36. Philip Deslippe | Early American Yoga and the "Swami Circuit"

In this episode, we speak with return guest Philip Deslippe about
his research on the history of Early American Yoga. Philip shares
with us his archive of knowledge and stories from the "Swami
Circuit"—the network of forgotten South Asian yoga teachers who
travelled and taught various forms of yoga throughout the United
States during the 19th and 20th centuries. We discuss the nature
of yoga and yoga teachers during this time, the demographics and
geography of yoga, issues of authenticity and
professionalization, how racism and and immigration policies
impacted yoga, and why yoga was commonly taught at hotels during
this period. We conclude with a preview of his upcoming revised
online course, YS 102 | Modern Yoga in the West. 

Speaker Bio
Philip Deslippe is a historian of American religion
with a background in American Studies and literature. He is
currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Religious
Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara where he
is writing a dissertation on the early history of yoga in the
United States from the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth century.
Philip has published articles on the history of modern yoga in
academic journals such as the Journal of Yoga Studies, Amerasia,
and Sikh Formations, and in popular venues including Yoga
Journal, Air and Space Smithsonian, and the Indian news site
Scroll.



Links


YS 102 | Modern Yoga in the West

https://ucsb.academia.edu/PhilipDeslippe

"The Swami Circuit: Mapping the Terrain of Early American
Yoga" (2018)