Being the third largest religion in the world, Sanātana Dharma—or Hinduism as it is more commonly known today—has been interpreted in ways that distort its true meaning. Since it is associated with yoga, which is now heavily commercialized, particularly in the West, more and more self-proclaimed gurus whose knowledge of Hinduism varies from little to none have misconstrued Hinduism for yoga practitioners. Genuine yoga teachers must help direct the path of students by providing them with truthful philosophy. In order to do this, we must understand what Sanātana Dharma is really about.
I am very grateful to Savira Gupta for joining us in today’s episode where she explains to us the meaning of Sanātana Dharma and how it is connected to yoga. She also clarifies some of the misconceptions about Hinduism and how a yoga practitioner should navigate it. Savira also helps settle the confusion on whether Sanātana Dharma is a religion or not. This topic is very important not only to yoga teachers but also to yoga students so I hope you enjoy it as you listen to our episode today.
Savira comes from a family of strong women rooted in the Arya Samaj Tradition; a tradition that was founded in April 1875 by Swami Dayanand Saraswati, who wanted to revive the Vedic way of life and the need to create a just society for all despite colour, cast or creed. Having spent her childhood in Malaysia, formative years in India, teenage years in France and adult years both in the UK and USA, she believes that this has given her the foundation to relate to people from all walks of life. Out of her passion for Yin Yoga, formed whilst a senior teacher with Yogalife. She decided to establish her own Art of Svādhyāya™ through Yin and Hatha Yoga Trainings in New Delhi and Chennai, bringing Yin Yoga into the spotlight.