In this candid and compelling episode, Adam Keen(@adam_keen_ashtanga) returns to the mic to unpack decades of experience as a yoga practitioner, teacher, and deep thinker. Practising since 1999 and one of the rare few to complete the Advanced A series in Mysore under Sharathji, Adam shares insights that only years of dedication can offer—cutting through the fluff of modern yoga while still teaching with compassion, humour, and nuance.

Adam's teaching style is framed in inclusivity, compassion, and lucid, explicit, practical instruction. Alongside this, he shares his interest in deeper inquiry about the fundamental questions of life – what we’re doing and why we’re here.

Drawing on his experience running a Mysore programme in London for over a decade and his time immersed in the roots of Ashtanga at Purple Valley Goa, we explore; spinal stimulation, aging as a teacher, spiritual bypassing, social media illusions, and whether yoga is becoming just another performance art. For those interested in intelligent, inclusive, and reality-based yoga, this episode offers clarity, humility, and some laugh-out-loud truths.

Adam now shares his reflections through the Keen on Yoga podcast, YouTube, and social media—Whether you’re a newer teacher or a long-time student, this conversation offers sharp insight into how we can honour yoga’s roots while teaching in today’s world—and why sometimes the most revolutionary thing we can do is admit we’re still figuring it out.

WE CHAT ABOUT

• Why “belly breathing” and cueing matters

• Asana as spinal stimulation vs. aesthetic movement

• The myth of yoga being just about relaxation

• Why “listening to your body” needs context

• The dilution and commodification of yoga

• How aging changes your teaching (and practice)

• Penitence, pain, and ego in physical yoga

• Modern students: overachievers vs. undercommitted

• What dharma means in today’s world

NOTABLE QUOTES

On the intent of yoga practice:

“If you're just looking to relax, there are easier routes than yoga—light a candle and take a bath.”

On belly vs. thoracic breathing:

“Belly breathing is calming, but if you're doing dynamic asana, you need thoracic breathing to support the core and spine.”

On spiritual transformation:

“We’re not looking for the cessation of thought—we’re seeking transformation of consciousness.”

On performative yoga culture:

“Doing advanced poses doesn’t mean you’re enlightened. Some of the most flexible yogis I’ve met were the most lost.”

On teaching as an older yogi:

“Now I’m less about impressing, more about watching, helping, and allowing people to have their own experience.”

On dharma in modern life:

“Dharma today isn’t one life-long mission—it’s how we meet each role we step into, with presence and purpose.”