ABSTRACT
This chapter – The Physical Philosophy of Yoga: Asana and Vinyasa – introduces the idea of the practice of yoga as an aesthetic creation; a technology used to comprehend the ineffable. It explores how natural phenomena have been studied from the time of the pre-Socratics and Kapila and how this has developed into both the modern scientific method and contemporary aesthetics. Purusha and prakriti are described in a modern context through concepts used in artistic exploration. The differences between asana and vinyasa are distinguished and contemporary philosophies are articulated for each. Emphasis is placed on physical experimentation as a mechanism for testing philosophical hypotheses and is described as physical philosophy. Through these conjectures, yoga is defined as the study of the Self and its relation to “reality”. Exercises encouraging introspection and experimentation are included at the end of this chapter.
