Reflections

Yellow light in the form of a cakra is displayed on a chest with hands in a mudrā.

Embodied Reception: South Asian Spiritualities in Contemporary Contexts

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Edited by Henriette Hanky, Knut A. Jacobsen, and István Keul, this comprehensive work brings together contributions from renowned scholars in yoga studies and related fields. The book’s innovative approach introduces the concept of embodied reception, offering a fresh perspective on how practitioners’ bodies engage with and shape spiritual practices as they traverse cultural boundaries.

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Silhouette of a man at sunset with arms raised above his head in prayer position.

“Flexible India: Yoga’s Cultural and Political Tensions” by Shameem Black

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In her latest scholarly work, Flexible Yoga, Shameem Black insightfully probes yoga’s intricate negotiations amidst cultural appropriation debates, Hindu nationalist agendas, and global labor exploitation through an interdisciplinary framework encompassing ethnography, discourse analysis, and textual study.

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A Scholar’s Balancing Act: Myths, Misconceptions, and Textual Evidence in Yoga History. An interview with Dr Jason Birch.

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In this interview, renowned yoga historian Jason Birch discusses common myths surrounding yoga’s history, arguing for increased philological study of Sanskrit and vernacular sources to reconstruct multifaceted developments empirically.

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Light on Hatha Project - HP Symposium in Oxford 2024

Illuminating the Roots of Yoga: The Haṭhapradīpikā Critical Edition

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This collaboration between researchers at the University of Oxford (Professor James Mallinson, Dr. Jason Birch) and the University of Marburg (Professor Jürgen Hanneder, Dr. Mitsuyo Demoto, Mr. Nils-Jacob Liersch) will produce the an authoritative critical edition along with an annotated translation of the Haṭhapradīpikā’s primary recension. Through meticulous examination of surviving manuscript witnesses, Professors Mallinson, Hanneder, and their research teams have produced a new critical edition of the Haṭhapradīpikā.

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Swami Vivekananda (centre right) at the World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893.

“Guru to the World: The Life of Swami Vivekananda” by Ruth Harris

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In the biography Guru to the World: The Life of Swami Vivekananda, Ruth Harris provides a comprehensive and discerning account of Swami Vivekananda, the Hindu monk renowned for introducing yoga and Vedanta philosophy to the Western world during the late 19th century. Harris skillfully traces Vivekananda’s journey from his upbringing in Calcutta to his notable 1893 address at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, followed by extensive tours across America and Europe.

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Scholars at the YDYS 2024

3rd International YDYS Conference

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Samantha Griggs shares her reflections on this year’s Yoga Darśana, Yoga Sādhana Conference: ‘Introspection, Inspiration, Institutionalisation’ held at Universität Hamburg. Building on the success of previous conferences in 2016 and 2022 at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, this third iteration of YDYS brought together approximately 100 scholars in the field of yoga studies for three days of inspiring presentations, dynamic discussions, and critical examination of the field.

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