Modern Postural Yoga, Meditation, and Spiritual Seeking

"Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and "Moving Meditation

Bibliographic Data

ID3496158
AuthorsMisato Ito (0009-0005-7919-100X), Masayuki Ito (0000-0002-0541-1736, Aichi Gakuin University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume15
Issue11
Pages1399
Publication date2024-11-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel15111399
OpenAlexW4404484476
LanguageEN
References cited23

This study focuses on yoga as part of contemporary spiritual culture (CSC) and examines the relationship between modern yoga and meditation. First, I investigate the purpose of practice and the position of meditation in classical yoga and hatha yoga; I clarify that classical yoga aims to stop the fluctuations of the mind by subduing physical activity, while hatha yoga aims to activate energy by working on the body, which is a microcosm of the universe. Next, I explore the characteristics of modern postural yoga (MPY, which was established in the early 20th century) and how it differs from traditional yoga. Based on the above discussion, I examine ashtanga vinyasa yoga (AVY), a major school of MPY that has greatly influenced many other forms of yoga. I point out several interpretive frameworks for a series of physical practices in ashtanga yoga (within the same school of yoga). While the Indian tradition views asanas (physical postures) as preparation for meditation, the Western counterculture-influenced yoga that developed after the late 1960s views asanas as a microcosm of life, as a search for spirituality, and as "moving meditation

Hatha yoga · Meditation · Physical therapy · Psychotherapist · Theology · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Medicine · Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions · Philosophy · Psychology · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices

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