Podcast Summary: “M.A. in Yoga Studies with Christopher Chapple”

Podcast: New Books Network – New Books in Indian Religions
Host: Dr. Rosh Baltaron
Guest: Dr. Christopher Key Chapple, Associate Professor of Indicative Comparative Theology, Loyola Marymount University (LMU)
Date: September 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of New Books in Indian Religions focuses on a groundbreaking educational initiative: the world’s first accredited Master of Arts in Yoga Studies at Loyola Marymount University, as directed by Dr. Christopher Key Chapple. Rather than discussing a new publication, the dialogue explores the program’s origins, its broad and inclusive curriculum, pedagogical innovations (especially in online education), its impact, and what sets it apart within the field of yoga studies and religious scholarship.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Genesis and Evolution of the Yoga Studies M.A. Program

• Program Timeline and Milestones
  • The program began with a certificate course in 2002, welcomed its first M.A. cohort in 2013, and as of 2025, has enrolled its 13th group.
  • “We've been operative for 13 years, building on an early certification program that was implemented in 2002. So we've been more than a couple of decades into this work.”
    — Dr. Chapple, 02:25

Student Demographics and Admissions

• Diverse Backgrounds Welcomed
  • Students have ranged from their 20s to their 70s, with backgrounds as recent undergraduates, PhDs, lawyers, and yoga practitioners.
  • The admissions process welcomes both academic and practitioner references, recognizes varied life experience, and encourages personal storytelling.

  “We have people who have recently completed their undergraduate degree. We also have two people that came into the program with PhDs, two who had been practicing lawyers, and one who ditched law school in order to come into the study of yoga.”
  — Dr. Chapple, 03:21

Curriculum Structure and Approach

• Rigorous Academic Foundation

  • The curriculum is “without doubt, … academic, scholarly", involving required Sanskrit grammar study, deep engagement with history, philosophy, and textual traditions (Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sufi), and understanding the intersection with Christian theology via figures like Paramahansa Yogananda.
  • Course topics include the geography of India, comparative scriptural study, and the history of modern yoga.

  “Students are required to complete either two or three semesters of Sanskrit grammar study … the historic aspects of yoga are always taken into account.”
  — Dr. Chapple, 05:12

• Acknowledgement of Embodied Practice

  • Many students arrive with significant yoga practice. The program values and builds upon this, integrating embodied learning with philosophical enrichment.
  • The foundations course is a two-week, in-person intensive focused on sadhana: asana, pranayama, chanting, reflection on the yamas and niyamas, and meditative/contemplative practices.

  “To the extent that sadhana really undergirds the relevance of yoga, it’s certainly part of our program, but it’s not the exclusive focus … we want to acknowledge that body felt experience … and to bring it to a different level of understanding through linguistics, through history, through philosophy.”
  — Dr. Chapple, 07:59

Hybrid and Online Education Innovations

• Early Adoption and Accreditation

  • LMU’s program was an early adopter of hybrid education, with simulcasting and video archiving since 2013, well before the pandemic. Full regional accreditation for this modality was achieved in 2018.
  • Access is global: students have participated from across the U.S. and internationally (e.g., Bahrain, India, Philippines, Indonesia, Germany).
  • The combination of on-site intensives, remote group discussions, and faculty interaction supports a holistic learning environment.

  “Since day one, we’ve been live streaming and we’ve been video archiving every single educational moment.”
  — Dr. Chapple, 09:54

• Transformative Online Experiences

  • Both host and guest discuss the transformative possibilities of online and hybrid education. Dr. Chapple recounts being approached to produce content for YogaGlo, describing encounters with students he’s never met in person, yet who feel a deep connection.

