![]() ![]() These innovative and experimental yogis drew upon Indian textual lineages of yoga, as well as the Western physical culture movement of the early 20th century. In the early 20th century Indian innovators like Krishnamacharya, began to rehabilitate yoga as a modern physical pursuit that laid important foundations for the commercially successful global yoga industry we see today. Before the 20th century, yogis were usually depicted as sorcerers, spies and soul-stealers. ‘Yoga’ has been variously understood as a search to separate the spirit from bodily matter, as a quest to unite with the divine, as a tool to strengthen the nation, as a means of magic, and as a form of military training. ![]() Although many of the postures, breath practices and meditations have their roots in classical and medieval Indian texts, the very meaning of ‘yoga’ has varied widely across texts and periods. Yoga in India has never represented an unbroken historical tradition. A brief look at the history of yoga may help to explain why this industry has not had a straightforward development in India. This paradox emerges, in part, because the practice known as ‘yoga’ around the world is a modern invention of the globalised and capitalist 20th century. Yet, ironically, the one country where yoga does not yet thrive commercially is the very place from which yoga is thought to originate: India. ![]() ![]() In the past decade the worldwide yoga industry has become a multi-billion-dollar business. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |