It may be an illusive goal for some to achieve a balance between body and mind.
An interesting review of The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America by Stephanie Syman reveals that there has been an ebb and flow in yoga's acceptance and its varied practice.
It began with writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau who were receptive to eastern thought and practices and paved the way for thinkers like the Indian guru Swami Vivekananda who visited the Chicago Exposition in 1893 and stayed for four years teaching meditation, philosophy, and breath control.
Later Indra Devi arrived in 1947 and taught the stars like Gloria Swanson and Greta Garbo. He wrote a book Forever Young, Forever Healthy, presenting a stripped-down form of yoga: just the postures with breathing exercises.
"The mould had been set: yoga was tamed, sanitized and suitable for suburban housewives. The 1970's brought a brief psychedelic interlude, when Americans once again embraced yoga as something that could change your life- and replace drugs.
But the '70's faded, and the '80's began. Tight butts, power suits and sweat were in; soft 'marshmallow yoga' was out. In this atmosphere authentic yoga returned in a big way with Bikram Choudhury and Ashtanga founder Pattabhi Jois.
Each of these systems teaches an unvarying 90 minute routine to be practised daily. In the gruelling demands they place on the practitioner it's a perfect fit for the Puritan streak in the American psyche."
The review encourages one to think about if any resolutions for 2011 need to be made with respect to fitness.
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