Mark Singleton - Jógatest - A modern jóga ászanáinak eredete

"Yoga is so much a part of our world these days that we take its presence for granted. It is popularized by stars, taught in schools and even in shopping centers. But what is the reason for its popularity? And does its influence really date back to ancient times, as its followers claim?
In his extraordinary book, Mark Singleton challenges commonly held views about the nature and origins of asana-based yoga and proposes a radically new way of understanding yoga. It shows that, contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence in the Indian tradition for the kind of health and fitness-oriented, asana-centered yoga practice that dominates the global perception of yoga in the twenty-first century. Singleton asserts no less than that the roots of today's most popular asana-based yoga trends - such as Ashtanga, Hatha or Bikram yoga - are not purely to be found in the ancient Indian yoga tradition: European bodybuilding, the women's gymnastics movement of the early twentieth century or even the ideas of nationalism are serious played a role in their creation!
Based on rich archival documents and interviews with the still-living members of the generation of legendary Mászur students who made yoga world famous, Jógates explores the history, philosophical and practical background of modern yoga with extraordinary thoroughness.
"Singleton's radical, meticulously documented and sensitive analysis makes it abundantly clear that asana-based yoga, considered a veritable icon of Indian civilization, is in fact clearly a hybrid product of colonial and post-colonial globalization." - Joseph S. Alter, Professor, University of Pittsburgh"