Works Cited and Link to SlideShare!

Westernization of Yoga

Works Cited

Christopher Muther, "Downward Facing Dude," Boston Globe, 11/10/11 (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2011/11/10/how_two_broga_enthusiasts_hope_to_make_yoga_more_accessible_for_men/?page=1)
Donald S. Lopez Jr., The Story of Buddhism
Unknown Author, "The Health Benefits of Yoga," WebMD, 8/17/11 (http://www.webmd.com/balance/the-health-benefits-of-yoga).
Website references (for pictures and minor details):
http://www.victoriassecret.com/clothing/yoga-pants-and-tops?pageAt=all

·         http://www.exoticindiaart.com/book/details/being-as-consciousness-yogacara-philosophy-of-buddhism-IDD982/

·         http://www.iep.utm.edu/b-madhya/

·         http://www.satcenterusa.com/partners.html

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Simon Denyer, "Dispute exposes India-China contest over Buddhism," The Washington Post, 11/30/11, (http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/dispute-exposes-india-china-contest-over-buddhism/2011/11/30/gIQAJ8KeDO_story.html)

 Dispute exposes India-China contest over Buddhism

This article talks about the on-going competition that India and China have with each other over Buddhism. What sparked this article was the recently designated location of the headquarters of a new international Buddhist organization, the International Buddhist Confederation. All around the world, Buddhists chose India as the location of this organization over China. A plausible reason for this is the fact that Chinese officials do not agree with the Dalai Lama, nor do they welcome him to speak. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hong Lei, says, "The Dalai Lama is not a purely religious figure but one who has been engaged in separatist activities for a long time, under the pretext of religion. We oppose any country that provides a platform for his anti-China activities in any form." However, this does not mean that China is against Buddhism. China is the leading country for number of Buddhists, they have hosted two major international Buddhist forums in the past four years, and they are planning on spending close to three billion dollars on building a major tourist complex at Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini, Nepal. The article goes on to talk about how India is where the Dalai Lama spent five decades and where the Buddha gained enlightenment, taught and achieved complete nirvana. I find this article really interesting because it shows how different each countries' views are on Buddhism. They would rather compete than come together through their religion.

Final Project Proposal

For my final project, I am going to explain why I believe that the Westernization of practicing yoga has gone too far. Specially in America, I feel that the goal of yoga, the fashion of yoga, and the things that happen while people practice yoga are totally twisted from what they really should be according to Buddhist beliefs from the school of Yogacara. I think that it is wrong the way that American perceive yoga and I am aiming to prove why I think it is wrong.

One of the sources I will be analyzing is an article from  WebMD that explains what they believe are the main benefits of yoga ( http://www.webmd.com/balance/the-health-benefits-of-yoga). Another source i will be analyzing is an article from the Boston Globe that writes about a pair of men who have started teaching "Broga" classes (  http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2011/11/10/how_two_broga_enthusiasts_hope_to_make_yoga_more_accessible_for_men/?page=1). A source I will look at which supports yoga in the eye of Buddhism, is a website, http://iyengaryoga.asia//index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=1&Itemid=2, which describes a specific class of yoga based out of South East and East Asia.

I will be using Microsoft Power Point to present my project. I will play it on a loop with my voice recorded over each slide it so it is more like a video than a slideshow. This will help to keep it fluid and I will also use visual effects to keep my audience interested and also to support what I will be saying.

Victor S. Navasky, "Why Are Political Cartoons Incendiary?," New York Times, 11/12/11, (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/opinion/sunday/why-are-political-cartoons-incendiary.html?_r=1&ref=islam)

Why Are Political Cartoons Incendiary?

This article focuses on the problem that society, but mainly cultures, have against political cartoons. Navasky talks about many examples in which a political cartoon ended with an assault on the cartoonist. In one example, in 1987, Palestinian Naji al-Ali was assassinated outside of the newspaper's building for which he drew political cartoons for. Navasky makes a point that cartoons are "silly," "trivial," and "irrelevant." He states that Muslims are a special case because of their strong opposition of people depicting Muhammad as something he's not. Neuroscientists and Freudians believe that Muslims, as other religions and cultures, become so upset over these political cartoons because there is no equal retaliation. A cartoon is something out there for everyone to see, for everyone to interpret. Of course, you can email the newspaper and complain, but it's not like making a statement with a rude drawing. I find this article very interesting because we see political cartoons all over the news, the internet, and in newspapers but we never really think about the effects they have on other people, or at least I don't. The writer of this article didn't center the piece around Muslims but rather was trying to make a point that the way they view Muhammad is very sacred to them therefore being a reason as to why they would be upset if someone interpreted him differently than what he actually was.

Christopher Muther, "Downward facing dude," Boston Globe, 11/10/11, (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2011/11/10/how_two_broga_enthusiasts_hope_to_make_yoga_more_accessible_for_men/?page=2)

 Downward facing dude

This article got my attention at first because of it's funny-looking title. But, the more I read, the more intrigued I was. The writer talks about a pair of men, Adam O'Neill and Robert Sidoti, who have started yoga classes called "Broga." This name is the combination of "bro" and "yoga." Their main goal in starting these programs is to allow men to feel comfortable while doing their yoga versus being intimidated by doing a class with a bunch of women. In the article, Muther writes, "This is a slightly more aggressive and physical incarnation of yoga; Sanskrit terms are avoided as much as possible, and poses are carefully explained." I find this very interesting because, we as a class, know that yoga is not just something people originally did for exercise. I think this article is a good example of just how far Western views reinterpret aspects from all over the world.

Jung-yoon Choi, "South Korean pastor tends to flock of abused children," Los Angeles Times, 11/1/11, (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/10/south-korea-child-abuse-counseling-vicitms-psychiatric-care.html)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/10/south-korea-child-abuse-counseling-vicitms-psychiatric-care.html

This article is about a minister, Hwang Chum-go, who runs a group called,  Open Center Youth Foundation, "which rescues South Korean children abused by their parents and other relatives." Hwang has been running this foundation for over two decades and has a series of nationwide centers to help house and guide over 500 abused children. He does not try to push any type of religion or belief into their minds, instead he tries to help them understand that they can relax and enjoy life. The writer also mentions some scary facts about parental abuse in South Korea. In a study, two-thirds of parents admitted to whipping their children and 45 percent admitted to beating them in some way or another. I think that Minister Hwang's centers are definitely a helping hand to these children. It's shocking to know the details of just how widespread parental abuse is in South Korea. 

Edward Wong, "Ninth Tibetan, a Nun, Immolates Herself in Anti-China Protest," The New York Times, 10/23/11, (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/world/asia/ninth-tibetan-a-nun-immolates-herself-in-anti-china-protest.html?_r=1&ref=buddhism).

This article is about yet another self-immolation in protest of China. This time though, it was a nun, the first in this series of events. Tenzin, the 20 year old nun, was the ninth Tibetan to commit self-immolation since March and the fifth one to die. Tenzin's nunnery is close to Kirti where a lot of the Chinese repression has happened. I think these self-immolations are saying a lot but also too much. I don't think that a person or organization needs to die in order to be heard. The writer of this article does a nice job of simply reporting and not taking any personal stance however.