Branding Yoga the Cases of Iyengar Yoga, Siddha Yoga and Anusara Yoga

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Branding Yoga the Cases of Iyengar Yoga, Siddha Yoga and Anusara Yoga ANDREA R. JAIN Branding yoga The cases of Iyengar Yoga, Siddha Yoga and Anusara Yoga n October 1989, long-time yoga student, John Friend modern soteriological yoga system based on ideas and (b. 1959) travelled to India to study with yoga mas- practices primarily derived from tantra. The encounter Iters. First, he went to Pune for a one-month intensive profoundly transformed Friend, and Chidvilasananda in- postural yoga programme at the Ramamani Iyengar itiated him into Siddha Yoga (Williamson forthcoming). Memor ial Yoga Institute, founded by a world-famous yoga proponent, B. K. S. Iyengar (b. 1918). Postural yoga (De Michelis 2005, Singleton 2010) refers to mod- Friend spent the next seven years deepening his ern biomechanical systems of yoga, which are based understanding of both Iyengar Yoga and Siddha Yoga. on sequences of asana or postures that are, through He gained two Iyengar Yoga teaching certificates and pranayama or ‘breathing exercises’, synchronized with taught Iyengar Yoga in Houston, Texas. Every sum- 1 the breath. Following Friend’s training in Iyengar Yoga, mer, he travelled to Siddha Yoga’s Shree Muktananda he travelled to Ganeshpuri, India where he met Chid- Ashram in upstate New York, where he would study 1954 vilasananda (b. ), the current guru of Siddha Yoga, for one to three months at a time. at the Gurudev Siddha Peeth ashram.2 Siddha Yoga is a Friend founded his own postural yoga system, Anusara Yoga, in 1997 in The Woodlands, a high- 1 Focusing on English-speaking milieus beginning in end Houston suburb. Anusara Yoga quickly became the 1950s, Elizabeth De Michelis categorizes modern one of the most popular yoga systems in the world. yoga into three types: Modern Postural Yoga, which In a 2010 interview with a New York Times jour- stresses physical exercises, and Modern Meditational nalist, Friend made the following statement about Yoga, which stresses concentration and meditation how Anusara Yoga compares to other yoga systems: (De Michelis 2005: 187). These types express little ‘[People know about physically-oriented yoga] but as con cern for religious and philosophical doctrine, and instead they often stress that such aspects of yoga de- we grow they are going to learn about Anusara. Then pend on individual experience rather than doctrinal people can choose – either they are going to go to a deliberation (De Michelis 2005: 187–8). The third fast-food joint or a fine restaurant’ (Swartz 2010). For type, Modern Denominational Yoga, includes systems Friend, yoga, like food, is a consumable product, and that do express concern for religious and philosophic- his brand, Anusara, signifies better product quality. al doctrine (De Michelis 2005: 189). According to Twenty-two years after his 1989 visit to India, De Michelis’ typology, Iyengar Yoga is an example Friend was invited to lead the grand finale of the 2011 of Modern Postural Yoga, whereas Siddha Yoga is an Wanderlust Festival.3 Bringing Wanderlust to a close, example of Modern Denominational Yoga. In this article, I am primarily concerned about what De Friend suggested that that year’s festival was particu- Michelis would categorize as Modern Postural Yoga larly ‘auspicious’ because it fell on the fiftieth anniver- and Modern Denominational Yoga, but I use the less sary of the death of Nityananda (d. 1961) (Buckner reificatory terms, postural yoga and soteriological yoga respectively. ashram is a South Asian monastic retreat centre for 2 Amongst disciples, Chidvilasananda is also affec- religious study and training, usually under the guid- tionately known as Gurumayi, which means ‘Guru ance of a guru. Mother’ in Marathi, or, in Sanskrit, ‘one who is filled 3 The Wanderlust Festival is a large-scale music and with the guru’ (Durgananda 1997: note 247). An yoga festival (see Wanderlust Festival 2011). Approaching Religion • Vol. 2, No. 2 • December 2012 3 2011), a figure identified in Siddha Yoga as a former I argue that my evaluation of Iyengar Yoga, Siddha guru of the tradition. In this way, Friend publically Yoga, and Anusara Yoga illustrates how the model linked his mass-marketed postural yoga brand not of brand image management is effective for under- just with tantra, but to Siddha Yoga in particular.4 standing a broader phenomenon, that is, the contem- All of this