Modern Postural Yoga, Meditation, and Spiritual Seeking: Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and “Moving Meditation”
Religions November 18, 2024 DOI: 10.3390/rel15111399 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | The author argues 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 as a microcosm of the universe. Within ashtanga vinyasa yoga, the Indian tradition views asanas as preparation for meditation, whereas Western counterculture-influenced yoga after the late 1960s views asanas as a microcosm of life, a search for spirituality, and "moving meditation". |
Abstract
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”.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- A Concise Historiography of Classical Yoga Philosophy. Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) June 19, 2023
- Going within, between and beyond: An exploration of regular Ashtanga Yoga practitioners’ conceptualizations of five dimensions of wellbeing Frontiers in Psychology December 21, 2022
- Freedom Inside? May 31, 2022