Ben Williams, PhD
Special guest
Williams received his PhD in the Department of South Asian Studies at Harvard University. In addition to a broad training in the history of Indian religions, and sustained study of Indian philosophy and literature in Sanskrit sources, Williams is a specialist in the tantric traditions of premodern India. His doctoral thesis is on the theory of revelation and the figure of the tantric guru in the writings of the great tenth- to eleventh-century polymath, Abhinavagupta.
Ben Williams, PhD has been a guest on 1 episode.
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38. Nataraja Kallio & Ben Williams: Reining in the Wild Mind - Yoga Traditions and Studies
September 10th, 2018 | 37 mins 8 secs
hatha yoga, meditation, yoga teacher training
It is important to cultivate discernment in the sense of a historical awareness: the ability to discern many different streams in yogic traditions, and understand their fundamental orientations, outlooks, and practices. This means not letting these different streams all get mixed up into a very vague notion of yoga, but actually appreciating the depth and integrity of each. And thus when we draw from each lineage, we gain greater access to its transformational power. I think that discernment is something that is missing in the broader world of modern postural yoga.