raises questions regarding the ways porary global popularization of postural yoga. I trace that postural yoga is effectively mass marketed to the steps through which two first-generation yoga large audiences of consumers. How, after all, did an entrepreneurs, Iyengar and Muktananda (1908–82), Ohio-born former financial analyst who grew up in constructed yoga brands – Iyengar Yoga and Siddha the Houston suburbs become the founder of the most Yoga respectively. I then suggest that Friend is a sec- widely consumed, tantra-inspired postural yoga sys- ond-generation yoga entrepreneur who selected from tem in the world? Iyengar Yoga and Siddha Yoga and subsequently in- I ask and attempt to answer that question by con- troduced, elaborated, and fortified the Anusara Yoga textualizing Friend and Anusara Yoga within the brand. He associated his brand with his own persona, social milieu of contemporary consumer culture. It tantric ideas, and biomechanical wares, all of which turns out that the model of brand image management were attractive to large target audiences consisting – branding is systematic and pervasive in contempor- of late-twentieth and early twenty-first century con- ary consumer culture – is effective for understanding sumers. I suggest that Anusara Yoga is particularly the popularization of yoga today.5 Throughout yoga’s illustrative of contemporary yoga branding not only history, proponents have established and acknowl- because of its success as a result of brand image man- edged authority primarily through lineages based on agement, but also because of ways in which it illus- transmission from guru to disciple; however, begin- trates gaffes in brand image management. ning in the late-twentieth century, yoga proponents also established and acknowledged authority by branding and marketing yoga in urban areas across Branding yoga the world. Numerous twentieth-century events and individuals In this paper, I evaluate the context in which yoga were significant portents of yoga branding. In many became subject to a sequential branding process: se- areas of the industrialized world, most notably urban lection, introduction, elaboration, and fortification.6 centres in India, North America and Western Europe, the increase in access to information about world- 4 Friend set this precedent as early as 1998 when he views and practices combined with the decreasing offi cially located himself and Anusara Yoga in the stigma around choosing from a plurality of world- Siddha Yoga lineage with the following epigraph to views and practices resulted in a competitive market- the Anusara Yoga Teacher Training Manual: ‘This place. Yoga proponents sought to disseminate yoga to manual on teaching hatha yoga is lovingly offered the general populace. In order to do that, yoga need- at the lotus feet of my yoga teacher, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda , who taught me the most important ed to stand out in the marketplace amongst available element of teaching yoga—divine love’ (Friend 2009). products and services by being packaged in ways that 5 Dawn Dobni and George M. Zinkhan suggest that, made it seem valuable, accessible, and unique. although the definition of brand image is not stable, In response to early twentieth-century trans- there is consensus concerning four essential elem- national ideas and movements, including military ents of the concept: ‘brand image is the concept of a calisthenics (Sjoman 1996), modern medicine (Alter brand that is held by the consumer’; ‘brand image is 2004), and Western European and American physic- largely a subjective and perceptual phenomenon that al culture (Singleton 2010), proponents constructed is formed through consumer interpretation, whether 7 reasoned or emotional’; ‘brand image is not inher- new postural yoga systems. Postural yoga emerged ent in the technical, functional or physical concerns of the product. Rather, it is affected and molded by tial process of selecting, introducing, elaborating, and marketing activities, by context variables, and by the fortifying a brand concept, which guides the brand characteristics of the perceiver’; and ‘where brand image over time (Park, Jaworski & Maclnnis 1986: image is concerned, the perception of reality is more 135–45). important than the reality itself’. (Dobni & Zinkhan 7 Prior to the twentieth century, posture practice was 1990: 118.) not central to any yoga tradition (see Alter 2004, De 6 I am drawing from C. Whan Park, Bernard J. Jawor- Michelis 