Paper short abstract:

In this paper, yoga narratives and practices are considered in their capacity to contribute and relate to a particular health imaginary. Shedding light on various elements in this health imaginary will help us reconsider the category of (modern) postural yoga itself.

Paper long abstract:

Many people take up yoga for the sake of their health, to 'energize' their body or to find relief from physical ailments. Learning the correct performance of a posture is usually accompanied by some knowledge of its respective therapeutic benefits. This process also encourages a particular view of physical and mental wellbeing, the embodied self, and health and individual agency.

In this paper, I will consider these discourses in their capacity to contribute and relate to a particular health imaginary. This is not to question the efficacy of respective strands of yoga therapy. From the angle of medical anthropology, health is not an objective category but contingent on social and cultural influences. In this respect, health always interlinks measurable, naturalized and imaginary aspects.

Based on two case studies from Indian and German contexts, I will show how yoga narratives and practices evoke particular self-care subjectivities. It will be argued that similar posture routines may convey contrasting body concepts, treatment logics and notions of wellbeing. Moreover, shedding light on various elements in this health imaginary will help us reconsider the category of (modern) postural yoga itself.