Raj Balkaran

Raj Balkaran, Ph.D., is a Sanskrit scholar and lineal wisdom teacher whose work sits at the intersection of rigorous philology, living tradition, and transformative storytelling. He is the founder of the online Indian Wisdom School, Continuing Studies Tutor at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, and host of over 400 episodes of the New Books in Indian Religions podcast.

With over fifteen years of university-level teaching and invited lectures across four continents, his work integrates exacting scholarship with the kind of storytelling that lands in the body. A twelve-year apprenticeship with an awakened master and over twenty years of daily meditation ground his scholarship in living practice.

He leads transformative retreats internationally and works one-on-one with individuals navigating the deeper questions of inner life. He is the Purāṇa Section Convener at the World Sanskrit Conference.

His book The Stories Behind the Poses has found its way into yoga communities across six continents

Visit rajbalkaran.com for more information.

Upcoming Programs by Raj Balkaran

The Stories Behind the Poses: Mythology in Motion

November 27 - 29, 2026

Every yoga posture embodies a story. Every story embodies a posture. The warrior's focused intention, the divine monkey's formidable leap, the lotus's sacred stillness — these are not mere ideas but encapsulations of physical practice. Encoded in each āsana is a mythic psychology: a map of consciousness, a demand on the practitioner, a doorway into […]