The Teaching on Yoga as Embodied Resistance with Anjali Rao

Sep 30, 2025

In a thought-provoking discussion, Anjali Rao, a scholarly yoga teacher and author of Yoga as Embodied Resistance, delves into yoga's complex history through an intersectional feminist lens. She shares how her Indian heritage and years in the U.S. influenced her perspective on yoga as a collective creation shaped by various cultural forces. Anjali highlights the impact of resistance movements on yoga, discusses the importance of making academic research accessible to practitioners, and reflects on personal experiences that have informed her journey.

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INSIGHT

Yoga Is Historically Embedded

Yoga developed inside complex social, political, and religious contexts, not in isolation.
Anjali Rao urges practitioners to view yoga as collective creation shaped by caste and patriarchy.

INSIGHT

A Feminist Lens Reveals Hidden Power

A feminist, intersectional lens reveals voices and power dynamics missing from mainstream yoga history.
Rao frames yoga history to deconstruct caste and patriarchal influences on teachings and practice.

INSIGHT

Yoga Is A Tapestry Of Traditions

Rao highlights diverse threads in yoga history: Upanishads, Puranas, Bhakti, and resistance movements.
She shows how marginalized practitioners offered alternative visions of spirituality, gender, and pleasure.

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In this special episode, host, Jivana Heyman, sits down with longtime friend and colleague, Anjali Rao, to discuss her groundbreaking new book, Yoga as Embodied Resistance: A Feminist Lens on Caste, Gender, and Sacred Resilience in Yoga History. Together, they discuss yoga's complex history and the need to bridge scholarship and practice.

Drawing from both her Indian heritage and 30 years of living in the United States, Anjali shares her unique perspective on yoga history and how it has inspired her work. She discusses the structure of her book, which includes foundational knowledge about yoga, caste, and Hinduism, as well as historical case studies. Additionally, she reflects on her transformative first yoga class as a breast cancer survivor and her passion for teaching yoga philosophy.

In the Question and Answer segment, Jivana and cohost, Deanna Michalopoulos, respond to a listener question about teaching yoga in conservative religious communities and discuss navigating fundamentalist concerns while maintaining the integrity of the yoga teachings. Another listener asked about balancing perfectionism with the practical application of yogic ethics in daily life, inspiring a conversation about ahimsa (non-violence).

Topics include:

The complexity of yoga history and viewing yoga as a collective creation from multiple traditions and perspectives
How patriarchal structures have shaped traditional yoga teachings
The impact of resistance movements on yoga
The concept of essentialism
The challenge of practicing ahimsa in everyday life
The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition by Thenmozhi Soundararajan
The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice- Georg Feuerstein

Pre Order Yoga as Embodied Resistance: A Feminist Lens on Caste, Gender, and Sacred Resilience in Yoga History by Anjali Rao today!

Register to attend the Special Book Launch Event, live online, on Friday, October 17th, 1-2pm Pacific / 4-5pm Eastern - hosted by Accessible Yoga!

Join the Yoga As Embodied Resistance: Reading Circle! A four-session series to study and discuss the book in community. Live with Anjali on Zoom. October 24 and 31, November 7 and 11, 1-3pm Pacific / 4-6pm Eastern.

We Want to Hear from You!

What story, teaching, or practice inspires your yoga journey today? Submit your answer or any other questions you have for Jivana via Google Form: https://forms.gle/NtijeM82dSgU5jVD7 or leave a voice message here (90 second maximum): https://www.speakpipe.com/AccessibleYoga

Selected responses may be featured in future episodes!

Connect with Anjali:

Anjali Rao brings an intersectional and decolonial feminist lens to the study of philosophy and yoga history integrating storytelling, art and poetry. Emphasizing an embodied approach, her work deconstructs the dynamics of power in yoga spaces. She is on the faculty of multiple yoga teacher training programs. She is the host of The Love of Yoga podcast bridging scholarship, activism and yoga.

She is currently pursuing a PhD in Philosophy and Religion in California Institute of Integral Studies. Her first book, Yoga As Embodied Resistance: A Feminist Lens in Caste, Gender And Sacred Resilience in Yoga History, North Atlantic Books is available for order.

https://www.yoganjali.me/ | @yoganjali

Connect with Jivana:

Check out Jivana’s books, Accessible Yoga, Yoga Revolution, and The Teacher’s Guide to Accessible Yoga, and get more information about Accessible Yoga at accessibleyoga.org

www.jivanaheyman.com | @jivanaheyman | facebook.com/jivanaheyman

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Credit: Mikus Dharma (they/them), AY Podcast Sound Engineer