In this talk, Ruth will map the esoteric feminine aspect of the subtle body by drawing on Haṭhayoga sources. Taking a textual, historical and anecdotal approach, she explores how the subtle body is presented in gendered terms, probes the substances or concepts that are to be influenced, and traces the metaphorical maps for manipulating the subtle body.
Haṭhayoga texts are written by men, for men, about men. They are generally both misogynist towards women and tend to dissect and objectify the female form. There are some references to female practitioners and practices for women, and the use of women in ritual contexts. Despite the scant evidence of women practitioners there is a strong theme of accessing and manipulating female energy for soteriological – spiritually transformative – ends. The subtle body is conceived as concepts or substances which are male and female such as bindu and rajas, śiva and śakti. The metaphors developed to describe and map how these constructs can be manipulated include the female serpent energy, Kuṇḍalinī.
An inquiry into the gendering of the subtle body foregrounds an ambivalence towards desire and reflects on ideals of soteriology and realities of social status in Medieval India.
Glimpses of what evolves into Yoga can be gleaned from early sources: the loving attention paid to animals and the seated seemingly meditative figures in the seals of the Indus Valley (ca. 3000 B.C.E.) as well as the invocation of tapas (purifying heat) in the Vedas (ca. 1500 B.C.E.). The naming ...
Jason will discuss the research he is currently doing on Yoga, which involves visiting libraries in various countries to view manuscripts of Yoga texts. He’ll discuss some of the important Haṭha- and Rājayoga texts he’s working on, in particular, their content, who wrote them and their audience. ...
Why is Om so central to the practice and philosophy of Yoga? Could it be this radically simple word unlocks the essence of all yogic wisdom?
In this talk, we will trace the presence of Om in the Vedas, in the Upanishads, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita, in Tantric texts, as well as...
