YYOGA YTT Appropriation and History Resources
Podcasts & Videos
New Books in Religion Podcast: Andrea Jain on the politics of global yoga
- Andrea Jain has done a number of good interviews over the last few years for her two books. In this interview she discusses her 2020 publication Peace Love Yoga: The Politics of Global Spirituality. For a list of her recent interviews see here: www.andreajain.com/opeds
- This is a pretty good 10 minute discussion of appropriation and yoga, featuring contemporary yoga scholar Andrea Jain.
- This podcast interviews scholars of yoga and helps make their research more accessible for modern yoga practioners. The Yogic Studies website also has some great courses that have the rigour of an undergraduate academic offering.
- This podcast his helpful if you are looking to hear opinions on how to navigate some of the professional realities and challenges of teaching yoga. From sequencing to putting a workshop together, it helpfully covers lots of subjects.
Articles & Essays
Teaching Yoga Without Cultural Appropriation
- This short page on the Yoga Outreach website (a local organization) shares some very basic but helpful pointers on appropriation.
Books
Is This Yoga?: Concepts, Histories, and the Complexities of Modern Practice (2021) by Anya Foxen & Christa Kueberry
- This book was written as a textbook for undergraduate classes or as a resource for YTTs. It is quite ambitious, covering both pre-modern and contemporary yoga history. It also has a helpful discussion of appropriation in contemporary yoga.
- Both this book, and Andrea Jain's earlier 2014 book Selling Yoga: From Counterculture to Pop Culture help provide some context for exploring the complex issue of approriation.
- This book provides small excerpts from lots of different yoga texts, organized by different subject matter. For example, if you want different texts have said about asana, or chakras, or some other subject over time, this book provides some context to explore that. However, be aware that this is written in a very challenging academic tone.
- I was recommended this book after I finished my first 200 hour YTT, and I found it very inspirational for understanding the lineage of Shri Krishnamacharya. It is written by his son Desikachar.
- Similar to the above, this biography of Krishnamacharya by one of his longest students, A.G. Mohan, was very helpful in understanding the tradition.