  “In terms of conveying information, yes, it works. And in terms of something else, at the meditative level, it can also be quite significant.”
  — Dr. Chapple, 14:12

Program Modules and Experiences (20:27–29:18)

• Admissions Details
  • Bachelor’s degree required, with alternate pathways possible.
  • Essay, reference letters, and a video response are part of the application.
• Core Components
  • First Semester: Residential intensive in Los Angeles; study of yoga history/philosophy; excursions to significant spiritual sites; Sanskrit; yoga and health sciences.
  • Second Semester: Continued health sciences; Hatha yoga texts; Indian philosophy, including deep dives into primary sources.
  • Summer Sessions: Short, intensive courses on Buddhism and Jain yoga.
  • Third Semester: Advanced Sanskrit, Comparative Mysticism (Kabbalah, Christian mysticism, Jung, Aurobindo), Yoga, Mindfulness, and Social Change.
  • Final Semester: Individual capstone projects—research, translation, creative inquiry.
• Experiential Learning
  • Site visits: Vedanta societies, Self-Realization Fellowship, Krishna Consciousness centers, Black yoga collectives, notable vegetarian restaurants, and spiritual sites in Ojai, California.
• Therapeutic Yoga Track
  • Optional advanced certification in yoga therapy, with applied research projects in community health, recovery, and social change.

Critical Reflection and Open Dialogue

• The program encourages critical engagement and open discussion about the complexity and challenges within modern yoga lineages—including historical injustices and teacher misconduct.

  “All of this is not immune from the possibility of a darkness. And this was both revelatory and affirming for all of us … we can go to some of those places that need correction …”
  — Dr. Chapple, 30:04

Graduate Outcomes & Impact (32:05–34:38)

• Alumni have gone on to:
  • Teach yoga full-time; secure academic positions at universities like USC and Stanford.
  • Pursue doctorates at institutions like Syracuse and UC Berkeley.
  • Open and run influential yoga studios.
  • Conduct empirical research on yoga’s effect on sleep hygiene, sociological studies of yoga in India, and historical/philosophical scholarship.

Personal Experiences, Transformations, and Inspirations

• The program’s greatest rewards are in witnessing students’ personal and professional transformations.
  • Example: A graduate overcame a difficult history to discover "a gift of freedom" and agency in her life.

  “This experience gave her a gift of freedom that she just was not able to find before the program.”
  — Dr. Chapple, 34:51

• The influence of Erich Fromm’s insight that “the task of being human is simultaneously the task of self discovery and being of service to others” was highlighted as emblematic of the program’s ethos.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Program Diversity
  “The students come in with so many varied backgrounds and from so many disciplines. And part of the beauty … is that it really does speak to truly interdisciplinary needs and desires…”
  — Dr. Chapple, 03:21

• On Curriculum’s Dual Focus
  “We want to acknowledge that body felt experience … and to bring it to a different level of understanding through linguistics, through history, through philosophy.”
  — Dr. Chapple, 07:59

• On Online Education
  “When you have, even though physically not in the same room, even just on the screen, 20 people with the intention of dwelling with one another in silence … this experience in fact is quite moving, quite profound.”
  — Dr. Chapple, 14:12

• On Critical Dialogue
  “All of this is not immune from the possibility of a darkness. … we can go to some of those places that need correction…”
  — Dr. Chapple, 30:04

• On Graduate Transformation
  “This experience gave her a gift of freedom that she just was not able to find before the program.”
  — Dr. Chapple, 34:51

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:35] – Episode introduction
• [02:16] – Program origins and timeline
• [03:21] – Who the program is for: student background diversity
• [05:12] – The academic (and embodied) approach
• [07:59] – Practice requirements and integration
• [09:54] – Hybrid/online model; international reach; accreditation
• [14:12] – Pedagogical innovations and online teaching reflections
• [20:27] – Application process and course structure
• [29:18] – The value of embodied experience and critical, open conversations
• [30:04] – Critical reflection as part of the curriculum
• [32:05] – Graduate outcomes, career trajectories, and impact
• [34:51] – Most rewarding aspects and student transformations

Conclusion

This episode offers an expansive, behind-the-scenes exploration of the world’s first accredited M.A. in Yoga Studies at LMU, illuminating how rigorous academic study, deep personal practice, innovative pedagogy, and global reach come together. Dr. Chapple’s lively examples, candid reflections, and the joyful ethos of the program make a compelling case for the modern relevance and transformative power of yoga studies—both within and beyond the academy.