The World's First Art Show Dedicated To The Long, Rich And Zen History Of Yoga

Priscilla Frank

Whether you end your morning phone calls with "namaste" or dread the wayward soaring yoga mat inevitably flying towards your head when commuting to or from Brooklyn on the subway, you can't deny it -- yoga is everywhere. Far before yoga boutiques and YouTube tutorials were weaved into the morning rituals of millions around the world, the ancient practice promised first millennium Indians rewards far more ambitious than good health and state of mind, including flight and immortal life.



For nearly as long as yogis have been transforming their minds, bodies and spirits, artists have been documenting their achievements. While scholars debate the origins of yoga's practice, the exhibition catalogue dates the earliest artistic references to the tradition back to 3000 B.C., in the archaeological site of Mohenjo-Daro in the Indus River Valley. An exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art, home to one of the country's biggest collections of Asian art, is exploring artistic depictions of yoga from a dizzying array of perspectives ranging from ancient awe to cheeky camp.

"The discipline of yoga is widely recognized around the world as a source for health and spiritual insight," explained Fred Bidwell, interim director of the Cleveland Museum of Art, in a statement. "However, few are familiar with yoga’s visual history. Through artworks of exceptional aesthetic and historical significance, 'Yoga: The Art of Transformation' illuminates yoga’s diverse meanings, applications and philosophical depth."

The exhibition, curated by Debra Diamond, associate curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at the Smithsonian Institution's Freer and Sackler Galleries in Washington, D.C., features over 140 works that prove yoga doesn't just promote transformation in its followers, the practice itself is continually in flux.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/16/yoga-art_n_5588755.html?utm_hp_ref=religion&ir=Religion


Cross posted from interfaith. I hope it is ok here. I was asked to post it here as well.