Course Content

1. Time, history and philosophy within the context of practice
2. Cultural appropriation: legacies of colonialism
3. Feminist frames of female practitioners, physical bodies, bodies of knowledge
4. The neoliberal worldview: yoga economics and spiritual materialism
5. Teaching yoga post guru-gate
6. Retreat and renounce or engage and react? Nirvṛtti and pravṛtti dharma

In these seminars Ruth will offer a framing of contemporary concerns in the world of yoga, making accessible critical perspectives from the academy. Ruth will provide resources – written and audio – to explore in advance of the sessions. During the online, live seminars Ruth will summarise key concepts and contextualise them in order to create space for dialogue. Time will be devoted to discussions—in smaller groups—to engage the concepts and articulate your views.

Modules

1: Time, history and philosophy as yoga praxis

• time as progress or cyclical
• critical theory as spiritual practice

2: Cultural appropriation: legacies of colonialism

• power
• appropriation / appreciation

3: Feminist frames of female practitioners, physical bodies, bodies of knowledge

• gender
• body image and imagining the body
• menstruation

4: The neoliberal worldview: yoga economics and spiritual materialism

• capitalism, productivity, utility
• endgame: liberation from the world or success in the world?

5: Teaching yoga post guru-gate

• abuse in yoga
• #metoo
• paramparā: lineage structures
• cult dynamics
• non-hierarchical pedagogies?

6: Retreat and renounce or engage and react? Nirvṛtti and pravṛtti dharma

• ethics of yoga

Course Delivery

The course will be delivered live through the online platform Zoom. The timezone is UK, GMT. The introductory framings of each session will be recorded and made available for participants to access for 48 hours after each session. The majority of the sessions will be interactive and will not be recorded. To participate in the course participants need access to a computer, stable internet connection, microphone and camera to engage in the discussion.

What Will I Learn?

• active participation is required
• the intention is to deliver clear, accessible summaries of key concepts and sensitively frame these complex issues
• participants will receive resources to engage with in advance of the sessions, drawn from a variety of academic and general literature, audio and film
• participants will receive a summary handout for each session
• participants will receive extensive resource suggestions to continue their studies

Who is this Course For?

This course is designed for everyone who is curious about yoga whether they be practitioners, teachers, teachers-in-training or teacher trainers. The course does not require prior study in the history and philosophy of yoga though familiarity will help. Students are directed towards the introductory sections of James Mallinson and Mark Singleton’s 2017 Roots of Yoga to acquaint themselves with the broad outlines of the history of yoga.