2005, Singleton 2010). Hatha yoga, which ski, and Deborah J. Maclnnis’ normative framework developed as an adjunct to the South Asian Nath yoga of brand concept management consisting of a sequen- tradition’s practices, did involve a variety of postures 4 Approaching Religion • Vol. 2, No. 2 • December 2012 ‘as a hybridized product of colonial India’s dialogical he established the Divine Life Society in 1936, and encounter with the worldwide physical culture move- its culmination occurred in 1959 with his English- ment’ (Singleton 2010: 80). The methods of postural language book, Yogic Home Exercises: Easy Course of yoga were specific to the time and would not have Physical Culture for Modern Men and Women. been considered yoga prior to this period of Indian Some of
Recommended publications
  • Self Awakening
    Self Awakening May 1, 2019 Maha Yoga – Effortless, joyful and no-cost path to Self-Realization Volume 11, Issue 4 EEditor’s note Dear Readers: The purpose of this quarterly newsletter, Self Awakening, is to inform Sadhaks (seekers of self-realization) and other readers about Maha Yoga, an effortless, joyful and no cost path to Self- Realization. P. P. Shri Narayan Kaka Maharaj of Nashik, India was a leading teacher and exponent of Maha Yoga, a centuries old tradition, Contents whereby a realized Guru (Siddha Guru) awakens the Universal Life Energy (Kundalini) within the Sadhak, eventually leading Editor’s note 1 him/her to self-realization. This ancient tradition (Parampara) Churning of the Heart 2 continues under the leadership of several Siddha Gurus, including the fourteen designated by P. P. Kaka Maharaj as Bringing Maha Yoga to the World 7 Deekshadhikaris (those authorized to initiate Sadhaks into Maha Shankaracharya discourse 10 Yoga). Additional details about Maha Yoga are available at Answers to questions 14 www.mahayoga.org. Book announcement 19 To the thousands of Sadhaks in the Maha Yoga tradition all over Upcoming events 20 the world and other interested readers, this e-newsletter is intended to provide virtual Satsang. It is intended to encourage Website updates 21 Sadhaks to remain engaged in Maha Yoga, be informed about How to contribute content 22 Maha Yoga-related events around the world, and to provide a forum for getting guidance about Maha Yoga from leaders from P. P. Shri Kaka Maharaj’s lineage. Readers are urged to contribute questions, thoughtful articles, interesting life experiences related to Maha Yoga and news about Maha Yoga-related events to this e-newsletter.
    [Show full text]
  • —The History of Hatha Yoga in America: The
    “The History of Hatha Yoga in America: the Americanization of Yoga” Book proposal By Ira Israel Although many American yoga teachers invoke the putative legitimacy of the legacy of yoga as a 5000 year old Indian practice, the core of the yoga in America – the “asanas,” or positions – is only around 600 years old. And yoga as a codified 90 minute ritual or sequence is at most only 120 years old. During the period of the Vedas 5000 years ago, yoga consisted of groups of men chanting to the gods around a fire. Thousands of years later during the period of the Upanishads, that ritual of generating heat (“tapas”) became internalized through concentrated breathing and contrary or bipolar positions e.g., reaching the torso upwards while grounding the lower body downwards. The History of Yoga in America is relatively brief yet very complex and in fact, I will argue that what has happened to yoga in America is tantamount to comparing Starbucks to French café life: I call it “The Americanization of Yoga.” For centuries America, the melting pot, has usurped sundry traditions from various cultures; however, there is something unique about the rise of the influence of yoga and Eastern philosophy in America that make it worth analyzing. There are a few main schools of hatha yoga that have evolved in America: Sivananda, Iyengar, Astanga, and later Bikram, Power, and Anusara (the Kundalini lineage will not be addressed in this book because so much has been written about it already). After practicing many of these different “styles” or schools of hatha yoga in New York, North Carolina, Florida, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Paris as well as in Thailand and Indonesia, I became so fascinated by the history and evolution of yoga that I went to the University of California at Santa Barbara to get a Master of Arts Degree in Hinduism and Buddhism which I completed in 1999.
