The origins of modern posture practice by mark singleton overview yoga is so prevalent in the modern worldpracticed by pop stars, taught in schools, and offered in yoga centers, health clubs, and even shopping mallsthat we take its presence, and its meaning, for granted. Mark singleton works on yoga in tradition and modernity. Yoga is so prevalent in the modern worldpracticed by pop stars, taught. The origins of modern posture practice mark singleton. Mark singleton responds to critics who didnt want to understand. Contemporary perspectives routledge hindu studies routledge hindu studies series by mark singleton and jean byrne aug 20, 2008 5.
The origins of modern posture practice by mark singleton. Yoga body by mark singleton is a scholarly exploration of how modern yoga, as currently practiced in countless studios, gyms, and schools across the country, evolved. It is here, in the very work of interpretation and assimilation of tradition and modernity, that the main interest of this book lies. Nov 20, 2017 sir james mallinson is a lecturer in sanskrit and classical and indian studies at soas, university of london. Mark singletons book yoga body traces the evolution of the ever expanding practice of asana worldwide. Yoga body the origins of modern posture practice mark singleton. In this groundbreaking book, mark singleton calls into question many commonly held beliefs about the nature and origins of postural yoga asana and suggests a radically new way of understanding the meaning of yoga as it is practiced by millions of people across the world today. Calls into question many commonly held beliefs about the nature and origins of postural yoga. The origins of modern posture practice the origins of modern posture practice por mark singleton disponible en rakuten kobo. The origins of modern posture practice i had to add the subtitle, bc for some reason goodreads didnt.
Its a bad way to start, probably, but it got me on the. D at cambridges faculty of divinity on the modern history of yoga. Bookmark file pdf yoga body the origins of modern posture practice mark singleton some ways to overcome this problem. In the hall, full of silent scholars, i opened it and leafed through picture after picture of men and women in familiar postures. Because this is not just another yoga history book that focuses on the yoga sutras and the bhagavad gita and blahdeblah. Related study and download yoga online yoga international. Yoga body hardcover mark singleton oxford university press.
Buy yoga body by mark singleton at mighty ape australia. Yoga body charts the rise of postural yoga asana in popular imagination and practice from the middle of the nineteenth century to. Dec 16, 20 last week a certain babarazzi started getting randy in the comments with regards to mark singletons book on the supposed origins of modern asana practice, yoga body, taking it a bit to task, to which our illustrious reader, the moment already came, had this to say. It revolutionized the genetic view of yogic transmission in which instructions are handed down unchanged across generations and postcolonial boundaries with epigenetic considerations of. Mark singletons research interests lie in the intersection of tradition and modernity in yoga. The origins of modern posture practice 9780195395341 by singleton, mark and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Feb 10, 2010 this book, an invaluable source on modern yoga, should be on the reading list of every serious student and teacher training program. Yoga body, the origins of modern posture practice 2010. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Mark singletons treatment, the yoga body, was put out by distinguished publisher oxford university press only a few months before symens. I highly recommend this book, especially for all sincere students of. Yoga is so prevalent in the modern worldpracticed by pop stars, taught in schools, and offered in yoga centers, health. I started studying meditation in adolescence, from books by christmas humphreys, who i think headed the buddhist society in england.
Richard rosen, yoga journal what mark singleton does prove, with massive, irrefutable, fascinating and often hilarious evidence, is that yoga is a rich, multicultural, constantly changing interdisciplinary construction, far from the pure line that its. In the above sentence and in the book generally, singleton illuminates one of the core mechanisms of transnational yoga marketing. But i cant think of a book with a more yogic thrust, if yoga is the attempt to integrate. Yoga body author mark singleton responds to critics. The roots of yoga by mark singleton the pale winter sunlight shone from the high windows of the cambridge university library onto a dark leather book cover. Why are you hiding the good shit under a bushel in the. He has published extensively on the history of yoga, including the books yoga in the modern world, contemporary perspectives ed. It invites the individual body to do acro yoga with the body politic. Calls into question many commonly held beliefs about the nature and. His work offers a much needed historical perspective that will help correct much of the mythology and groupthink that is emerging in the modern asana based yoga world. In this groundbreaking book, mark singleton calls into question many commonly held beliefs about the nature and origins of postural yoga a sana and suggests a radically new way of understanding the meaning of yoga as it is practiced by millions of people across the world today.
