Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra
The eThics of Yoga and The spiriT of godmen
even though he gestures toward catholic … The competitive structure of the free
market combined with the spirit of Hindutva turns the ultimate goal of yoga—the …
Competition beyond Capitalism
The Ethics of Yoga and the Spirit of Godmen
In The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber ([1930] 1958) does not appear to be explicitly concerned with competition. His focus is on the contradiction between religious values and economic interests and how one signifies the other. Nevertheless, his argument hinges on how the idea of salvation, conceptualized in terms of predestination, produces a worldview in which the saved and the damned are winners and losers. This worldview would seem to render competition pointless and meaningless since the elect are chosen by God.
And yet, what Weber shows is that a competitive ethic of hard work that demonstrates election is deeply internalized and performed. As such, predestination opens up an arena where the performance of salvation through competitive capitalism suggests a more...
It is not at all coincidental that Sivananda’s project to sacralize secularized modern yoga made particular sense within the framework of Gandhian self-determination in the 1930s–1940s, Nehruvian socialism in the 1950s–1960s, and policies intended to promote the production of a spectrum of Indian-made consumer goods ranging from automobiles to soft drinks in the 1970s–1980s. Cultural politics, economic policy, and nationalism during the Nehruvian decades in particular involved both the construction of social boundaries and the desire for a meaningful realization of the means by which to transcend these boundaries. In search of a way to reconcile the alienation of modernity, many young people from Europe and the United States came to Rishikesh in search of the same thing Sivananda had been searching for—that is, an authentic means by which to practice self-realization and to embody self-perfection.
What is especially powerful about Sivananda’s project is the way in which the physical practice of yoga—in both gross and subtle manifestations—is designed to lead to and be the sign of the embodiment of a divine life. More clearly and explicitly than anyone since Vivekananda at the turn of the nineteenth century, Sivananda merged Vedanta philosophy and yoga. But Sivananda, unlike Vivekananda—who was agnostic if not inherently skeptical about the value of postural practice—not only developed a brand of physical exercise that was in essence spiritual. He also made it possible for individuals to translate the effort to attain enlightenment into the ethical and moral work of becoming healthy, productive, and upright citizens of a nation that had, collectively, achieved independence and freedom. This kind of translation across domains anticipates the possibility of further translation into the arena of neoliberal subjectivity, and the co-optation of yogic self-discipline to the ends of individual success (see Godrej 2017).
In the Nehruvian decades of the 1950s and 1960s, Sivananda’s project was conceptualized as an enterprise of public service dedicated to building up the spiritual integrity, vitality, and health of newly independent Indian citizens. In this context, the performance of yoga was coded to a shift from the anti-colonial nationalism of the 1930s–1940s to a form of post-colonial nationalism focused on the modernization of indigenous manufacturing and the self-sufficiency of socialist economic development...
Whatever joy may be derived from competing with one-self, it entails hard, unremitting, dedicated work. Swami Kuvalayananda, Shri Yogendra, and Swami Sivananda sought to bring yoga down to earth and make it do the work of middle-class social and cultural reform by means of embodied self-development. Sivananda embraced the athleticism of yoga, but then linked postural practice to a spiritual ideal of worldly asceticism.
In this context, the work that competition does to enable self-improvement is materialized and essentialized in a regimented form of public postural practice under the rubric of the Divine Life Society and Sivananda Yoga as a global brand. As in the case of Calvinist worldly asceticism, Sivananda’s yoga is embodied in terms of righteous sociality. It reflects civic responsibility by contributing to middle-class health, well-being, and dedication to the nationalist ideals of Indian freedom and independence. But it does so by fetishizing the power of self-discipline. The materialization of self-discipline in postural practice is dependent on the erasure of the power of complete asocial detachment...
Shalom in a Church Planting Movement in Rural South Asia: House Churches that Multiply Transformation
vehicles for holistic, sustainable, and locally owned community transformation.
Through a qualitative case study of a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) in Northern …
Caste Discrimination and the Dalit's Struggle for Recognition: Coping Mechanisms and Anti-Caste Activism
people but also their caste traveled with them, making it a global phenomenon. In
this chapter, I examine the persistence of caste-based discrimination among the …
[PDF] Niskama Karma and Its Ethical Foundations in the Bhagavad Gita: A Critical Analysis
recognition of the self as an integral element of the divine (ātman). … issues of the
Gītā, including yoga and bhakti. The Gītā conceptualizes desireless action as karma …
[PDF] Indian Psychological Concepts and their Application in Contemporary Mental Health Practices
mindfulness. Originally rooted in ancient Indian contemplative traditions, these
practices have gradually become integral components of contemporary health and …
Coaching the Global Super-Bourgeoisie: Physical Lifestyle Intermediaries and the Management of Elite Social Capital
focusing on two private coaches: Nathalie, a yoga instructor and massage therapist,
and Benjamin, a tennis coach and personal trainer, who work with billionaire and …
Interspirituality and the Practice of Compassion
influential group – Teasdale, … with yoga which continues to this day, from scores of
yoga studios open worldwide with yogis who practice varying forms of Interspirituality …
Immersive Wellness at Work: A Multisensory Approach to Employee Well-being Through HR Innovations
gym memberships, yoga lessons provided at the … Technologies like VR and AR
are integral to these strategies. Some organisations have VR meditation …
Exploring the Awareness of Nature-based Health Tourism in Rurban India
and mental health benefits of nature-based health tourism among respondents in
the selected study area. To gather qualitative insights, six focus group discussions …
Hope: Seeking climate responses that foster both personal and collective well-being
in our living rooms and doing yoga in our home-office chairs. … Ultimately, such acts
of care and purpose, often practiced in communal settings, are integral to the culture …
[PDF] MARKET STRATEGY IN CHINESE BALLET: CASE STUDY OF “THE LEGEND OF THE WHITE SNAKE”
taking the renowned production'The Legend of the White Snake'as its central case
study. It explores integrating traditional Chinese cultural elements with classical …
