Centre of Yoga Studies

SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies is globally recognised as the most important institutional hub for the fast-growing field of Yoga Studies.

The Centre offers a busy programme of activities including a very popular online lecture series, in-person seminars, book launches, and summer schools. Our main aim is to be the catalyst for learning, cutting-edge research, and global outreach on Yoga Studies by hosting conversations between distinguished scholars, practitioners and life-long learners, who are fascinated by its history, practice and philosophy.

SOAS is home to the international admired MA in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation. This postgraduate degree explores the origins and historical development of yoga and meditation in India and Tibet from ancient times to the modern world. Graduates of this programme have made significant contributions to the field and taken up roles of public influence.

Through our online learning platform, SOAS YogaStudies Online, we offer a wide range of topic-based courses, flexible study programmes, and professional development opportunities that allow students to experience the wealth of knowledge on offer at SOAS in new and accessible ways. Carefully curated by the School’s team of world-renowned researchers, our short courses provide a distinct learning experience at the forefront of Yoga Studies, which cannot be found elsewhere.

The Centre hosts a vibrant lecture series with in-person talks for those in London and online webinars for our international and distance-learning audience. Past recorded lectures are available on the dedicated SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies YouTube channel.

All of the Centre's upcoming events can be found on Eventbrite.

• Explore the Yoga Studies blog
• Join the Centre of Yoga Studies mailing list

SOAS YogaStudies Online offers an innovative, educational platform enabling Yoga teachers, practitioners, and enthusiasts to study in-depth with world-leading scholars in the field of yoga and meditation studies from the comfort of home.

Together, we provide a virtual place for people to bring their passion for Yoga and study together, which encourages critical thinking and reflects our joint commitment to principles of equality, diversity, and inclusivity.

From 2015–2020, SOAS hosted the Hatha Yoga Project, a research initiative funded by the European Research Council, which charts the history of physical yoga practices. The research outputs from this project have changed our understanding of the development of Yoga in premodern India.

Building on the success of this project, the Light on Haṭha Yoga Project (2021–2024) is a three-year collaborative research initiative that aims to bring together arts and humanities researchers in the UK and Germany. This project will produce a critical edition and English translation of the Haṭhapradīpikā, authored by Svātmārāma in the early 15th century, which is arguably one of the most widely cited and influential texts on physical yoga, and is instrumental for the flourishing of haṭhayoga on the eve of colonialism.