To what extent is yoga compatible with drama? Performance is in some ways the opposite of inward focus, yet it might still be enhanced by yogic practices.

Sergei Tcherkasski is a theatre director and teacher of acting at the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts. He is also the author of Stanislavsky and Yoga, which explores a key influence on the Russian pioneer of modern acting techniques.

Konstantin Stanislavsky’s system helped actors tap into their inner experiences, enabling them to embody a fictional character and perform more believably. This inspired what American followers such as Lee Strasberg called “method acting” and shaped what’s taught in drama schools all over the world.

As Sergei explains, about a third of the first-year acting curriculum is influenced by yoga, which Stanislavsky learned in the early 20th century. He did so not by visiting India but from reading translated books by an American attorney who wrote under the pseudonym “Yogi Ramacharaka”.

We talk about the hybrid ideas that Ramacharaka presented, and why their worldly emphasis might be more helpful than traditional teachings on transcendence – as argued by the Polish director Jerzy Grotowski. We also consider which modern schools of yoga might be best suited to training actors.

Among other names we discuss are Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner, two other influential American acting coaches. Plus Sergei highlights the term perezhivanie (переживание), which translates as “emotional experience”. He once made a film about Stanislavsky and yoga, which is available on YouTube.

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What distinguishes self-centredness from care for oneself? To what extent is emotional healing a spiritual practice? How might an inner sense of safety and connection fuel better relationships and more sustainable ways of living?

Justin Michelson is a meditation teacher, author and wilderness guide. His recent book The Dharma of Healing is billed by its publisher as: “A handbook for spiritual freedom in an age of global crisis”. Its focus is on changing responses to difficult feelings, which otherwise block the development of wisdom and compassion.

Our conversation explores Justin’s fusion of Buddhist perspectives with modern psychology. We discuss what it means to heal personal wounds, as well as how that relates to taking better care of each other and the world. We also reflect on a tension between accepting what is and facilitating change.

Justin’s book provides a practical guide to the transformative power of self-compassion. It’s accompanied by guided meditations, available here.

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What inspired the idea of being “spiritual but not religious”? Modern quests for experiential insight have diverse roots. Influences range from the work of Aldous Huxley – The Perennial Philosophy and The Doors of Perception – to the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and their references to “God as we understood Him”.

Don Lattin is the author of Distilled Spirits: Getting High, Then Sober, with a Famous Writer, a Forgotten Philosopher, and a Hopeless Drunk, which highlights the impact of Gerald Heard, who got Huxley interested in Eastern wisdom, and turned on many others to LSD – including Bill Wilson, the co-founder of AA.

This book is the prequel to an earlier bestseller, The Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America. That grew out of Don’s career as a reporter, covering religion for the San Francisco Chronicle while becoming an addict and alcoholic.

We discuss how his own story overlaps with those he writes about, from religious doubts to experiencing oneness on LSD. In the process, we explore whether altered states lead to mystical insights or resolve mental health issues – topics addressed by Don’s recent books, God on Psychedelics and Changing Our Minds.

These days, Don shares reflections on cults and other new religious movements via his Substack, Messiahs I Have Known, which I highly recommend.

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