Yoga

"Yoga: The Art of Transformation, the world’s first examination of yoga’s visual history, explores the discipline’s meanings and transformations over time; its goals of spiritual enlightenment, worldly power, and health and well-being; and the beauty and profundity of Indian art. The book's illustrations include sculptural masterpieces of historical and divine yogis, exquisite Mughal paintings of militant yogis and romantic heroes, Islamic divination texts, 15-foot scrolls depicting the chakras (energy centers of the body), and 19th-century photography. Written by leading scholars from the disciplines of religion, sociology, anthropology, and art history, the book is characterized by interdisciplinary perspectives that make it an important resource for scholars; yet the text is eminently accessible to general audiences. In addition to seven major essays, the book includes 250- to 1,500-word catalog entries that illuminate the artworks’ individual qualities by situating them, for the first time, within intersecting historical, artistic, and yogic networks."--