Yoga

Yoga has become more than just a Sanskrit term referring to union or a system of philosophy. Its current reach extends far beyond the pages of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra and beyond the borders of India. Yoga studios have emerged all over the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Yoga has been translated into these many different global contexts, but what remains constant in these many translations is a bodily practice that revolves around the asanas or poses.

Yoga was introduced to the global stage via the intertwined forces of colonialism and capitalism. During the colonial reign under the British Raj, yoga experienced a renaissance of sorts and became more popular in India as a Hindu practice. Yoga was rediscovered as an example of rational and enlightened Hinduism (in contrast to other practices that focused on the iconic and ritualized).

At the same time, there were religious leaders in India geared up for exporting yoga outside India. One of the first ambassadors for yoga outside India was Swami Vivekananda, who came to the United States in 1893 as a delegate for the World Parliament of Religions. Vivekananda's yoga, Raja Yoga, focused more on pranayama or controlled breathing and was marketed as universal practice that could supplement and complement Christianity.

While yoga remained popular in certain circles throughout the first half of the 20th century, it was not until the 1960s that it really began to take off. The growing openness to Eastern religions and the heightened profile of the yoga teacher B. K. S. Iyengar helped increase its popularity. Iyengar's focus on correct postures using props, such as blocks and straps, helped many people of all ages and ability levels to participate in the practice of modern yoga.

Because of the popularity of yoga around the world, controversies surrounding the religious or secular location of yoga have emerged. While Vivekananda and Iyengar may have constructed the practice of yoga as universal, there are other teachers of yoga, such as Ram Dev, who situate the practice within the Hindu tradition. Yoga is taught not only in Hindu ashrams but also in gyms, public schools, and prisons. To add more complexity to this controversy, Christian and Jewish yoga have also gained various followers, which has led followers of the three faiths and scholars to debate the locations of religious boundaries.

While various factions continue to debate the religious, universal, or secular place of yoga, it continues to become more popular across the globe and is creating a network across national, social, religious, and economic boundaries.