Resources
A curated selection of books, films, scholarship, and digital resources to deepen your Yogic Studies "off the mat."
Books
A (brief) selection of recommended texts, translations, and edited volumes. Click the titles to learn more or purchase. [Disclaimer: Yogic Studies will receive a very small affiliate commission from Amazon purchases]
Podcasts
A selection of academic and research-based Podcasts which cover yoga, Indian philosophy, and South Asian religions:
Journals & Blogs
Open-source, peer-reviewed academic journals, and individual freelance blogs.
Curated by Jacqueline Hargreaves and Dr. Jason Birch, The Luminescent is an independent, high-quality, evidence-based research hub for the history and practice of Yoga. Their aim is to offer an excellent standard of research on the rich history and diverse practice of Yoga to the broader community in the form of open-access articles, essays and visual material.
The Indian Philosophy Blog
The Indian Philosophy Blog is a venue for the discussion of Indian (South Asian) philosophy, however defined. All periods of Indian thought from the ancient to the modern, and all Indian philosophical schools, can be discussed here. We expect the blog to consist above all of substantive reflection on topics related to Indian philosophy, though we will also post announcements such as calls for papers.
Films
Documentary and education films related to yoga.
Academic Programs in Yoga Studies
A list of current degree programs in Yoga Studies from accredited universities.
MA Traditions of Yoga and Meditation, SOAS
Language: English
Masters of Arts program at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, UK.
MA in Yoga Studies, Naropa
Language: English
Masters of Arts program in Yoga Studies at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.
MA in Yoga Studies, LMU
Language: English
Masters of Arts program in Yoga Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.
MA in Yoga Studies, University of Venice
Language: Italian
Masters of Arts program in Yoga Studies at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy.
Research Groups & Centers
Current academic research projects and organizations.
The Haį¹ha Yoga Project (HYP) is a five-year (2015-2020) research project funded by the European Research Council and based at SOAS, University of London which aims to chart the history of physical yoga practice by means of philology, i.e., the study of texts on yoga, and ethnography, i.e., fieldwork among practitioners of yoga.
The project’s primary outputs will be critical editions and annotated translations of ten Sanskrit texts on haį¹ha yoga, four monographs, and a range of journal articles, book chapters and encyclopedia entries.
Entangled Histories of Yoga, Ayurveda and Alchemy in South Asia
This five-year ERC-funded project examines the histories of yoga, ayurveda and rasaÅÄstra (Indian alchemy and iatrochemistry) from the tenth century to the present, focussing on the disciplines' health, rejuvenation and longevity practices. The goals of the project are to reveal the entanglements of these historical traditions, and to trace the trajectories of their evolution as components of today's global healthcare and personal development industries.
SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies
The Centre will be a hub for scholars, students and all those interested in yoga and they look forward to hosting lecture series, seminars and workshops in order to share our work, learn from that of others and develop new collaborations.
Modern Yoga Research
This website aims to help you find out more about established and current research into modern yoga and, more generally, about some of the most informative research on earlier forms of yoga. These are different but overlapping fields, and we believe that it is when they come together that a deeper understanding of modern yoga can happen.
Yoga in Theory and Practice Unit
This Unit seeks to elucidate the religious and sectarian representations of yoga in South Asian history and the profoundly fascinating contemporary yoga culture that has emerged in the past century.
South Asian American Perspectives on Yoga in America (SAAPYA)
South Asian American Perspectives on Yoga in America is a platform and network for the voices of yoga teachers and students from across the South Asian diaspora. The guiding principle of SAAPYA is that South Asian folks in America have a vital role to play in sustaining yoga through the integration of our contemporary bodies and relevant cultural lineage.
The Contemplative Science Center's mission is to explore contemplative practices, values, ideas, and institutions historically and in contemporary times to better understand their diverse impacts, underlying mechanisms, and dynamic processes through analytical research and scholarship, as well as to help develop new applications and learning programs for their integration into varied sectors of our society. Our mandate is to pursue research, learning, and engagement related to contemplation across all schools and organizational units of the University of Virginia, and to become national and international leaders in this rapidly growing field of activity.
Sanskrit Resources
A collection of tools, resources, and programs to aid in Sanskrit language training.
Other Resources
Further links, studies, and articles.
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Archive.org (countless texts and publications available as PDFs)
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Academia.edu (digital library of academic publications)
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Karl Potter’s Bibliography of Indian Philosophy
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Yoga Traditions Bibliography — Seth Powell's PhD General Exam List
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Åaivism and the Tantric Traditions Bibliography — Seth Powell's PhD General Exam List
