A Woman’s Gita: Bhagavad Gita by and for Western Women Beyond Vinyasa: Yoga as Service, Compassion, and Spiritual Maturity
In this episode of A Women’s Gita Podcast, Kamala Rose and Nischala Joy Devi explore karma yoga through the lens of the Bhagavad Gita, asking what it really means to live as an example for others. Starting from Gita 3.21, they unpack how “great persons” inspire the world not by words alone, but by the integrity of their actions.
Drawing on the life and work of Jane Goodall, they reflect on compassionate science, women’s leadership, and the power of seeing animals—and all of nature—as conscious beings deserving of love and respect. Kamala shares personal stories of growing up around female anthropologists and how seeing women in positions of intellectual and ethical authority shaped her own path.
Together, they consider what this all means for modern yoga teachers: moving beyond the idea of yoga as just a sweaty vinyasa class, and toward yoga as Ahimsa, loka sangraha (acting for the welfare of the world), and spiritual maturity. They also explore the Gita’s subtle paradoxes around action and non-action, and how to understand Krishna’s teaching as a practical call to conscious, selfless service in daily life.
Topics in this episode:
- Karma yoga and Gita 3.21–3.25: acting as an example for the world
- Jane Goodall as a model of compassionate, feminine leadership in science
- Women, nature, and reclaiming an intimate relationship with the more-than-human world
- Loka sangraha: acting for the welfare of all beings, not just ourselves
- The responsibility of yoga teachers to embody Ahimsa and spiritual depth
- Reconciling “nothing left to attain” with continuing to act in the world
- Why meditation and quiet time are essential foundations for selfless service