    [Show full text]
  • Yoga Practices As Identity Capital
    MÅNS BROO Yoga practices as identity capital Preliminary notes from Turku, Finland s elsewhere in Finland, different types of yoga practices are popular in the Acity of Åbo/Turku. But how do practitioners view their own relationship to their practice, and further, what do they feel that they as individuals gain from it? Through in-depth interviews with yoga teachers in the city of Turku and using the theoretical framework of social psychologists James E. Côte’s and Charles G. Levine’s (2002) concept of identity capital, I wish to examine ways in which individuals, in what could be called a post-secular society, construct a meaningful sense of self and of individual agency. The observations offered in this article represent preliminary notes for a larger work on yoga in Turku, conducted at the ‘Post-Secular Culture and a Changing Religious Landscape’ research project at Åbo Akademi University, devoted to qualitative and eth- nographic investigations of the changing religious landscape in Finland. But before I go on to my theory and material, let me just briefly state some- thing about yoga in Finland in general and in the town of Turku in particular. Turku may not be the political capital of Finland any longer, but is by far the oldest city in the country, with roots going back to the thirteenth century. However, as a site of yoga practice, Turku has a far shorter history than this. As in many other Western countries, the first people in Finland who talked about yoga as a beneficial practice Westerners might take up rather than just laugh at as some weird oriental custom were the theosophists.
    [Show full text]
  • University of California Riverside
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Choreographers and Yogis: Untwisting the Politics of Appropriation and Representation in U.S. Concert Dance A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Critical Dance Studies by Jennifer F Aubrecht September 2017 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Jacqueline Shea Murphy, Chairperson Dr. Anthea Kraut Dr. Amanda Lucia Copyright by Jennifer F Aubrecht 2017 The Dissertation of Jennifer F Aubrecht is approved: Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside Acknowledgements I extend my gratitude to many people and organizations for their support throughout this process. First of all, my thanks to my committee: Jacqueline Shea Murphy, Anthea Kraut, and Amanda Lucia. Without your guidance and support, this work would never have matured. I am also deeply indebted to the faculty of the Dance Department at UC Riverside, including Linda Tomko, Priya Srinivasan, Jens Richard Giersdorf, Wendy Rogers, Imani Kai Johnson, visiting professor Ann Carlson, Joel Smith, José Reynoso, Taisha Paggett, and Luis Lara Malvacías. Their teaching and research modeled for me what it means to be a scholar and human of rigorous integrity and generosity. I am also grateful to the professors at my undergraduate institution, who opened my eyes to the exciting world of critical dance studies: Ananya Chatterjea, Diyah Larasati, Carl Flink, Toni Pierce-Sands, Maija Brown, and rest of U of MN dance department, thank you. I thank the faculty (especially Susan Manning, Janice Ross, and Rebekah Kowal) and participants in the 2015 Mellon Summer Seminar Dance Studies in/and the Humanities, who helped me begin to feel at home in our academic community.
