14. Are Ethics Important in Yoga?
Yoga Studies in Five Minutes - Theodora Wildcroft
Jens U. Augspurger [+]
Jens U. Augspurger is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Religions and Philosophies at SOAS, University of London. His research and teaching focus on modern transnational yoga and spiritual movements, as well as their respective intersections with politics. Jens is also a recovering yoga teacher and the co-founder of Project SATYA, a community movement that supports survivors of sexualised violence and advocates for accountability and truth in the yoga industry. Considering spiritual tourism as a journey for self-discovery, Jens’ ethnographic dissertation project explores yoga tourism in India and the complex
relationships the yoga tourist builds while journeying (towards) the destination.
Description
While the yamas and niyamas of Patañjali do provide some starting points for a modernised and relevant discussion of ethics in yoga, it also raises the question of whether a discussion based on the sūtras is sufficient to produce a code of conduct that is fit for modern life, does not reproduce religious conservatism, and is in line with social and legal standards.