What It Means to Be Free | Yoga Philosophy Club
with Daniel SimpsonA monthly online gathering for teachers and practitioners to reflect together on how ancient yogic wisdom speaks to modern lives. This session explores what the yoga tradition offers in relation to death, loss, and the practice of letting go.
Overview
A supportive space to explore yogic wisdom
This monthly online gathering is a supportive space to explore yogic insights in dialogue — a place for teachers and practitioners of yoga to reflect together on how ancient wisdom can support modern lives.
The traditional objective of yoga is liberation. In this session, we explore what that means in contemporary life.
• What did freedom mean in ancient yogic texts, and what does it look like today?
• To what extent is yoga about liberation from something oppressive?
• Is freedom to be able to act in particular ways, or freedom within?
• How far do words like “autonomy” and “independence” reflect yogic values?
• Do traditional ideas of renouncing the world still have any appeal?
Who is this course for?
Course Dates
Good to know
- Attend any session as a standalone, or build a pathway through the year.
- Hours count towards 300-hour certification or CPD hours if you do 5 sessions ( 10 hrs in total)
- Sessions are recorded — catch up on demand for up to four weeks after.
- Prefer a different payment plan? Pay your deposit and email us to arrange. Full payment must be received before the course starts.
- Select bank transfer (BACS) at checkout — it helps us keep course fees down by lowering card processing charges.
- Bursary available: one 50% bursary place is offered each year. Learn more →
- FAQs Learn more →
- T&Cs Learn more →
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What you'll take away
A grounded, accessible understanding of yoga philosophy — ancient to modern — and how it connects to lived experience
Confidence to bring philosophical ideas into your own practice or teaching, without jargon or dogma
A community of curious practitioners reflecting together on how yogic wisdom applies to modern life
Yoga Alliance CPD hours that count towards 300-hour certification, plus a certificate of attendance on completion of 5 sessions
What Our Students Say
What participants say
"Daniel weaves effortlessly through the history of yoga, making philosophy feel alive and relevant. His clarity, honesty and humour create a space where genuine enquiry can happen."
M.G. · Long-time Participant"It's amazing how clear and grounded Daniel makes these ideas — his teaching carries real depth, and you leave with something to chew on for weeks."
Dr. L.G."Accessible, capable and generous. Daniel's sessions always strike the right balance between rigour and warmth, and I come away feeling both stretched and met."
E.C."Clarity, honesty and humour — a rare combination. Daniel holds space for genuine reflection and never lectures, which is why I keep coming back."
S.M."The sessions have deepened my practice in ways I didn't expect. Philosophy has stopped feeling like a separate subject and started feeling like the thread running through everything."
K.B."A genuine teacher — curious, rigorous, and warm. Daniel treats us as fellow enquirers rather than students, and that shift changes the whole quality of the room."
J.J.Your Teacher
Your teacher Daniel Simpson
Author of The Truth of Yoga, Daniel Simpson brings together scholarly rigour and a foreign correspondent's instinct for a good story. With more than three decades of practice and an MA in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation from SOAS, he teaches the philosophy strand of the Shala's 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training, hosts the Ancient Futures podcast, and contributes to courses at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. His approach makes a vast tradition feel approachable, alive and genuinely useful.
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