Anjali Kanojia - The Politics and Promise of Yoga: Contemporary Relevance of an Ancient Practice

The Politics and Promise
of Yoga

Explorations in Indic Traditions: Theological, Ethical, and Philosophical

Series Editor: Jeffery D. Long, Elizabethtown College

Advisory Board

Purushottama Bilimoria, Christopher Key Chapple, Jonathan Gold, Pankaj Jain, Nathan Katz, Kusumita Pedersen, and Rita D. Sherma

The region historically known as the Indian subcontinent (and more recently as South Asia) is rich with ancient and sophisticated traditions of intellectual and contemplative investigation. This includes both indigenous traditions (Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh) and traditions that have found a home in this region (Islamic, Christian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian). This series is devoted to studies rooted in critical and constructive methodologies (such as ethics, philosophy, and theology) that show how these traditions can illuminate universal human questions: questions about the meaning of life, the nature of knowledge, good and evil, and the broader metaphysical context of human existence. A particular focus of this series is the relevance of these traditions to urgent issues that face humanity todaysuch as the ecological crisis, gender relations, poverty and social inequality, and religiously motivated violenceon the assumption that these traditions, far from being of merely historical interest, have the potential to enrich contemporary conversations and advance human understanding.

Recent Titles in Series

The Politics and Promise of Yoga: Contemporary Relevance of an Ancient Practice, by Anjali Kanojia

The Hindu Self and its Muslim Neighbors: Borders of Belonging in Bengal, by Ankur Barua

The Philosophy of Sri Chinmoy: Love and Transformation, by Kusumita Pedersen

Gandhi and Rajchandra: The Making of the Mahatma, by Uma Majmudar

Swami Vivekananda: His Life, Legacy, and Liberative Ethics, edited by Rita D. Sherma

Beacons of Dharma, edited by Jeffery D. Long, Michael Reading, Christopher Miller

Thinking with the Yogasutra of Patanjali: Translation and Interpretation, edited by Christopher Key Chapple and Ana Funes Maderey

The Metaphysics of Paradox: Jainism, Absolute Relativity, and Religious Pluralism, by Wm. Andrew Schwartz

Digital Hinduism: Dharma and Discourse in the Age of New Media, edited by Murali Balaji

Sri Chaitanyas Life and Teachings: The Golden Avatara of Divine Love, by Steven Rosen

Shaktis New Voice: Guru Devotion in a Woman-Led Spiritual Movement, by Angela Rudert

The Vedantic Relationality of Rabindranath Tagore: Harmonizing the One and Its Many, by Ankur Barua

This work is dedicated to the gurus; their gratitude, grace, and blessings.

The Politics and Promise
of Yoga

Contemporary Relevance of an
Ancient Practice

Anjali Kanojia

LEXINGTON BOOKS

Lanham Boulder New York London

Published by Lexington Books

An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

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Copyright 2023 by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Kanojia, Anjali H., 1978 author.

Title: The politics and promise of yoga : contemporary relevance of an ancient practice / Anjali Kanojia.

Description: Lanham : Lexington Books, [2023] | Series: Explorations in indic traditions: theological, ethical, and philosophical | Includes bibliographical references and index. |

Summary: Yoga is a popular and beneficial evidence-based health practice. This book addresses the origins, explores yogas evolution, and outlines current scientific research as well as contemporary discussions related to the possibilities as well as the politicization of this ancient Indian practice Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022034698 (print) | LCCN 2022034699 (ebook) | ISBN 9781498599344 (cloth) | ISBN 9781498599351 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Yoga.

Classification: LCC B132.Y6 K333 2023 (print) | LCC B132.Y6 (ebook) | DDC 181/.45dc23/eng/20220909

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022034698

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022034699

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

I would like to acknowledge Dr. Long, the publisher, and everyones patience which allowed this book to happen. I am grateful to my family and friends and my yoga students and fellow practitioners for their enthusiasm and interest in the book.

Purvi Baron

Avani Kanojia

Tina Nguyen

Six Darshanas

The Four Vedas

Ashtanga Yoga

Five Components of the Mind

Representation of Reality

The Four Yugas

The Prana Vayus

Human Life Cycle

The Four Asramas

The Four Purusharthas

Gunas, Tattwas, and Their Functions

Koshas or Sheaths

The Three Gunas

The Three Doshas

Types of Karma

Temple Layout

Architecture of Kandariya Mahadev Khajuraho Temple

Yoga Sutras Pada

Yama according to Maharishi Patanjali

Niyama according to Maharishi Patanjali

The Chakras

Muladhara Chakra

Swadhisthana Chakra

Manipura Chakra

Anahata Chakra

Vishuddhi Chakra

Ajna Chakra

Sahasrara Chakra

Complementary, Alternative, Integrative Medicine

Complementary Health Approaches

Namaste

The health of our body is of fundamental importance in life, claims the Swiss-born physician Paracelsus: Health isnt everything, but without health, everything is nothing (Jagtap, n.d.). Practicing yoga regularly improves physical, mental, social, and spiritual health (Yadav et al., 2015). Yoga is an ancient Indian health practice and part of a global economy. The yoga industry is estimated at $80 billion, and there are about 300 million yoga practitioners around the world, 72 percent of whom are female (Jeong, 2022). This spiritual practice has even generated fitness and yoga gurus with a large following. Yoga is practiced by over 36 million Americans, and according to data, the number of practitioners has doubled in the United States over the past decade (2002).

Medicine in general constitutes practices that reside outside mainstream structures, and these practices have existed for centuries (Jonas et al., 2013). Many philosophical systems and traditions have arisen in India, including theories of evolution that outline the development of human physiology and related complexities. Many of these philosophies are currently in practice, though yoga is one such philosophy (Kesarcodi-Watson, 1978).

Yoga is one of the six classical Indian philosophies or Satdarshanas, which are ways of seeing or knowing ourselves, our true self (Klostermaier, 2007). Yoga is, in essence, described by eminent yoga gurus as a self-discovery. This self-discovery is an implosive process that one strives toward. The yoga philosophy contains methods to develop clarity and awareness about ourselves by focusing and working on the mind-body-spirit complex. Yoga is thus the control of thought waves in the mind; yoga is the method to control the minds wavering (Prabhavananda & Isherwood, 1991).