The Multinational Significance of Yoga

ISBN-13: 9783639177282 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 112 str.

Molly Terhune

Opis

This paper explores several intersecting themes regarding the complex social forces that have shaped modern yoga. The first section highlights the dissemination of South Asian religion and culture via the yoga tradition, and focuses strongly on the adoption and adaptation of these cultural and religious practices in the West. In examining this critical East-West exchange, several themes recur, such as cultural commodification, evolving ideals of health and wellness, and changing conceptions of religiosity/spirituality. The second section of the paper takes a different perspective, offering empirical data from current medical research on yoga. This clinical review focuses on yoga as an intervention for common mental health conditions. Taken together, these distinct social and medical perspectives offer a comprehensive depiction of the multinational significance of modern yoga.

O autorze

Molly Terhune began practicing and studying and yoga during high school in Barrington, RI. These studies were continued at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. In 2009, Molly received a Bachelor of Arts from Hampshire with a concentration in medical anthropology. This paper draws from and is the culmination of many courses taken during that time.