History of Modern Yoga
with Laura Cornell
This course will examine Yoga's encounter with the West. We will look at the influence of the British on Yoga; the assimilation of modern narratives of health, fitness, and science into ancient philosophies; the emergence of entirely new forms of Yoga; the migration of Yoga to the United States; and the various schools and lineages of Yoga in the United States. We will consider questions such as: What makes Yoga so popular today? How have Western values and modernity in particular influenced the philosophy and practice of Yoga? What is the relationship between historical and contemporary practice? What new trends are emerging?
Class time will include lecture, discussion, and reflection. The course assumes a basic familiarity with some of the core philosophies of Yoga, including the Bhagavad Gita, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, and Tantrism.
Read Laura Cornell's biography
