Recorded at Insight Meditation Satsang
Online,
February 25, 2025
DESCRIPTION
We glossed over Yoga as exercise last week, nodding to how it can cultivate mobility, strength, cardio, and/or subtle energy, all varying depending on what you’re doing. This calls for a brief history of Yoga āsana (postures & movement) practice. I’ll talk us through some highlights of Yoga history that’s now pretty well known: the origin of movement practice in the medieval Haṭha tradition, the development of āsana as exercise in the colonial period, the explosion of āsana in the mid-20th century and modern transmission to the West in the Northern (Śivānanda) and Southern (Krishnamacharya), and the chaos of postmodern Yoga in the US since hyperpopularity in the 21st.
Underlying questions I’m holding are around how we might think about Yoga now if we disentangle it from the Orientalist assumptions and inaccurate health claims that characterized it in the modern period, and bring it into a more historically-coherent and spiritually-grounded consideration.
SEAN OAKES
Sean Feit Oakes, PhD (he/they, queer, Puerto Rican & English, living on Pomo ancestral land in Northern California), teaches Buddhism and somatic practice focusing on the integration of meditation, trauma resolution, and social justice. He received Insight Meditation teaching authorization from Jack Kornfield, and wrote his dissertation on extraordinary states in Buddhist meditation and experimental dance. Sean holds certifications in Somatic Experiencing (SEP, assistant), and Yoga (E-RYT 500, YACEP), and teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, East Bay Meditation Center, Insight Timer, and elsewhere.
LINKS
Website: seanfeitoakes.com
Community Page: In It To End It
YouTube channel: In It To End It
Spirit Rock: spiritrock.org/teachers/sean-oakes
Insight Timer: insighttimer.com/seanoakes
GIVING
All of Dr. Oakes’ independent teaching is offered on the model of Gift Economy, in the Buddhist tradition of dāna, inspired giving. Support of our teaching and community is gratefully received. Thank you for your generosity.
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Blessings on your path.