On the occasion of International Yoga Day 2021, I’m sharing some excerpts from The Truth of Yoga. Their focus is yoga and politics. Whatever the merits of acknowledging yoga as India's gift to the world, this message has political objectives. That's increasingly common in globalised yoga, with various agendas now at play. Some of these issues are discussed in The Truth of Yoga, from campaigns against injustice to questions of cultural appropriation and decolonisation. One of those chapters is entitled “Power Yoga” and included here…

This essay was inspired by the question “what is yoga?” Texts describe the answer differently, so generalisations are often misleading, but one common theme across yogic traditions is inward focus. As a result, the basic aim is self-inquiry. Ironically, defenders of traditional yoga – as well as its critics – tend to focus on what other people do instead, imposing norms through definitions of yoga. Drawing on quotations from traditional texts, the essay argues that censuring others in the name of authenticity is therefore the epitome of “unyogic” conduct.

Mindfulness adapts Buddhist meditation to everyday life. It seems effective at managing depression and anxiety, and is taught in schools to boost resilience and grades. Whilst it can help to share techniques to cope with stress, this limits the scope for transformation. A fixation on self gets reinforced, which serves a brutal market system. However, if mindfulness in schools were to cultivate "moral and civic virtues," as British MPs suggest it should, it could foster compassionate "pro-social" action.