Yoga – Philosophy for Everyone: Bending Mind and Body

Yoga – Philosophy for Everyone presents a stimulating arrayof perspectives by people whose lives have been touched byyoga.  This book addresses myriad aspects of yoga′sdivergent paths, such as:

Body image and awareness (for men and women) Religious and spiritual aspects of yoga Ethics, personal growth, and the teaching of yoga Physical and psychological benefits of yoga practice

Written by philosophers and non–philosophers alike, andincluding contributions from professional yoga instructors,life–long practitioners, and those who have only just picked uptheir first yoga mat, Yoga – Philosophy for Everyone offersa wealth of material for both enjoyment and deep reflection.

Foreword ix
John Friend

Editor s Introduction xiv
Liz Stillwaggon Swan

Acknowledgments xxvi

PART 1 COMING INTO THE SPACE: WHAT IS YOGA? 1

1 How Yoga Won the West 3
Jennifer Munyer

2 Will I Find My Guru in India? 15
Kieran McManus

3 The Seeker: How Yoga is Meeting Changing Western SpiritualNeeds 24
David Robles

4 Men, Sports, and Yoga 36
Barbara Purcell and Andrew Shaffer

5 Standing on Your Head, Seeing Things Right Side Up 47
Steve Jacobson

PART 2 THE ASANAS: YOGA AND THE BODY 59

6 Help! My Philosophy Teacher Made Me Touch My Toes! 61
Ken Burak

7 Man a Machine, Man a Yogi: Why Yoga s Critics willCome Around 73
J. Neil Otte

8 Yoga for Women? The Problem of Beautiful Bodies84
Luna Dolezal

9 The Feeling of Beauty: A Yoga Project 94
Nicole Dunas

10 Picturing Yoga: Yoga Journal and the Perfect Form106
Debra Merskin

PART 3 PRANA: YOGA S VITAL ENERGY117

11 My Guidance Counselor Always Said I d be a Great YogaStudent 119
Eric Swan

12 Balance in Yoga and Aristotle 129
Leigh Duffy

13 Healing the Western Mind through Yoga 139
Abby Thompson

14 The Path to Happiness Begins with a Journey Inside 149
Jim Berti

PART 4 YAMAS AND NIYAMAS:ETHICS AND YOGA 159

15 Get Out of My Way! I m Late for Yoga! 161
Jeff Logan

16 Yoga Off the Mat 166
Julinna Oxley

17 Becoming–Frog: Yoga as Environmentalism 178
Megan M. Burke

18 Yoga and Ethics: The Importance of Practice 187
Paul Ulhas MacNeill

19 Why are You Standing on my Yoga Mat?! 200
Heather Salazar

Notes on Contributors 212 ?

Liz Stillwaggon Swan has a PhD in philosophy and is acertified yoga instructor. Her niche in the world is helping peopleexercise their brains and their bodies. Her recent publications inthe emerging field of biosemiotics explore how we use our brainsand bodies to make sense of the world. She is also a new mother anddelights in watching her son practice happy baby pose.

SeriesEditor:

Fritz Allhoff is an associate professor in the philosophydepartment at Western Michigan University, as well as a seniorresearch fellow at the Australian National University′s Centre forApplied Philosophy and Public Ethics. In addition to editingthe Philosophy for Everyone series, he is also the volumeeditor or co–editor for several titles, including Wine &Philosophy (Wiley–Blackwell, 2007), Whiskey &Philosophy (with Marcus P. Adams, Wiley, 2009), and Food& Philosophy (with Dave Monroe, Wiley–Blackwell,2007).  His academic research interests engage variousfacets of applied ethics, ethical theory, and the history andphilosophy of science.

"This fascinating collection of essays reveals that although yoga means something different to each person, it is a powerful a movement today as when it first began." (Yoga Magazine, 1 February 2012)