Yoga in Modern India

“This is the first time that Indian Modern Yoga has been given such a thorough, sustained treatment by a respected and well-informed scholar. The book is accessible for most readers. Alter’s more analytical and theoretical interpretations of modern understandings about yoga, medicine, and the body are innovative and stimulating. Highly recommended. Highly recommended.” – Elizabeth De Michelis (Director, Dharam Hinduja Institute of Indic Research at Cambridge University); “Yoga In Modern India is a treasure trove of thought-provoking propositions regarding the historiography of modern and classical writings on yoga. It is well written and provides provocative and detailed analyses of yogic ideas. This contributes to a deeper discussion on the current status of yoga over the past one and a quarter centuries. Waltraud Ernst, University of Southhampton, author of Plural Medicine, Tradition, And Modernity, 1800-2000” –CriticalThis book is the first to give an in-depth, sustained treatment to Indian Modern Yoga by a respected and knowledgeable scholar. The book’s vast majority is accessible to everyone. Alter’s more analytical and theoretical interpretations of modern concepts of yoga, medicine, health, and truth claims are innovative and stimulating. Highly recommended.<br/>(Elizabeth De Michelis Director, Dharam Hinduja Institute of Indic Research Cambridge University) –Critical
Yoga is a symbol of Indian culture and civilization. It is widely believed to be timeless and unchanging. This book, Yoga in Modern India, is based on ethnographic research and analysis of both ancient texts and modern ones. It examines the history of Yoga and focuses on its dramatic changes in form and importance in the twenty-first century. Joseph Alter claims that yoga’s popularity as a health-related activity is due to modern science and medicine.