Yoga World

By 1930 yoga and physical exercise are synonymous. The 1930s bring the marriage of the Sun Salute with yoga asanas, as well as the continuation of exercises for beauty, for women this time.

Yogis in India develop scientific experiments and strive for the perfectly proportioned body. Above all, yoga is refashioned as a health regimen that is fit for Indian nationalism.

Aurobindo marries Western science with Eastern consciousness, Bukh encourages suppleness for health and Yogendra invents the yoga studio. Yoga tries to outgrow the occult mysticism of its recent past while embracing the idea that 'will-power' can grant all wishes.

The first episode of "Traveling Through the Decades" which digs into each decade of the 20th century and its impact on yoga. The first decade of the century brings the reintegration of Hatha Yoga into the conversation, as well as some new techniques from Denmark. And a prolific yogi from Baltimore.

A month at an ashram in the Bahamas and up before dawn. Breathing practice, chores and 12+ hours spent sitting. Plus, how Swami Vishnudevananda started the first teacher training (maybe) in the West.

Hatha yoga underwent a big change in the 1920s and 30s, mixing with various health and exercise practices to resemble what we think of as modern yoga. Scott & Ida discuss the transition and their trip to Kuvalayananda's laboratory in Lonavla, India, a vital piece of yoga history.

Ida spends countless painful hours at the library in search of Labanya Palit's mythical lost book from the 1950s.

Scott and Ida remember the first time they heard about the lost manuscript of Buddha Bose. How it brought them to Kolkata, introduced them to the family of Buddha Bose, and how they spent months shipping thousands of books around the world.

On their first trip to India with Jerome, the trip to Ranchi provided plenty of stress and difficulty. When they finally arrived, a beautiful garden awaited.