A basic history of the Indian traditions at the heart of modern yoga — focused on awakening, self-knowledge, and what Yoga actually is.
Modern yoga has become increasingly separated from the philosophical and initiatory traditions that gave it meaning. The asana practice remains. But the context — the understanding of what Yoga was actually pointing toward — has largely disappeared.
This podcast is an attempt to recover some of what has been lost.
Matthew Krepps traces the history of the Indian traditions at the center of modern yoga — Hatha, Tantra, the Yoga Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita — with clarity, depth, and a scholar's attention to what the original teachings actually said.
"The ultimate aim is to establish a working definition of Yoga as awakening — and to initiate a continuing dialogue about awakening as the systematic overcoming of self-deception, leading to deeper intimacy with what is real."
Each season explores a different dimension of the traditions that gave Yoga its depth — taught in sequence, but listenable in any order.
The origins of modern yoga practice — asana, pranayama, mudra, and the subtle body. What these techniques were actually for, and what has been lost in their transmission to the West.
The Tantric traditions that underlie much of classical Yoga — secrecy, initiation, the nature of consciousness, and what genuine awakening has meant across different Indian schools.
Why the deepest teachings were kept secret, how they were transmitted, and what is lost when that transmission is broken — including the subtle sexual essences, breath, and mind as instruments of transformation.
"Matt moves effortlessly across traditions and texts, weaving ideas together so naturally that you barely notice when the tapestry of certainty you walked in with begins to come apart."
Ready to go deeper after listening? Matt teaches two full courses rooted in these same texts:
Scholar · Ayurvedic Practitioner · Co-Founder, Circle Yoga Shala
Matthew has been practicing Yoga for over thirty years and teaching for more than twenty. His training is rooted in the lineage of Krishnamacharya — and shaped by decades of study across Indian philosophy, Ayurveda, and the contemplative traditions.
The Lost Ways of Knowing grew out of his conviction that modern yoga practitioners deserve access to the full depth of the tradition — not a watered-down version designed for the wellness market.
He teaches the same material in two full courses available through Circle Yoga Shala: The Bhagavad Gita Course and The Yoga Sutra Course.
No subscription. No cost. Just 24 episodes of serious, grounded teaching — available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Ready to go deeper? Matt teaches these same texts in full courses:
Essays, teachings, and what's happening at the Shala — delivered to your inbox.