In the yoga bodysold back to a million consumerpractitioners as an irresistible commodity of the holistic, perfectible selfsurface and anatomical structure promise ineffable depth and the dream of incarnate transcendence. In this groundbreaking book, mark singleton calls into question many commonly held beliefs about the nature and origins of postural yoga asana and suggests a radically new way of understanding the meaning of yoga as it is practiced by millions of people across. The origins of modern posture practice by mark singleton at indigo. This period saw the forging of a postural canon that gave shape to what is today popularly accepted as the practical substance of yoga. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Yoga body charts the rise of postural yoga asana in popular imagination and practice from the middle of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the second world war. Mark singleton spent three years in india in the 1990s learning yoga intensively, both physically and mentally, and discovering that authentic, traditional indian yoga was strikingly difficult to find.
In this groundbreaking book, mark singleton calls into question many commonly held beliefs about the nature and origins of postural yoga. But symens book was not the only book on the history of yoga in the past year. Yoga body by mark singleton, 9780195395341, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Yoga body paperback mark singleton oxford university press.
So mark can you tell us something about where you come from, and how you came to have an interest in yoga. The origins of modern posture practice mark singleton yoga is so prevalent in the modern worldpracticed by pop stars, taught in schools, and offered in yoga centers, health clubs, and even shopping mallsthat we take its presence, and its meaning, for granted. Nov 01, 2015 mark singletons book sparked countless conversations about the meaning of social authenticity in a practice meant to reveal personal authenticity. Mark singleton is a longterm research fellow at the american institute of indian studies. The book sparked countless conversations about the meaning of social authenticity in a practice meant to reveal personal authenticity. Mark singleton yoga body the origins of modern posture. Mark singleton on yoga body please help us spread eastern teachings and wisdom by liking, commenting and sharing this video. It is based on his phd thesis, and argues that the yoga known worldwide is, in large part, a radical break from hatha yoga tradition, with different goals, and an unprecedented emphasis on asanas. The origins of modern posture practice first edition by singleton, mark isbn. He was a research assistant at the dharam hinduja institute of indic research, university of cambridge, in 20023, and went on to complete a ph.
The body between science and philosophy mark singleton s yoga body. Yoga body the origins of modern posture practice mark. The research of yoga body may trouble our definitions of yoga and asana and our assumptions with regard to tradition and innovation. In essence, this very popular form of yoga was greatly influenced by modern physical practices, not just traditional spiritual or mystical ones. He taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses at st. Suggests a radically new way of understanding the meaning of yoga as it is practiced by millions of people across the world today. Yoga body paperback mark singleton oxford university. I highly recommend this book, especially for all sincere students of yoga. I was excited to stumble across this book because it proposed fresh insights into the history and development of posturecentric yoga. The origins of modern posture practice is an outstanding scholarly work which brings so much insight and clarity to the historic and cultural background of modern hatha yoga.
Singleton argued in his 2010 book yoga body, following norman sjoman, that many standing asanas with simple descriptive names, such. The origins of modern posture practice di singleton, mark. And is it really rooted in ancient indian practices, as many of its adherents claim. The passage just quoted sounds rather dismissive of modern yoga, but this does not seem to be singletons intention. It is based on his phd thesis, and argues that the yoga known worldwide is, in large part, a radical break from hatha yoga tradition, with different goals, and an unprecedented emphasis on asanas, many of them acquired in the 20th century. Yoga is so prevalent in the modern worldpracticed by pop stars, taught in schools, and offered in yoga. Aug 23, 2011 in making his argument, mohler was drawing on stefanie symens the subtle body.
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