17. Stuart Sarbacker | Tracing the Path of Yoga

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Stuart Ray Sarbacker about his
newest book Tracing the Path of Yoga: The History and Philosophy
of Indian Mind-Body Discipline (2021, SUNY Press). We explore the
origins of yoga, what Stuart calls the numinous and cessative
dimensions of yoga, early tantric sources for Haṭhayoga, as well
as unique yoga teachings from the Purāṇas. We discuss the
importance of mantra and sacred sound, varying interpretations of
Aṣṭāṅgayoga, and the under-appreciated influences of Buddhism and
Jainism throughout yoga's history.

Speaker Bio

Stuart Ray Sarbacker is an Associate Professor of
Philosophy and Religion in the School of History, Philosophy, and
Religion at Oregon State University. His work is centered on the
relationships between the religious and philosophical traditions
of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, especially with respect to
the practices of yoga and tantra, including both bodily
disciplines and contemplative practices. He also works on issues
related to method and theory in the study of religion, with a
particular focus on religious experience and its interpretation.
He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
and has performed institutional study and fieldwork in India,
Nepal, and Japan.


He has written three books, including Samādhi: The Numinous and
Cessative in Indo-Tibetan Yoga (SUNY Press), The Eight Limbs of
Yoga: A Handbook for Living Yoga Philosophy (Farrar, Straus, and
Giroux), and the forthcoming Tracing the Path of Yoga: The
History and Philosophy of Indian Mind-Body Discipline (SUNY
Press).


He is a co-founder and former co-chair of the American Academy of
Religion’s Yoga in Theory and Practice unit, and has also served
as the co-chair of the American Academy of Religion’s Mysticism
section. In addition to his academic credentials, Professor
Sarbacker is an active yoga practitioner and teacher, having
trained extensively in contemporary yoga and meditation
traditions in India and the United States.

Links 


https://oregonstate.academia.edu/StuartSarbacker 

Tracing the Path of Yoga (Sarbacker 2021)