SKU: 20308976081

The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America

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The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in AmericaIn The Subtle Body, Stefanie Syman tells the surprising story of yoga's transformation from a centuries old spiritual discipline to a multibillion dollar American industry. Yoga's history in America is longer and richer than even its most devoted practitioners realize. It was present in Emerson's New England, and by the turn of the twentieth century it was fashionable among the leisure class. And yet when Americans first learned about yoga, what they

In The Subtle Body, Stefanie Syman tells the surprising story of yoga's transformation from a centuries-old spiritual discipline to a multibillion-dollar American industry.

Yoga's history in America is longer and richer than even its most devoted practitioners realize. It was present in Emerson's New England, and by the turn of the twentieth century it was fashionable among the leisure class. And yet when Americans first learned about yoga, what they learned was that it was a dangerous, alien practice that would corrupt body and soul.

A century later, you can find yoga in gyms, malls, and even hospitals, and the arrival of a yoga studio in a neighborhood is a signal of cosmopolitanism. How did it happen? It did so, Stefanie Syman explains, through a succession of charismatic yoga teachers, who risked charges of charlatanism as they promoted yoga in America, and through generations of yoga students, who were deemed unbalanced or even insane for their efforts. The Subtle Body tells the stories of these people, including Henry David Thoreau, Pierre A. Bernard, Margaret Woodrow Wilson, Christopher Isherwood, Sally Kempton, and Indra Devi.

From New England, the book moves to New York City and its new suburbs between the wars, to colonial India, to postwar Los Angeles, to Haight-Ashbury in its heyday, and back to New York City post-9/11. In vivid chapters, it takes in celebrities from Gloria Swanson and George Harrison to Christy Turlington and Madonna. And it offers a fresh view of American society, showing how a seemingly arcane and foreign practice is as deeply rooted here as baseball or ballet.

This epic account of yoga's rise is absorbing and often inspiring--a major contribution to our understanding of our society.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Farrar Strauss & Giroux-3pl
Published: 05/24/2011
ISBN: 9780374532840
Pages: 390
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 1.10d

Review Citations: New York Times Book Review 06/05/2011 pg. 52
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SKU: 20308976081

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Is super soft and works for elderly
Size: 2' x 3' (Natural shape, Sheepksin, Oblong), Color: Ivory White
My mom has been ill and confined to her recliner for sleeping. She developed pressure sores and was in a great deal of pain. We needed to treat the sores and I researched how to prevent in first place and found that genuine sheepskin helps. I had no idea this was a thing. I ordered this for her recliner and a seat one for the car. She loves this. She said she could feel an immediate difference in sitting for so long that she didn't need to shift constantly. I don't understand the mechanics behind why this works but I'm grateful for something natural and affordable like this to offer such relief.
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Photo of the color differences for you!
Size: 2' x 3' (Natural shape, Sheepksin, Oblong), Color: Ivory White, Size: 2' x 3' (Natural shape, Sheepksin, Oblong), Color: Ivory White
The white one seems softer than the cream one!? Seems like great value for your money for a single pelt, the seller and product didn’t seem sketchy at all.
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Moe
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Jewels
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Good looking and thick and solid and comfortable.
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R. L.
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Soft and luxurious, high quality - but don't buy if you have cats
Color: Ivory White, Size: 2' x 6' (Sheepskin Shape)
I give the rug a five-star rating because it deserves it. I was really surprised at how good the rug is right out of the package (it was packaged very well too). Because this rug is relatively less expensive than many other listings of natural sheepskin rugs on Amazon and elsewhere, I wasn't expecting much. But it turned out to be thick, soft, fluffy, plush, and luxurious all over. Many years ago I have purchased another natural sheepskin rug from Amazon described to be of the same size as this one (I got the 2'*6' one), but this one is definitely much bigger in its actual size. It's hands-down a high-quality, high-value purchase if you want a nice natural sheepskin rug. I also love how beautiful the natural creamy white color is. Now, the story takes a turn. It does have a "natural and organic" smell as mentioned in many other reviews. The smell itself is not repulsive. I don't know how long it will take for it to air out (my last rug never really got rid of the smell, but it was not a big issue since I put it on the floor. I lost the rug in cross country moving.) But now I have a cat! My cat just couldn't resist tackling the rug the moment it was laid on the floor. She probably imagined herself to be a lion or a tiger who just caught some big prey. She couldn't stop kicking and biting the rug, trying to tear it apart. She came back to it a few times after breaks already. And this is day one. I am guessing this smell does stimulate some instinctive call from her genes. In a few short moments, she managed to tear off quite some fur from the edge of the rug... The rug still looks fine since I just received it today. I am not sure how long it will last with my cat though. Before ordering, I thought about this possibility and googled whether cats and sheepskin rugs can co-exist. I got many cute picture results showing angelic cats resting contently in the long and soft sheepskin fur, looking totally adorable and peaceful. Many articles say that natural rugs calm our fluffy friends down. Well, I told myself "perfect!" Win-win for me and my cat. Now, here we are, the beginning of my cat's conquest of an imaginary lamb (which was a real lamb.) I cannot even return it since it has already been damaged by my cat... In the worst case, this rug would become a really expensive cat entertainment piece that would eventually be destroyed....:((( I even started feeling guilty for buying animal-based products - but then comforted myself by remembering reading somewhere that cow and lamb leather goods come from animals that would be slaughtered for meat consumption anyways. My cat is already eating canned food containing Australian lamb, etc, etc. Really need to stop the thoughts. So this is my review. Beautiful rug of excellent quality and unbeatable value, unless you have a cat(s).
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Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2022

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