ASIAN 6667 - [Yogic Traditions: History and Practice]

Fall. Next offered 2018-2019. 4 credits. Student option grading.

Co-meets with ASIAN 4467/RELST 4467.

D. Gold.

The course will examine South Asian traditions of religious practice that pay explicit attention to the subtle energies of the human body. It will explore these traditions’ metaphysical groundings, socioreligious development, and cultural meanings, looking at the development of their ideas and practices in different meditational, magical, and devotional contexts. Some attention will also be paid to the emergence of modern postural yoga and its spread in the West. Readings will include translations of classical and vernacular texts as well as contemporary studies. (RL)