In summary we have seen until now how the yoga product in the West has been formed by the power of commodification and how the Western modernist yoga sign has been absorbed in spiritualists’ and romanticists’ ideological critique of modernity and Christianity. We have further seen the irony of this as spirituality and romanticism -including yoga – at the same time have become pillars for an individualising and commoditised society. We have also seen how a new middle class of female yoga sympathisers generated a demand for health care, beauty and spirituality as a part of their new self-identity narrative. But it all happened in relatively limited number of social groups.
We are leaving the 70s and 80s. What happens next in the chronology of yoga was significant: it moved into the mainstream consumer society, a new phase where yoga gained critical mass. So what is now essential to explain is, why yoga in the 1990s moved out of these relatively narrow groups and came to penetrate popular mass culture? What were the social conditions for the yoga product demanded by new generations of young women in metropolitan gyms? To understand yoga’s move into mainstream culture we need to look into other factors woven into commodification, spirituality and middleclass female culture and identity building. To begin answering this I suggest we first look into the general fitness culture and women’s specific body culture.
Inhaling, bend your knees, reach your hips back to Happy Baby Pose Yoga the wall, and raise your arms to the sides in one vigorous movement. Stretch your Happy Baby Pose Yoga toes, especially the fourth and fifth ones, and root the heels down. Re-create the widening of the thighs as in Pressure Cooker see 73, tracking the kneecaps straight forward over the second and third toes. fit As your hips draw back, allow the lower back to arch, producing a deep fold in your hips. Lift the lower abdomen up to support the lower back and lessen the lumbar curve. Breathe calmly and maintain the position for as long as you can. Come back up and lower your arms. This vigorous standing pose stretches and strengthens the knees.
