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Yoga Studies in Five Minutes

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Yoga Studies in Five Minutes provides an accessible guide to the diverse and growing field of research into yoga as a social, historical and cultural phenomenon. Both leading scholars and innovative researchers offer 60 brief responses to questions that offer insights into the study of yoga, such as: Who was the first teacher of yoga? Is yoga Indian? What is paramparā? Are there holy texts in yoga? What are the goals of yoga? Why do yogis hold their breath?

The collection covers ancient history, modern developments, and contemporary issues, considers the diverse practices and philosophies of yoga in a range of contexts, and uses a range of approaches, from philology to anthropology to art history. The collection is useful for established scholars looking to broaden their understanding of this rapidly developing field, as well as for those new to the subject. The book is an ideal starting point for both independent study and the classroom.

Published: Mar 15, 2025

Book Contributors

Series

Section Chapter Authors
Introduction
Introduction Theodora Wildcroft, Barbora Sojková
Section 1: What is Yoga?
1. Is Yoga a Religion? Philip Deslippe
2. Is Yoga a Philosophy? Karen O'Brien Kop
3. Is Yoga a Ritual? Brett W. Parris
4. Is there a Role for Faith in Yoga? Jens U. Augspurger
5. Is Yoga Atheistic, Non-theistic, or Theistic? Corinna May Lhoir
6. Has Yoga Always been Associated with Hinduism? Corinna May Lhoir
7. Is Yoga Indian? C. Pierce Salguero
8. Are there Sacred Texts in Yoga? Lubomír Ondračka
9. What is Sanskrit? Corinna May Lhoir
10. What is OM? Finnian Gerety
Section 2: What is the Point of Yoga?
11. What are the Goals of Yoga? Barbora Sojková
12. Does Yoga Liberate or Constrain? Ruth Westoby
13. Do Yogis Want to Transcend or Transform the Body? Adrián Muñoz
14. Are Ethics Important in Yoga? Jens U. Augspurger
15. Are All Yogis Non-violent? Matylda Ciołkosz
16. What are the Yamas and Niyamas? Graham Burns
17. Does a Yogi Need to Renounce the World? Daniela Bevilacqua
18. What is a Samādhi? Brett W. Parris
19. Does Yoga Give you Extraordinary Powers? Lubomír Ondračka
Section 3: Is Yoga Healthy?
20. Is Yoga Safe? Jens U. Augspurger
21. Is Yoga Good for your Health? Brett W. Parris
22. Why do Yogis Contort their Bodies? Daniela Bevilacqua
23. Are All Yoga Practitioners Flexible? Laura von Ostrowski
24. What is the Role of Diet in Yoga? Theodora Wildcroft, Barbora Sojková
25. What is the relationship between Yoga and Āyurveda? Suzanne Newcombe
Section 4: How do you Practise Yoga?
26. What Life does the Ideal Yogi Lead? Barbora Sojková, Theodora Wildcroft
27. Has Yoga Always been a Physical Practice? Laura von Ostrowski
28. What are Āsanas? Matylda Ciołkosz
29. What is Vinyasa? Marissa Clarke
30 What is Prāṇāyāma? Graham Burns
31. How do Mantras Relate to Yoga? Finnian Gerety
32. Why do Yogis Go Upside Down? Matylda Ciołkosz
33. Why do Yogis Meditate? Matylda Ciołkosz
34. What is Kuṇḍalinī? Ruth Westoby
35. What is a Yoginī? Ruth Westoby
Section 5: How do you Study Yoga?
36. Do you Need to Practise Yoga to Understand it? Laura von Ostrowski
37. How do Academics Study Yoga? Karen O'Brien Kop
38. Is Yoga Only an Individual Endeavour? Daniela Bevilacqua
39. Does a Yogi Need to be Part of a Lineage? Theodora Wildcroft
40. What do the Words Sampradāya and Paramparā Mean? Daniela Bevilacqua
41. What is the Haṭhapradīpikā? Nils Jacob Liersch
42. Who are the Siddha Yogis? Adrián Muñoz
Section 6: How do you Teach Yoga?
43. What do we Know about the Teaching of Yoga? Theodora Wildcroft
44. Who was the Frist Teacher of Yoga? Daniela Bevilacqua
45. Who was Patañjali? Karen O'Brien Kop
46. Who were Gorakṣanātha and Matsyendranātha? Lubomír Ondračka
47. What is a Guru? Jens U. Augspurger
48. Are the Teachers of Yoga Enlightened? Amelia Wood
49. Does a Yoga Teacher Need to be an Advanced Practitioner? Theodora Wildcroft, Barbora Sojková
Section 7: How did Modern Yoga Develop?
50. What is the Difference between Haṭhayoga and Hatha Yoga? James Mallinson
51. How has Modern Yoga Developed around the World? Firdose Moonda
52. Why did Yoga Start being Practised in the Western World? Philip Deslippe
53. Where did All the Women Come from? Suzanne Newcombe
54. Who was Swami Vivekananda? Gwilym Beckerlegge
55. Who was Krishnamacharya? Amelia Wood
Section 8: What does Yoga Look Like Today?
56. How do Modern Practitioners Relate to Ancient Texts? Barbora Sojková
57. Can People from All Backgrounds Practise Yoga? Jens U. Augspurger
58. What does Yoga Mean to Indians Today? Marissa Clarke
59. What is the Relationship between Race and Yoga? Sheena Sood
60. What is the Relationship between Yoga and Capitalism? Marissa Clarke