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From Tapas to Modern Yoga is extensively based on fieldwork material, and primarily analyses the embodied practices of ascetics belonging to four religious orders historically associated with the practice of yoga and haṭha yoga. This focus on ascetics stems from the fact that yogic techniques probably developed in ascetic contexts, yet scholars have rarely focused their attention on non-international ascetic practitioners of yoga. Creating a confrontation between textual sources and ethnographic data, this book demonstrates how ‘embodied practices’ (austerities, yoga and haṭha yoga) over the centuries accumulated layers of meanings and practices that co-exist in the literature as well as in the words of contemporary sādhus. Drawing from conversations with these interlocutors, it demonstrates the importance of ethnographic fieldwork in shedding light on past historical developments, transmissions, contemporary reinterpretation and innovation. The strength of this book lies in its methodological approach and in the richness of its materials. By analysing present situations through comparisons and with the support of past evidence, From Tapas to Modern Yoga not only fills an academic gap but will also stimulate further research on this highly complex topic.

Published: Aug 14, 2024