Writing
One book for the yoga world, two for the academy, and a shelf of articles in between.
The Stories Behind the Poses
The Indian Mythology that Inspired 50 Yoga Poses (Leaping Hare Press, 2022). Fifty postures, fifty myths, and what each story teaches on the mat. Over 50,000 copies sold. The book is used in yoga teacher trainings worldwide and is the basis of my most requested talks, retreats and courses.
Order on Amazon · Goodreads · Official companion course
"A must-own book for yoga enthusiasts, spiritual seekers, and students of mythology." — Manhattan Book Review
"A treasured addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library lists." — Midwest Book Review
"A unique, commanding perspective that will enrich any yoga practice." — Foreword Reviews
"A must-read for all who practice and teach yoga." — Dr Lauren Tober
Further reviews: Yoga+Life, Integral Yoga Magazine, Gold Coast Hindu, South Okanagan Yoga Academy, The Annapurna Express.
Scholarly Books
The Goddess and the Sun in Indian Myth: Power, Preservation and Mirrored Māhātmyas in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa (Routledge, 2020). Routledge
The Goddess and the King in Indian Myth: Ring Composition, Royal Power and the Dharmic Double Helix (Routledge, 2019). Routledge
Visions and Revisions in Sanskrit Narrative: Studies in the Indian Epics and Purāṇas, co-edited with McComas Taylor, foreword by Wendy Doniger (ANU Press, 2023, open access). ANU Press
Also: Purāṇic Studies (2019) and Purāṇa Studies (2018), proceedings of the Purāṇa sections of the 17th and 16th World Sanskrit Conferences, co-edited with McComas Taylor.
Selected Articles
"Exploring Hindu Ethics of Warfare: The Purāṇas" (with A. Walter Dorn). International Review of the Red Cross, 2024. Open access
"Mother of Compassion, Mother of Wrath: Reflections of the Hindu Goddess in Mirrored Māhātmyas" (with Noor van Brussel). International Journal of Hindu Studies, 2024.
"Charting Hinduism's Rules of Armed Conflict: Indian Sacred Texts and International Humanitarian Law" (with A. Walter Dorn). International Review of the Red Cross, 2022.
"The Bhagavad Gītā and Beyond: Synchronic Strategy for Sanskrit Narrative Literature." Religions of South Asia, 2022.
"Devī Māhātmya." Oxford Bibliographies in Hinduism, 2022.
"Visions and Revisions of the Hindu Goddess: Sound, Structure and Artful Ambivalence in the Devī Māhātmya." Religions, 2019. Open access
"Violence in the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa: Just War Criteria Prefigured in an Ancient Indian Epic" (with A. Walter Dorn). Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 2012.
The full list of articles and book chapters is on the Scholarship page.
Popular Writing
Introduction to Indian Myths and Legends: Tales and Heroes, Gods and Monsters (Flame Tree Publishing, 2023). Amazon
Foreword to The Ocean of Yoga by Amy Landry (Shambhala, forthcoming 2026).
Foreword to Devi Mahatmya, translated and illustrated by Alisa Lozhkina (Kyiv, 2024).
Foreword to Religious Studies Beyond the Discipline: On the Future of a Humanities Ph.D., edited by Russell T. McCutcheon (Equinox, 2024).
"Mother of Shadow, Mother of Light: Battling Demons in Indian Myth." In Jung's Shadow Concept (Routledge, 2023).
"Soma and the Sacred Feminine: Reflections from Ancient Indian Myth." Chacruna Institute, 2021.
"The Story of Selfless Service: Telling Tales from Indian Myth." Give Back Yoga, 2022.
"Teaching Tales: Harnessing the Power of Storytelling in the Hindu Studies Classroom and Beyond." Guest-edited special issue, Religious Studies News, 2018.
Book Endorsements
Jacket endorsements for Christopher Key Chapple, Yoga Philosophy and Practice: A Sourcebook; Jeffery D. Long, Discovering Indian Philosophy; Nick Sutton, Light on the Mahabharata; and Vikram Zutshi, Ripple in Still Water (all 2026).
