The topic of women yogis in India is often overlooked and not widely discussed due to its complexity and nuances. It involves many layers of cultural factors. Popular yoga often includes discussions about yogis, but there is a mysterious aspect to it. To shed some light on this topic, I decided to invite Prasad Rangnekar back, one of our favorite guests, to discuss the history of women practitioners, specifically yogis and yoginis in India.
I reached out to Prasad since I knew that he had extensive knowledge in this area. In fact, Prasad conducts a series of seminars titled “Women Yogis of India” to raise awareness about these women yogis in India, as this information is not readily available. Over the years, he has successfully created numerous tight-knit student communities and self-help groups across the globe. He has also been actively involved in many social initiatives.
Prasad has a really unique talent for simplifying complex topics and making them relatable. He guides us on how to navigate through this particular topic and takes us on a journey through time, from the Vedic period to the modern age of today. Although we will only be scratching the surface, I strongly believe that this is an interesting topic that is definitely worth listening to.
Prasad Rangnekar, E-RYT500, is a Yoga Educator from India who teaches in over 15 countries for the past 26 years. Prasad’s Yoga education started at the age of 9, and over the last 36 years, he has been studying Yoga traditionally, in a lineage, as well as academically, at a university. Prasad regards meditative silence as his greatest teacher and goes into 3 month-long silence retreats every year.
Prasad is associated with the Natha Lineage, the founding lineage of Hatha Yoga, over the last 16 years and has stayed and studied with Natha Yoga Masters in India and Nepal.