Love At First Science Episode 86, Part 2 - Yoga as Embodied Resistance with Anjali Rao
In Part Two of this transformative conversation, Anjali Rao and Hannah go deeper into the lived practice of yoga; how to honour its complexity, language and lineage while teaching with integrity and inclusivity.
Anjali unpacks the layered meanings of dharma, reflects on how the concept of true self transcends gender and caste, and explains why Sanskrit is both a source of beauty and a symbol of privilege. She shares how teachers can create spaces of care, accountability and liberation by engaging with history rather than avoiding it.
In this episode:
What dharma really means — and how to use it with integrity
The idea of the true self beyond identity, caste, and gender
Why Sanskrit can be both sacred and exclusionary
How to strip away old hierarchies and make yoga spaces truly inclusive
What liberation might look like in today’s yoga world
This episode is an invitation to practise yoga as awareness in action; thoughtful, embodied and deeply human.
About Anjali
Anjali Rao is a yoga educator-practitioner whose work deconstructs the dynamics of power in yoga with a multidisciplinary approach integrating philosophy, art and history. She offers insight into the stories that have been obscured by heteropatriarchy, orthodoxy, and colonization.
She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Philosophy and Religion at the California Institute of Integral Studies, exploring the formulation of movements of dissent and resistance in the religio-spiritual context. She is on the faculty of many yoga teacher training and continuing education programs. She is also the host of The Love of Yoga podcast, where she shares thought-provoking conversations with yoga scholars and activists on the frontlines of liberatory movements.
Anjali's brand new book, Yoga as Embodied Resistance is now available to buy here.
About Alba Yoga Academy
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