Yoga in Britain - Stretching Spirituality and Educating Yogis - Suzanne Newcombe

Yoga in Britain - Stretching Spirituality and Educating Yogis - Suzanne Newcombe

Yoga in Britain after the 1980s

Yoga in Britain - Stretching Spirituality and Educating Yogis - Suzanne Newcombe

Suzanne Newcombe [+-]
Open University and Inform, King's College London
Suzanne Newcombe is a senior lecturer in religious studies at the Open University and honorary director of the charity Inform, based in theology and religious studies at King’s College London. From 2015 to 2020, she was part of the European Research Council– funded project “Ayuryog: Entangled Histories of Yoga, Ayurveda and Alchemy” in South Asia, which examined the histories of yoga, Ayurveda, and rasaśāstra (Indian alchemy and iatrochemistry) from the tenth century to the present, focusing on the disciplines’ health, rejuvenation, and longevity practices. She is the coeditor of The Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies (Routledge, 2021) and the author of Yoga in Britain: Stretching Spirituality and Educating Yogis (Equinox Publishing Ltd., 2019).

Description

Yoga in Britain has not been a linear development. Rather, old and new co-exist, adapting to suit the specific needs of a particular time and place. But as well as continuity of groups and teachers, have also been important changes. Much of the government funding for adult education was cut during from the 1980s. Ever flexible, practices called yoga slowly adapted into the neoliberally-flavoured private market place. In the early 1990s, the UK Sports Council recognized yoga as a ‘sports activity’ and eventually designated a transformed British Wheel of Yoga as its ‘governing body’ for this purpose. Meanwhile a variety of accreditation bodies sought to establish qualifications and insurance provision in the newly commercialised marketplace. Multi-style commercial yoga studios became established in metropolitan centres and a vigorous style of yoga practice based on a flowing sun-salutation sequence known as Astanga Vinyasa Yoga gained popularity, addressing the needs of a new generation of practitioners.

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Citation

Newcombe, Suzanne. Yoga in Britain after the 1980s. Yoga in Britain - Stretching Spirituality and Educating Yogis. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. 258-270 Jun 2019. ISBN 9781781796603. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=37434. Date accessed: 16 Feb 2025 doi: 10.1558/equinox.37434. Jun 2019

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