Summer 2025 -- An Interview with Magdalena Kraler

It's my pleasure to share with you today's interview with Dr. Magdalena (Lena) Kraler, author of Yoga Breath: Prāṇa and Prāṇāyāma in Early Modern Yoga. The book discusses the yogic breathing practices (prāṇāyāma) between 1850 and 1945, and includes an analysis of the influence of Euro-American physical culture and psycho-physical culture on modern yogis.

Lena gives us a taste of some of her research into the Occult and New Thought movements, and their influence on the Yogis she studied. (And for those of you who get intrigued by these movements, fear not, they'll be baaaack ...) She shares some of the tools she has developed for navigating this historical collossus. Finally, she introduces us to a couple of the fascinating characters she met during her research journey.