A History of Modern Yoga: Patañjali and Western EsotericismIn recent years yoga and meditation have become mass-market pursuits in the West. A History of Modern Yoga traces this phenomenon back to its ideological roots in the esoteric circles of late 18th century Bengal, then follows some of its main developments to date. Fully-fledged Modern Yoga, the author argues, started with the publication of Swami Vivekananda's seminal Raja Yoga (1896), in which Patanjali's Yoga Sutras were reconfigured along the lines of a then emerging New Age style of secularised and individualistically oriented religiosity. But what exactly are yoga and meditation as taught and practised today? Many committed practitioners and sympathisers take them to be straight continuations, or even rediscoveries, of ancient South Asian religious practices, but use peculiarly modern ideas when they define them as powerful tools for cultivating one's human potential' and as ultimately aimed at achieving 'self-realisation'. Thus, despite the fact that Modern Yoga encapsulates many religio-philosophical presuppositions (some of which are discussed in this book), it is often characterised as a 'philosophy' or as 'a way of life' rather than as 'religion' per se. In order to map t |
From inside the book
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Page 10
... aspects of this East- West encounter have been explored in greater or lesser depth . One crucial interlocutor in this multifarious dialogue , however , has been consistently overlooked , namely Western esotericism . This worldview or ...
... aspects of this East- West encounter have been explored in greater or lesser depth . One crucial interlocutor in this multifarious dialogue , however , has been consistently overlooked , namely Western esotericism . This worldview or ...
Page 73
... aspects of this phenomenon . This , however , creates its own problems , as , for example , in Campbell ( 1972 : 125 ) where Buddhism and Hinduism are said to be " widely disseminated throughout the cultic milieu " because they have ...
... aspects of this phenomenon . This , however , creates its own problems , as , for example , in Campbell ( 1972 : 125 ) where Buddhism and Hinduism are said to be " widely disseminated throughout the cultic milieu " because they have ...
Page 219
... aspects of Modern Yoga theory Two theoretical teachings of LOY are worth commenting upon because they are central to almost all Modern Yoga elaborations : ( a ) that the practice of yoga should go hand in hand with the perfor- mance of ...
... aspects of Modern Yoga theory Two theoretical teachings of LOY are worth commenting upon because they are central to almost all Modern Yoga elaborations : ( a ) that the practice of yoga should go hand in hand with the perfor- mance of ...
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Some notes on terminology | 7 |
3 Imagination and mediations | 22 |
Copyright | |
20 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
A History of Modern Yoga: Patanjali and Western Esotericism Elizabeth De Michelis Limited preview - 2005 |
A History of Modern Yoga: Patañjali and Western Esotericism Elizabeth De Michelis No preview available - 2004 |
A History of Modern Yoga: Patan~jali and Western Esotericism Elizabeth De Michelis No preview available - 2014 |
Common terms and phrases
Acculturation Age religion āsana assimilated aṣṭāngayoga B. K. S. Iyengar become beliefs Bengali body Brahmo Samaj British Chapter Christian classical Hinduism concept contemporary context cultic milieu cultural Datta Debendranath Tagore developments dhyāna discourses discussed divine doctrinal elaborations esoteric esotericism especially example forms Halbfass Hanegraaff 1996 hathayoga healing Hindu Hinduism human ibid ideas ideological India influence intellectual interpretations Iyengar Yoga Keshubchandra knowledge Kopf Light on Yoga LOYSP meditation mesmeric Metaphysical mind Modern Postural Yoga Modern Yoga mysticism nature Neo-Hindu Neo-Vedāntic occultism occultistic Oriental Orientalist Patañjali popular practice practitioners Prana prāṇāyāma psychological quoted Raja Rāja Yoga Ramakrishna movement Rammohan realization religious ritual role Roy's samādhi Samādhi Model Sanskrit schools secular Self-realization Sen's soul spiritual Swami Vivekananda Tagore's teachers teachings theory thought tradition translation types universe Upanisad Vedanta West Western esotericism Yoga Institute Yoga Sutras Yogi yogic