
With Over Four Million Copies In Print, Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography Has Served As A Gateway Into Yoga And Alternative Spirituality For North American Practitioners Since 1946. Balancing Traditional Yoga, Metaphysical Spirituality, And A Flair For The Stage, Yogananda Inspired Countless People To Practice Yogoda, His Own Brand Of Yoga. His Method Combined The Spiritual And Superhuman Aspirations Of Indian Traditions With The Health-oriented Sensibilities Of Western Practice. Because The Yogoda Program Does Not Rely On Recognizable Postures And Poses, It Has Remained Under The Radar Of Yoga Scholarship. Biography Of A Yogi Examines Yogananda's Career And Yogoda In The Wider Context Of The Development Of Yoga In The Twentieth Century. Focusing On Yogis During This Early Period Of Transnational Popularization, Foxen Highlights The Continuities In The Concept Of The Yogi As Superhuman And Traces The Transformation Of Yoga From A Holistic And Spiritual Practice To Its Present-day Postural Practice.
This book investigates how Paramahansa Yogananda and his Yogoda program influenced the development of modern yoga in the twentieth century. Anya P. Foxen, a scholar of religious studies, analyzes the intersection of Indian spiritual traditions and Western health-oriented practices. By examining Yogananda's career, the author argues that the concept of the 'yogi' shifted from a figure of superhuman aspiration to the contemporary focus on physical posture.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars and readers note that this work provides a rigorous academic perspective on a figure often overlooked in mainstream yoga history. Experts highlight the book as a valuable contribution to the study of how Eastern spiritual practices were adapted for Western audiences.
Page Count:
256
Publication Date:
2017-07-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press, Incorporated
ISBN-10:
0190668067
ISBN-13:
9780190668068
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