Learn · Gresham College

Lecture series1 lecture

Transcendence, or the Quest for the Divine

Professor Sir Jim Mallinson · Gresham College

Watch At Gresham College

About

In this lecture, Jim Mallinson draws on texts, art history and fieldwork to trace the history of the role of the body in yoga over its 2,500-year history.For its first 1,500 years the body is to be transcended; yoga’s aim is an almost death-like mental stillness equated with liberation. Then the body starts to be cultivated to attain power and immortality. While charting this transformation, Prof. Mallinson highlights parallels between yoga’s premodern goals and modern pursuits of longevity, perfection, and transcendence.

Lectures

  1. What is the Purpose of Yoga: Transcendence or Transformation? 2026-10-05 · YouTube

Credits and licence

Institution
Gresham College
Speaker
Professor Sir Jim Mallinson
Year
2026
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
History, Religion, Art, architecture and design
Source
Gresham College
Licence
Educational use (Gresham College's terms), as Gresham College states it. Gresham College's terms
Attribution
Gresham College states: "We positively encourage the use of the Gresham College lecture transcripts, audio and video files for educational purposes. However, we do not allow use of Gresham College materials for commercial, personal or institutional gain."
Who can watch
Gresham College gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from what the source says about it. How courses are placed