Fascist Yoga: The far right and its intersections with the wellness movement

In this episode I speak with writer and cultural critic Stewart Home about his new book Fascist Yoga. Our conversation traces the modern origins of yoga and the surprising, often disturbing ways it has intersected with the history of ideas—from early twentieth-century Aryanist fantasies and far-right esotericism to today’s conspiracy-laden online subcultures.We explore how yoga, once reframed and globalised, became entangled in Western intellectual and political currents: the 1920s European far right, occult movements, and fascist appropriations of the body and spirit. Fast-forward to the present, and we discuss how similar patterns resurface in the modern digital landscape, from QAnon to anti-lockdown activism, anti-vaccine movements, and the revival of pseudo-Aryan esoteric mythologies.Newsflash: You can find everything Explaining History on Substack, join free hereHelp the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it hereExplaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.