The Story of Yoga : From Ancient India to the Modern West

"How did an ancient Indian spiritual discipline turn into a £20 billion-a-year mainstay of the global wellness industry? What happened along yoga's winding path from the caves and forests of the sages to the gyms, hospitals and village halls of the modern West? This comprehensive history sets yoga in its global cultural context for the first time. It leads us on a fascinating journey across the world, from arcane religious rituals and medieval body-magic, through muscular Christianity and the British Raj, to the Indian nationalist movement and the arrival of yoga in the twentieth-century West. We discover how the practice reached its present-day ubiquity and how it became embedded in powerful social currents shaping the world's future, such as feminism, digital media, celebrity culture, the stress pandemic and the quest for an authentic identity in the face of unprecedented change. Shearer's revealing history boasts a colorful cast of characters past and present, who tell an engaging tale of scholars and scandal, science and spirit, wisdom and waywardness. This is the untold story of yoga, warts and all."-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title 7 Copyright 8 Contents 9 List of Illustrations 13 Acknowledgements 17 Glossary 19 Introduction 23 Part One: Yesterday 31 Beginnings 33 1. Way Back When...? 35 2. The Legacy of the Forest Sages 47 3. The Great Patanjali Paradox 55 4. Gita Yoga 65 5. Wild Men, Dubious Reputations 75 The Age of Invasions 89 6. The Crescent and The Lotus 91 7. An Imperial Yoke 101 8. We Want to Be Free! 111 9. Martial Yoga 117 Yoga Goes West 127 10. Yoga Theosophica 129 11. The Swami’s Mission 149 12. Roguey Yogis Set the Trend 163 13. Strongman Yoga 173 14. The Mysore Palace Masala 181 15. Enter the Lion King 189 Female Fitness 197 16. A Woman’s Work 199 17. Pioneering Yoginis 211 Changin’ Times 219 18. Lord Shiva Shakes His Trident 221 19. Lotus Postures, Lotus Eaters 231 Part Two: Today 239 Physical Limits 241 20. Fakirs and Fakers 243 21. Some Like It Hot 253 22. Risks and Regulation 261 23. Science, Spirit and Stress Relief 273 Going Within 285 24. Four Types of Mind-Yoga 287 25. Mindfulness à la Mode 295 Contemporary Cautions 305 26. Yoga Shmoga 307 27. Trouble in Paradise 317 Looking Ahead 331 28. Yoga to the Rescue? 333 29. Fifty Shades of Saffron 347 30. Yoga, Religion and Spirituality 361 Notes 381 Index 409