    [Show full text]
  • Thriving in Healthcare: How Pranayama, Asana, and Dyana Can Transform Your Practice
    Thriving in Healthcare: How pranayama, asana, and dyana can transform your practice Melissa Lea-Foster Rietz, FNP-BC, BC-ADM, RYT-200 Presbyterian Medical Services Farmington, NM [email protected] Professional Disclosure I have no personal or professional affiliation with any of the resources listed in this presentation, and will receive no monetary gain or professional advancement from this lecture. Talk Objectives Provide a VERY brief history of yoga Define three aspects of wellness: mental, physical, and social. Define pranayama, asana, and dyana. Discuss the current evidence demonstrating the impact of pranayama, asana, and dyana on mental, physical, and social wellness. Learn and practice three techniques of pranayama, asana, and dyana that can be used in the clinic setting with patients. Resources to encourage participation from patients and to enhance your own practice. Yoga as Medicine It is estimated that 21 million adults in the United States practice yoga. In the past 15 years the number of practitioners, of all ages, has doubled. It is thought that this increase is related to broader access, a growing body of research on the affects of the practice, and our understanding that ancient practices may hold the key to healing modern chronic diseases. Yoga: A VERY Brief History Yoga originated 5,000 or more years ago with the Indus Civilization Sanskrit is the language used in most Yogic scriptures and it is believed that the principles of the practice were transmitted by word of mouth for generations. Georg Feuerstien divides the history of Yoga into four catagories: Vedic Yoga: connected to ritual life, focus the inner mind in order to transcend the limitations of the ordinary mind Preclassical Yoga: Yogic texts, Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita Classical Yoga: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the eight fold path Postclassical Yoga: Creation of Hatha (willful/forceful) Yoga, incorporation of the body into the practice Modern Yoga Swami (master) Vivekananda speaks at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893.
    [Show full text]
  • Yoga Poses for Your Health
    2013 Yoga Poses for Your Health Compiled by: Fitness-Health Team Fitness.com Yoga for Your Health Curious about yoga? Yoga is a very popular form of workout that more and more people are starting to get into as they learn about all the different benefits that it can provide. But, if you're brand new to yoga and haven't done your research, you may not be making the most of this type of workout program. There are a number of different variations of yoga that can be performed, so it's essential that you understand what each is about so that you can pick and choose the variety that is going to best benefit you with the goal set that you currently have. Learning some of the top key benefits that you'll get from each yoga class that you perform will also help you stay motivated and committed to doing your sessions and making the physical progress you desire. Yoga is about more than just physical activity however. Those who participate in yoga for an ongoing period of time are going to notice that they benefit from a psychological standpoint as well. While many other variations of exercise as strictly focused on burning fat, improving your strength, or allowing you to have some fun with your physical fitness program, yoga is one that really interconnects you mind and body together. So read through the following series of articles so that you can get all the vital information that you need to know about yoga. A Brief History Of Yoga - If you are considering taking up yoga, or you are new to the practice you might be curious to find out more about yoga’s fascinating history.
    [Show full text]
  • Religious, Spiritual, and Secular Identities of Modern Postural Yoga in the Ozarks
    BearWorks MSU Graduate Theses Fall 2015 Bodies Bending Boundaries: Religious, Spiritual, and Secular Identities of Modern Postural Yoga in the Ozarks Kimberley J. Pingatore As with any intellectual project, the content and views expressed in this thesis may be considered objectionable by some readers. However, this student-scholar’s work has been judged to have academic value by the student’s thesis committee members trained in the discipline. The content and views expressed in this thesis are those of the student-scholar and are not endorsed by Missouri State University, its Graduate College, or its employees. Follow this and additional works at: https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Pingatore, Kimberley J., "Bodies Bending Boundaries: Religious, Spiritual, and Secular Identities of Modern Postural Yoga in the Ozarks" (2015). MSU Graduate Theses. 3010. https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/3010 This article or document was made available through BearWorks, the institutional repository of Missouri State University. The work contained in it may be protected by copyright and require permission of the copyright holder for reuse or redistribution. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BODIES BENDING BOUNDARIES: RELIGIOUS, SPIRITUAL, AND SECULAR IDENTITIES OF MODERN POSTURAL YOGA IN THE OZARKS A Masters Thesis Presented to The Graduate College of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts, Religious Studies By Kimberley J. Pingatore December 2015 Copyright 2015 by Kimberley Jaqueline Pingatore ii BODIES BENDING BOUNDARIES: RELIGIOUS, SPIRITUAL, AND SECULAR IDENTITIES OF MODERN POSTURAL YOGA IN THE OZARKS Religious Studies Missouri State University, December 2015 Master of Arts Kimberley J.
