Selling Yoga

From Counterculture to Pop Culture

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Reference, Comparative Religion, Health & Well Being, Fitness, Yoga, Health, Alternative & Holistic Health
Cover of the book Selling Yoga by Andrea Jain, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Andrea Jain ISBN: 9780199390267
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: November 10, 2014
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Andrea Jain
ISBN: 9780199390267
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: November 10, 2014
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Premodern and early modern yoga comprise techniques with a wide range of aims, from turning inward in quest of the true self, to turning outward for divine union, to channeling bodily energy in pursuit of sexual pleasure. Early modern yoga also encompassed countercultural beliefs and practices. In contrast, today, modern yoga aims at the enhancement of the mind-body complex but does so according to contemporary dominant metaphysical, health, and fitness paradigms. Consequently, yoga is now a part of popular culture. In Selling Yoga, Andrea R. Jain explores the popularization of yoga in the context of late-twentieth-century consumer culture. She departs from conventional approaches by undermining essentialist definitions of yoga as well as assumptions that yoga underwent a linear trajectory of increasing popularization. While some studies trivialize popularized yoga systems by reducing them to the mere commodification or corruption of what is perceived as an otherwise fixed, authentic system, Jain suggests that this dichotomy oversimplifies the history of yoga as well as its meanings for contemporary practitioners. By discussing a wide array of modern yoga types, from Iyengar Yoga to Bikram Yoga, Jain argues that popularized yoga cannot be dismissed--that it has a variety of religious meanings and functions. Yoga brands destabilize the basic utility of yoga commodities and assign to them new meanings that represent the fulfillment of self-developmental needs often deemed sacred in contemporary consumer culture.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Premodern and early modern yoga comprise techniques with a wide range of aims, from turning inward in quest of the true self, to turning outward for divine union, to channeling bodily energy in pursuit of sexual pleasure. Early modern yoga also encompassed countercultural beliefs and practices. In contrast, today, modern yoga aims at the enhancement of the mind-body complex but does so according to contemporary dominant metaphysical, health, and fitness paradigms. Consequently, yoga is now a part of popular culture. In Selling Yoga, Andrea R. Jain explores the popularization of yoga in the context of late-twentieth-century consumer culture. She departs from conventional approaches by undermining essentialist definitions of yoga as well as assumptions that yoga underwent a linear trajectory of increasing popularization. While some studies trivialize popularized yoga systems by reducing them to the mere commodification or corruption of what is perceived as an otherwise fixed, authentic system, Jain suggests that this dichotomy oversimplifies the history of yoga as well as its meanings for contemporary practitioners. By discussing a wide array of modern yoga types, from Iyengar Yoga to Bikram Yoga, Jain argues that popularized yoga cannot be dismissed--that it has a variety of religious meanings and functions. Yoga brands destabilize the basic utility of yoga commodities and assign to them new meanings that represent the fulfillment of self-developmental needs often deemed sacred in contemporary consumer culture.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Tweeting to Power by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book Thomas Aquinas's Summa Contra Gentiles by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book Religion and the New Immigrants by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book The Struggle for Egypt : From Nasser to Tahrir Square by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book The Phenomenal Basis of Intentionality by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book The Moral Foundations of Parenthood by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book Voice Lessons by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book After Winter by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book Belief without Borders by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book Barbarians and Brothers by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book Haunting Hands by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book Pain Management by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book The Spine Handbook by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book The Morphosyntax of Portuguese and Spanish in Latin America by Andrea Jain
Cover of the book Debating Christian Theism by Andrea Jain
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy