Liberating Yoga

Welcome back to the Liberating Yoga Podcast. As we begin season two, I'm delighted to welcome Lama Rod Owens to talk about love, rage, grief, lineage, and spiritual practice during times of upheaval. In this episode, we talk about how people can get through hopelessness about genocides, wars, and oppression by letting heartbreak and grief in, cutting through resistance, and finding support in...

Welcome to the Liberating Yoga Podcast. My guest today is Anjali Rao. Why do modern yoga spaces feel so in conflict with the path’s core principles? In this episode of the Liberating Yoga Podcast, I'm in conversation with Teacher, Intersectional Health Advocate, and Space Holder, Anjali Rao. We discuss the absence of history and philosophy in yoga teacher trainings, the damage of unbridled pow...

Welcome to the Liberating Yoga Podcast. My guest today is Dr. Neil Dalal. There is no checklist for avoiding cultural appropriation and honoring yoga’s roots. In a society seeking quick fixes to avoid being “wrong,” this episode is an invitation to think more deeply about how we might connect back to the path’s original intentions with reverence. In this conversation, Dr. Neil Dalal, Researcher an...

Welcome to the Liberating Yoga Podcast. My guest today is Kendra Coupland. You are divine. What might it look like to embody this truth, while being deeply aware of how oppressive systems impact us in a very real way based on our multi-faceted human identities? Harpinder Kaur Mann is in conversation with Kendra Coupland, Yoga Grandmaster, Mindfulness Coach, and Artist, on this episode of the Liber...

Welcome to the Liberating Yoga Podcast. My guest today is Dr. Shyam Ranganathan. While mainstream American culture limits yoga to a mere fitness class or a “woo-woo” spiritual endeavor that belongs at home, it began as a philosophical commitment toward ethical action and sovereignty. In this episode of the Liberating Yoga Podcast, host Harpinder Kaur Mann is in conversation with Scholar and Histor...

Welcome to the Liberating Yoga Podcast. My guest today is Tejal Patel. In a sea of yoga spaces that often feel exclusionary, I find myself asking: What does it really take to create an environment that reflects yoga’s deeper purpose—collective liberation and peace? Tejal is the founder of Tejal Yoga, and in this conversation, we explore what it means to build yoga spaces rooted in community, cultu...

Welcome to the Liberating Yoga Podcast. My guest today is Reggie Hubbard. Reggie is the founder/chief serving officer of Active Peace LLC. His yogic and meditative practices have served as a sanctuary of peace and perspective while navigating the stresses of being a black man in the world and serving in pressure-filled jobs at the height of US politics. His practices have also helped him navigate...

Welcome to the Liberating Yoga Podcast. My guest today is Leah Saliter (she/her). Leah is a Death Doula, Digital Creator, Yoga enthusiast, and certified Yoga-Asana instructor who teaches Yoga as a source of healing for Black and Brown, abundant bodies. She is the founder of Unity in Healing, an organization that creates safe spaces where folks can experience the power of healing in community throu...

Welcome to the Liberating Yoga Podcast. My guest today is Yoga Teacher & Social Justice Advocate Susanna Barkataki. Today’s mainstream yoga culture is steeped in capitalism, exclusivity, and cultural appropriation. How did we get here, and how can we protect the wholeness of the practice for future generations? In this episode we discuss the nuances of yoga’s history, accountability for yoga p...

Welcome to the Liberating Yoga Podcast. In this first episode, I'm in conversation with Yoga & Resilience Educator Prasad Rangnekar. In this episode, we discuss yoga’s many definitions and margas while unpacking all that is lost in a society that narrows its abundance down to a commercialised brand of asana. We also explore the differences between traditional yoga and the version that is p...

Welcome to the Liberating Yoga podcast. A space to explore yoga as a practice and path of healing, resistance, and deep connection. I'm Harpinder Kaur Mann, a yoga educator, writer, and seeker, here to dive into the roots of yoga, dismantle appropriation, and uplift practices that honor collective liberation while making yoga accessible. These conversations were recorded two years ago as part of m...