Yoga Practices: From Banaras to Beverly Hills

4 credits

Yoga practices have recently gained dizzying popularity in the U.S. But how has yoga changed and transformed over time? How might we contextualize yoga practices in India and globally? This course is divided into two parts. First, we will do a close reading of philosophical texts about yoga, such as The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali . Second, we will examine yoga practices, including processes of commodification and popularization of yoga in the West. Prerequisites: upper-division standing.