    [Show full text]
  • Partnering up in Yoga Class Can Deepen Your Practice and Connect HAND You to Yourself and Your Fellow Yogis
    a he l p i ng Partnering up in yoga class can deepen your practice and connect HAND you to yourself and your fellow yogis. We w e r e o n l y a few minutes into the yoga class next to you as a human prop to help you get into a when the teacher uttered the five words I dread hear- pose more fully, isolate a particular action, or help ing: “OK, everybody, find a partner!” As we students you balance. A teaching tool in many styles of yoga sized up one another with varying degrees of wariness, classes, partnering tends to inspire strong feelings the teacher demonstrated what she wanted us to do by among practitioners: Mention the subject to a leaping lightly onto the thighs of a supine volunteer group of yoga students, and the room is likely to and balancing there, as gracefully as a cat, her feet erupt in exclamations as people tell their stories grounding and rotating her partner’s thighs inward. of awkward moments, contact with another per- Full disclosure: My approach to partnering exer- son’s sweat or stinky feet, and even injuries. cises in yoga class has generally been of the “Lie back Here at the Yoga Journal office, where we prac- and think of England” variety, though I usually partici- tice yoga together every day, we ask that our teach- pate as gamely as I can. But this particular caper was ers not do partnering exercises in class —not all just too much for my inner Woody Allen.
    [Show full text]
  • Magicians, Sorcerers and Witches: Considering Pretantric, Non-Sectarian Sources of Tantric Practices
    Article Magicians, Sorcerers and Witches: Considering Pretantric, Non-sectarian Sources of Tantric Practices Ronald M. Davidson Department of Religious Studies, Farifield University, Fairfield, CT 06824, USA; [email protected] Received: 27 June 2017; Accepted: 23 August 2017; Published: 13 September 2017 Abstract: Most models on the origins of tantrism have been either inattentive to or dismissive of non-literate, non-sectarian ritual systems. Groups of magicians, sorcerers or witches operated in India since before the advent of tantrism and continued to perform ritual, entertainment and curative functions down to the present. There is no evidence that they were tantric in any significant way, and it is not clear that they were concerned with any of the liberation ideologies that are a hallmark of the sectarian systems, even while they had their own separate identities and specific divinities. This paper provides evidence for the durability of these systems and their continuation as sources for some of the ritual and nomenclature of the sectarian tantric traditions, including the predisposition to ritual creativity and bricolage. Keywords: tantra; mantra; ritual; magician; sorcerer; seeress; vidyādhara; māyākāra; aindrajālika; non-literate 1. Introduction1 In the emergence of alternative religious systems such as tantrism, a number of factors have historically been seen at play. Among these are elements that might be called ‘pre-existing’. That is, they themselves are not representative of the eventual emergent system, but they provide some of the raw material—ritual, ideological, terminological, functional, or other—for its development. Indology, and in particular the study of Indian ritual, has been less than adroit at discussing such phenomena, especially when it may be designated or classified as ‘magical’ in some sense.
