“Stefanie Syman’s . . . spacious history of yoga in America,
The Subtle Body, begins by describing how deeply and enduringly classical Indian philosophy influenced American transcendentalists. Both Emerson and Thoreau admired the
Bhagavad-Gita . . . However, neither knew much about the physical-fitness side of yoga. The earliest Indian vendors of spirituality, like Swami Vivekananda . . . looked down on the asanas, or poses, of hatha yoga as a defective path to yoga’s goal: the union of the individual self with the divine Self.” —PANKAJ MISHRA,
The New York Times Book Review “Syman . . . astutely shows how yoga’s versatility as a practice has helped it adapt to ever-conflicting historical currents.” —CLAIRE DEDERER,
Slate “Syman gives a terrific overview of the teachers whose names are now so much a part of the history of yoga in this country: Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Prabhavananda, Indra Devi, Jois and Bikram . . . As for charges of commercialism or elitism: ‘Yoga is both an indulgence and a penance,’ she writes. ‘It will tone your thighs, and it might crack open your reality.’” —SUSAN SALTER REYNOLDS,
Los Angeles Times “Many of us have been waiting for decades to read a comprehensive history of yoga in the United States. Stefanie Syman has written that history and she has written it very well. I recommend this book to the 16 million people who practice yoga in this country, as well as to anyone who simply wonders what the fuss is all about.” —David Gordon White, author of Sinister Yogis
“The Subtle Body is an enthralling book, and an enlightening one.” —Robert Thurman
“Stefanie Syman’s superb book fills a major gap in our understanding of religion in America. This fascinating account, full of colorful characters, demonstrates the importance of yoga in transforming Americans’ understanding of the body. Any survey of American religious history must take this narrative into account.” —Randall Balmer, Professor of American Religious History, Barnard College, Columbia University
“As this intriguing narrative chronicles, few points of dynamic transfer in the encounter between East and West have proven more useful to creative Americans than the ancient philosophy and exercise regime of yoga. For its many practitioners, yoga fuses body, mind, spirit, energy, and attitude into an alembic of well-being harmonizing self and non-self, struggle and peace.” —Kevin Starr, University of Southern California
