CZY CIAŁO MOŻE BYĆ ŚWIĄTYNIĄ DUSZY? PARARELIGIJNY WYMIAR DUCHOWOŚCI HATHA-JOGI
CAN BODY BE A TEMPLE OF A SOUL? PARA-RELIGIOUS DIMENSION OF HATHA-JOGA

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this article is a theoretical analysis of the phenomenon of hatha-yoga, as it occurs in the western world. The issue of hatha-yoga in contemporary societies can also be viewed from the perspective of the concept of modernization. However, an interesting perspective may be also the category of "subjectivisation of religion." An individual currently chooses from a wide range of spiritual practices specific items and constructs her/his own fusion-type religion. The individual in the modem world, therefore, continue to search for transcendence and understanding of ultimate meanings. Subjectivisation process leads to a private spiritual exploration well targeting the body of the individual, which can be an expression of the value of health, well-being and emotional or hedonistic experience, seeking for risky and extreme situations (such as extreme sports and mountain climbing). An example of this type of spiritual quest in the modern western world is also hatha-yoga, which is a practice originated from India, and which is connected with a work on the body where doing certain exercises affects our psycho-physical well-being, and sometimes spiritual condition. Theoretical theses contained in the paper are mainly the consequence of five years of ethnographic research in the social world of hatha-yoga.

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