    [Show full text]
  • Asana Sarvangasana
    Sarvângâsana (Shoulder Stand) Compiled by: Trisha Lamb Last Revised: April 18, 2006 © 2004 by International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) International Association of Yoga Therapists P.O. Box 2513 • Prescott • AZ 86302 • Phone: 928-541-0004 E-mail: [email protected] • URL: www.iayt.org The contents of this bibliography do not provide medical advice and should not be so interpreted. Before beginning any exercise program, see your physician for clearance. Benagh, Barbara. Salamba sarvangasana (shoulderstand). Yoga Journal, Nov 2001, pp. 104-114. Cole, Roger. Keep the neck healthy in shoulderstand. My Yoga Mentor, May 2004, no. 6. Article available online: http://www.yogajournal.com/teacher/1091_1.cfm. Double shoulder stand: Two heads are better than one. Self, mar 1998, p. 110. Ezraty, Maty, with Melanie Lora. Block steady: Building to headstand. Yoga Journal, Jun 2005, pp. 63-70. “A strong upper body equals a stronger Headstand. Use a block and this creative sequence of poses to build strength and stability for your inversions.” (Also discusses shoulder stand.) Freeman, Richard. Threads of Universal Form in Back Bending and Finishing Poses workshop. 6th Annual Yoga Journal Convention, 27-30 Sep 2001, Estes Park, Colorado. “Small, subtle adjustments in form and attitude can make problematic and difficult poses produce their fruits. We will look a little deeper into back bends, shoulderstands, headstands, and related poses. Common difficulties, injuries, and misalignments and their solutions [will be] explored.” Grill, Heinz. The shoulderstand. Yoga & Health, Dec 1999, p. 35. ___________. The learning curve: Maintaining a proper cervical curve by strengthening weak muscles can ease many common pains in the neck.
    [Show full text]
  • TEACHING HATHA YOGA Teaching Hatha Yoga
    TEACHING HATHA YOGA Teaching Hatha Yoga ii Teaching Hatha Yoga TEACHING HATHA YOGA ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Daniel Clement with Naomi Clement Illustrations by Naomi Clement 2007 – Open Source Yoga – Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada iii Teaching Hatha Yoga Copyright © 2007 Daniel Clement All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written consent of the copyright owner, except for brief reviews. First printing October 2007, second printing 2008, third printing 2009, fourth printing 2010, fifth printing 2011. Contact the publisher on the web at www.opensourceyoga.ca ISBN: 978-0-9735820-9-3 iv Teaching Hatha Yoga Table of Contents · Preface: My Story................................................................................................viii · Acknowledgments...................................................................................................ix · About This Manual.................................................................................................ix · About Owning Yoga................................................................................................xi · Reading/Resources................................................................................................xii PHILOSOPHY, LIFESTYLE & ETHICS.........................................................................xiii
    [Show full text]
  • Download Download
    [FIR 15.1–2 (2020) 208–209] Fieldwork in Religion (print) ISSN 1743–0615 https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.18367 Fieldwork in Religion (online) ISSN 1743–0623 BOOK REVIEW Newcombe, Suzanne. 2019. Yoga in Britain: Stretching Spirituality and Educating Yogis. Shef- field: Equinox. xiv + 309 pp. ISBN: 978-1-7817-9659-7 £75.00 (hbk); ISBN: 978-1-7817-9660-3 £24.95 (pbk); ISBN: 978-1-7817-9661-0 £24.95 (e-book). Reviewed by: Theo Wildcroft, Calne, Wiltshire, UK [email protected] Keywords: British wheel; counterculture; New Age; 1960s; yoga. Yoga in Britain is, first and foremost, a fascinating read for anyone curious about not just the development of modern yoga, but also British twentieth-century counterculture. Without denying the evident scholarship involved, it is rare to have an academic text that is also such fun to read. The author’s stated aim is to set out the cultural developments that led what we now call “yoga” to be an unremarkable activity in the UK. Much of the original research that it describes formed the heart of Suzanne Newcombe’s doctoral thesis, and for this reason, there will be many in the small but growing sub-field of Yoga Studies that, like me, have eagerly awaited its publication. That doctoral material is supplemented with later research, and the book as a whole covers a period from the early twentieth century to the 1980s. This is a significant period in the development of yoga subcultures in Britain, and indeed much of the Anglophone world. Yet, as a lived and vernacular practice, it remains largely under- studied.
    [Show full text]