The November Issue of Yoga Journal included an article by Mark Singleton, a Ph.D. in Divinity from Cambridge University, based on his book "Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice". Singleton points out that virtually all of our current yoga asanas are derived from Scandinavian gymnastics exercise systems of the late 19th century.
Singleton is not just an academic but is a dedicated yoga practitioner for 15 years, Iyengar and Satyananda certified who currently practices the Third Astanga series. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZsAj4qpGoc).
Mark discovered in his extensive study that our current yoga asanas/postures are virtually all from 19th and 20 century Scandinavian gymnastics systems. These systems were widely used in physical training of armies, navies and schools. They found their way to India and were the most popular forms of exercise there in the 1920s, partially in preparation for pushing out the British. In Europe and America, the "harmonial movement" exercises were often developed by, and for, women like Cajzoran Ali, Genevieve Stebbins and Mollie Bangor Sack long before the Indian asana folk like Iyengar arrived.
Mark found that "asana was rarely, if ever, the primary feature of the significant yoga traditions in India". Asana was "subordinate to...pranayama, dharana (concentration) and nada (sound) and did not have health and fitness as an aim".
The most influential figure in modern asana practice in 20th century India was T. Krishhnamacharya who was the teacher of Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, Indra Devi and his son, T.K.B. Desikachar.
Krishnamacharya developed the new asana forms in the 1930s for the maharaj of Mysore, who was a "physical culture enthusiast" who wanted a practice for India's youth. The system was a "marriage of hatha yoga, wrestling exercises, and modern Western gymnastic movement, and unlike anything seen before in the yoga tradition".
i heard all of this when i was @ Krishnamacharya's Mandiram in Madras/Chennai in 1999 studying with T.K.V. Desikachar with Gary Kraftsow and a group of his teachers. It was "well known". Interesting how long it took for Yoga Journal to publish a highly-credible article demystifying the source and "age" of our asanas, the predominant manifestation of "yoga" now in the U.S./Europe.
So glad to hear sane people acknowledging there is an elephant in the living-room!
ReplyDeleteIt's very interesting and confirms some of my own suspicions and discoveries. However, Mollie Bangor Sack was influenced by Indian practices herself. Some of the others were influenced by various occult traditions, which are themselves influenced by Indian traditions. Does your book go into more detail for precisely when the various asana were developed, and by whom? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi Fian. There's really nothing in any of my three books that goes any further than does this blogpost. The referenced book, Mark Singeton's "Yoga Body; The Origins of Modern Posture Practice" is the main resource that details this. i bought some time ago, Georg Feuerstein's "The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice" which i still haven't gotten around to reading as it is so thick - 513 pages. Georg is a very thorough and reliable resource, so that is likely also a good resource. Both of these are available on amazon.
DeleteTrust this is useful. stillness