

* How keeping busy helps people to bury unwanted feelings

* Ways to focus on what we control and accept what we can’t

* The transformative power of enjoying a hobby, just for fun

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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 teach us universal values? Along the way, our conversation explores (among other topics):

* The importance of ethics and peer support networks

* If “yoga has always been political”, as a headline once said

* Potential limits to arguing “if it’s not accessible, it’s not yoga”

* Whether “cultural appropriation” is a helpful framework

* The pros and cons of self-publishing for yoga authors

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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 centuries, and part of its appeal is that it leaves us with questions, inspiring us to think for ourselves what to do with its message.

Among other topics, our conversation explores:

* Why dharma – or doing the right thing – is “a slippery fish”

* What this says about contemporary problems such as ecocide

* How to end cycles of revenge in which both sides feel righteous

* The extent to which fate and free will define human activity

* Who gets edited out, and which themes are prioritised

Links to resources discussed in the podcast are posted here. Meanwhile, stay tuned for a retreat based on the Mahābhārata – more news soon at danielsimpson.info.

If you enjoy the conversation, and want to fuel more, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!