Let the Sādhus Talk. Ascetic understanding of Haṭha Yoga and yogāsanas

Bevilacqua, Daniela

Abstract

Based on extensive interviews and ethnographic fieldwork, this article presents understandings of yoga among sādhus in northern India. Despite the existence of several ethnographic studies on Indian ascetic communities, very few have described their practices of yoga, nor the self-understanding of these communities regarding yoga in the wider religious life. This article bridges the gap between modern, transnational forms of yoga, philological research on textual yoga traditions, and the understanding of yoga within ascetic communities, by providing a cross-section of yoga practice across a range of ascetic orders. This article presents initial findings of what will be a five-year, full-time research project on ascetic practitioners of yoga, as part of the Haṭha Yoga Project, SOAS, London.

Citation

Bevilacqua, D. (2018). Let the Sādhus Talk. Ascetic understanding of Haṭha Yoga and yogāsanas. Religions of South Asia, 11(2), 182-206. https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.37023

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 23, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Sep 6, 2018
• Publication Date: Sep 6, 2018
• Deposit Date: Apr 28, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 28, 2018
• Journal: Religions of South Asia
• Print ISSN: 1751-2689
• Electronic ISSN: 1751-2697
• Publisher: Equinox Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 182-206
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.37023
• Keywords: haṭha yoga; Indian asceticism; sādhu; yoga