Thinking in Āsana
Movement and Philosophy in Viniyoga, Iyengar Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga
by Matylda Ciolkosz
Paperback (Published)
(September 2022)
ISBN: 9781800502123
6.1 x 9.17 inches
Price: $35.00
In stock
Hardback (Published)
(September 2022)
ISBN: 9781800502116
6.1 x 9.17 inches
Price: $90.00
In stock
Thinking in Āsana is an exploration of three popular lineages of modern postural yoga – Viniyoga, Iyengar Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga. The book describes in detail the different styles of yoga practice advocated within the three lineages, and traces the influence of this practice on the corresponding “yoga philosophies”. While Viniyoga, Iyengar Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga name the yoga of Patanjali as the source of their teachings, the interpretations of Patanjali’s system differ significantly between the three lineages. A careful examination suggests that these differences can be accounted for by referring to the differences in the kinds of movement experienced during yoga practice. Linguistic theories of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson provide methodological groundwork for such examination. By deconstructing the experience of movement specific to modern postural yoga practice, and by juxtaposing it to a linguistic analysis of a textual corpus, Thinking in Āsana argues that there is a systematic relation between how yoga is practiced and how yoga philosophy is understood. In doing so, the book not only gives a detailed, insightful look at modern postural yoga in practice and theory, but it also emphasises the role of movement in human meaning-making activity.
Thinking in Āsana is an exploration of three popular lineages of modern postural yoga – Viniyoga, Iyengar Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga. The book describes in detail the different styles of yoga practice advocated within the three lineages, and traces the influence of this practice on the corresponding “yoga philosophies”. While Viniyoga, Iyengar Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga name the yoga of Patanjali as the source of their teachings, the interpretations of Patanjali’s system differ significantly between the three lineages. A careful examination suggests that these differences can be accounted for by referring to the differences in the kinds of movement experienced during yoga practice. Linguistic theories of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson provide methodological groundwork for such examination. By deconstructing the experience of movement specific to modern postural yoga practice, and by juxtaposing it to a linguistic analysis of a textual corpus, Thinking in Āsana argues that there is a systematic relation between how yoga is practiced and how yoga philosophy is understood. In doing so, the book not only gives a detailed, insightful look at modern postural yoga in practice and theory, but it also emphasises the role of movement in human meaning-making activity.
Table of Contents List of Abbreviations vi Prologue Acknowledgements xiv Part I: Enactivism as a Framework for Yoga Studies 1. Introduction: The Legacy of Descartes and the Mind-machine 2. Towards Enactivism: Redefining the Mind and Cognition 3. Enaction and Language 4. About this Study Part II: Thinking in Āsana: Movement and Philosophy in Modern Postural Yoga 5. Construing Yoga: A Sketch from a Few Perspectives 6. The Legend and Legacy of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya 7. Viniyoga, or the Yoga of T.K.V. Desikachar 8. Iyengar Yoga 9. Ashtanga Yoga of K. Pattabhi Jois 10. Yogins, their Yogas, and their Worlds: A Summary Epilogue: Yoga, Autopoiesis, and Change End Matter Bibliography Index
- By (author) Matylda Ciolkosz
". . . a sophisticated and coherent account of how yoga practice and philosophy interconnect, which will be an invigorating read for both scholars and practitioners alike. . . . The productive combination of linguistics and kinaesthetics is a novel addition to current scholarship on yoga in the humanities and will likely become an influential text in shaping future interdisciplinary studies, particularly in the context of bridging the gap between biology and sociology, science and philosophy, scholars and practitioners." Clarke, Melissa, Religion, 28 March 2023
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