I hope this email finds you well, and enjoying our beautiful Fall weather! Next week, I am at Omega for a retreat.
I also wanted to point out a very interesting article in the latest issue of Yoga Journal (November, p. 66), written by Mark Singleton, PhD. In his article (and his new book), Singleton tracks the modern practice of yoga, such as the vinyasa style and power yoga that is so popular in the West, and discusses its’ origins. You may be surprised to read his conclusions, based on years of research, that most yoga that is practiced in the West is not the form of yoga that was mentioned in the ancient yoga texts, but is rather a hybrid of Scandinavian athletics and gymnastic training and Indian yoga from only approximately 100 years ago. Specifically, Singleton writes that “asana was rarely, if ever, the primary feature of the significant yoga traditions in India,” but rather, asana was “subordinate to other practices like “pranayama (expansion of the vital energy by means of the breath), dharana (focus, or placement of the mental faculty), and nada (sound) . . . .” This sounds very much like the Rasa Yoga training I received in 2003- 04 and the form of yoga that I continue to teach, with some viniyoga additions. I encourage you to read this fascinating article in its entirety, and I plan to read his book ”Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice.”
