RELG222

What is the history of yoga, from ancient Asian religious origins to contemporary Western body culture? Taking a multidisciplinary approach towards the cultural, philosophical, and physical practices that we call yoga, this course analyzes a range of media from written texts and documentary films to Instagram and reality television. Each class meeting consists of both seminar discussion and a firsthand exploration of postures, meditation, and mindfulness. Topics include colonialism, orientalism, and cultural appropriation in yoga's history, a comparative analysis of the Indian yogic subject and the Western modern subject, and their distinctive concepts of body, mind, and spirit. We ask what a "yoga body" looks like, from Lululemon and yoga as a competitive sport to the body positivity and disability rights movements, and consider how #metoo is precipitating change in the yoga world. We also explore the emergent scientific discourse around yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. No prerequisites.