Brett Parris - "Metaethics of Yoga"
Jul 20, 2026 · 1 hr 38 min · 15 segments
Brett Parris, author of Yogic Metaethics: Comparing Patañjali's Yoga, Nondual Śaivism, and Vedānta, talks with…
- Speakers
- J. BrownHostBrett ParrisGuest
Jul 20, 2026 · 1 hr 38 min · 15 segments
Brett Parris, author of Yogic Metaethics: Comparing Patañjali's Yoga, Nondual Śaivism, and Vedānta, talks with…
But that word community or being part of the yoga world, you always hear me say, "In the yoga world." And I guess I wonder how much whoever you are that is listening to this considers yourself part of that or some, some sort of sense of you being in a community of other people who practice yoga.
And I hear that from a lot of folks who have sent me emails over the years who listen to this show.
They often will say something to the effect that they live in a place where there's not a lot of yoga, and listening to this show helps them feel connected to something, which I'm assuming is as- an idea of a larger yoga world.
I hosted lots of conversations that did feel like they were part of what was happening in a, quote, "yoga world," specifically around, you know, all of the scandals of gurus and having people on.
Vijay and Sharada and Kathleen, that's right, they came on the show, and they talked about it.
Well, recently, that case involving accusations of sexual misconduct by Swami Satchidananda, there was a settlement in that case.
I have a friend in that group who's been there for many years, is from Integral and knew some of those folks.
And we had a conversation about it, about what it means when, like, the yoga master, the swami behind the entire, like, lineage in a way [chuckles] or whatever, the guru behind Integral Yoga, whose picture is on all of the certificates of anybody who ever has gotten certified there, if he was said to have been, like, a celibate monk and he wasn't, let's just leave it at that for now, [chuckles] right? Just that, that there was sort of lies involved in the portrayal of people that were considered to be enlightened and what that means to anybody now, [chuckles] you know? Or anybody who was at one point aligned with that tradition or still is in one way or another.
And we've certainly had all kinds of conversations on this show about separating teachers from teachings and all those conversations.
But it just really got me thinking deeply about kind of who were the role models in yoga and the masters of yoga and contradictions in terms of an assumption that I think we have, many of us have maybe, that if you are, like, spiritually enlightened or you're Like an advanced yoga teacher, that that would also mean that, like, you're a good person.
[laughs] That you don't behave in ways that would be, like, unethical or immoral or something.
And yet we've had to reconcile that in fact there seem to be people who are really smart about yoga who taught all kinds of wonderful things, but then also behaved in ways that felt inappropriate.
And then there's all kinds of people who make philosophical cases for why it, it was okay or [laughs] or not and, you know, all that stuff.
It just felt like, wow, that's a conversation that even though it, it doesn't seem to be happening as much as it used to, it still feels important if you're calling yourself a yoga teacher to have an idea of, like, well, who are the authorities or what are the sources of wisdom or where are we getting our barometers for ethics from? And fortunately, my guest today is Brett Paris.
But that word community or being part of the yoga world, you always hear me say, "In the yoga world." And I guess I wonder how much whoever you are that is listening to this considers yourself part of that or some, some sort of sense of you being in a community of other people who practice yoga.
And I hear that from a lot of folks who have sent me emails over the years who listen to this show.
They often will say something to the effect that they live in a place where there's not a lot of yoga, and listening to this show helps them feel connected to something, which I'm assuming is as- an idea of a larger yoga world.
I hosted lots of conversations that did feel like they were part of what was happening in a, quote, "yoga world," specifically around, you know, all of the scandals of gurus and having people on.
Vijay and Sharada and Kathleen, that's right, they came on the show, and they talked about it.
Well, recently, that case involving accusations of sexual misconduct by Swami Satchidananda, there was a settlement in that case.
I have a friend in that group who's been there for many years, is from Integral and knew some of those folks.
And we had a conversation about it, about what it means when, like, the yoga master, the swami behind the entire, like, lineage in a way [chuckles] or whatever, the guru behind Integral Yoga, whose picture is on all of the certificates of anybody who ever has gotten certified there, if he was said to have been, like, a celibate monk and he wasn't, let's just leave it at that for now, [chuckles] right? Just that, that there was sort of lies involved in the portrayal of people that were considered to be enlightened and what that means to anybody now, [chuckles] you know? Or anybody who was at one point aligned with that tradition or still is in one way or another.
And we've certainly had all kinds of conversations on this show about separating teachers from teachings and all those conversations.
But it just really got me thinking deeply about kind of who were the role models in yoga and the masters of yoga and contradictions in terms of an assumption that I think we have, many of us have maybe, that if you are, like, spiritually enlightened or you're Like an advanced yoga teacher, that that would also mean that, like, you're a good person.
[laughs] That you don't behave in ways that would be, like, unethical or immoral or something.
And yet we've had to reconcile that in fact there seem to be people who are really smart about yoga who taught all kinds of wonderful things, but then also behaved in ways that felt inappropriate.
And then there's all kinds of people who make philosophical cases for why it, it was okay or [laughs] or not and, you know, all that stuff.
It just felt like, wow, that's a conversation that even though it, it doesn't seem to be happening as much as it used to, it still feels important if you're calling yourself a yoga teacher to have an idea of, like, well, who are the authorities or what are the sources of wisdom or where are we getting our barometers for ethics from? And fortunately, my guest today is Brett Paris.
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