Concentration in Yoga Studies for the MA – Engaged Jain Studies Track
The Yoga Studies concentration is part of the MA in Engaged Jain Studies program offered by Claremont School of Theology (CST). Arihanta Institute faculty are engaged at CST as Adjunct Faculty members under an academic agreement, contributing their expertise and teaching courses within this concentration.
To complete the Yoga Studies concentration, graduate students take 3 courses (9 credits), which may include courses taught by Arihanta Institute faculty as part of the program. These courses are designed to integrate Jain philosophical principles with contemporary yoga studies. Possible course options include:
1) Foundations of Jain Yoga Studies
The Foundations of Jain Yoga Studies course includes a survey of the history of yoga and yoga texts that is indispensable for aspiring scholars of Yoga Studies. Furthermore, students are also required to study and practice the classical eight limbs of Patañjali’s Yoga-Sūtras and to find connections between this yoga scripture and Jain yogic scriptures to emphasize the ways that Jains have historically been engaged with their surrounding religious milieu during India’s classical period.
2) Jain Yoga
The Jain Yoga graduate seminar requires students to practice yoga techniques and ethical practices gleaned from both Jain yoga texts and living yoga communities for their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual development (no particular religious commitment is required to take part in these exercises). These exercises incorporate the well-known Jain focus on meditation (dhyāna) within yoga practice.
3) Haṭha Yoga and Jain Yoga
The Haṭha Yoga and Jain Yoga course carefully considers the development of the haṭha yoga tradition, the medieval forms of yoga that emerged after India’s classical period, and which are the predecessors of today’s forms of physical yoga. Students are offered the opportunity to undertake the postural, breathing, and meditation techniques found in medieval haṭha yoga texts as well as to see how these texts influenced, or were perhaps influenced by, the Jain yoga tradition in particular.
4) Social Justice and Modern Yoga
The Social Justice and Modern Yoga graduate seminar examines the history and contemporary practice of yoga, focusing on its intersection with social justice issues. The course covers both prominent and lesser-known figures in the development of transnational modern yoga, exploring topics such as warrior asceticism, colonization, non-violent movements, racism, nationalism, appropriation, gender, speciesism, and more. Students will gain skills in yoga ethnography and social history, culminating in an ethnographic research project on a topic within Modern Yoga Studies.
In addition to these courses taught by Arihanta Institute faculty teaching as adjunct faculty at CST, students may fulfill the 9-credit requirement by taking relevant courses offered at CST in consultation with their advisor.
To complete the Yoga Studies concentration, graduate students take 3 courses (9 credits), which may include courses taught by Arihanta Institute faculty as part of the program. These courses are designed to integrate Jain philosophical principles with contemporary yoga studies. Possible course options include:
1) Foundations of Jain Yoga Studies
The Foundations of Jain Yoga Studies course includes a survey of the history of yoga and yoga texts that is indispensable for aspiring scholars of Yoga Studies. Furthermore, students are also required to study and practice the classical eight limbs of Patañjali’s Yoga-Sūtras and to find connections between this yoga scripture and Jain yogic scriptures to emphasize the ways that Jains have historically been engaged with their surrounding religious milieu during India’s classical period.
2) Jain Yoga
The Jain Yoga graduate seminar requires students to practice yoga techniques and ethical practices gleaned from both Jain yoga texts and living yoga communities for their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual development (no particular religious commitment is required to take part in these exercises). These exercises incorporate the well-known Jain focus on meditation (dhyāna) within yoga practice.
3) Haṭha Yoga and Jain Yoga
The Haṭha Yoga and Jain Yoga course carefully considers the development of the haṭha yoga tradition, the medieval forms of yoga that emerged after India’s classical period, and which are the predecessors of today’s forms of physical yoga. Students are offered the opportunity to undertake the postural, breathing, and meditation techniques found in medieval haṭha yoga texts as well as to see how these texts influenced, or were perhaps influenced by, the Jain yoga tradition in particular.
4) Social Justice and Modern Yoga
The Social Justice and Modern Yoga graduate seminar examines the history and contemporary practice of yoga, focusing on its intersection with social justice issues. The course covers both prominent and lesser-known figures in the development of transnational modern yoga, exploring topics such as warrior asceticism, colonization, non-violent movements, racism, nationalism, appropriation, gender, speciesism, and more. Students will gain skills in yoga ethnography and social history, culminating in an ethnographic research project on a topic within Modern Yoga Studies.
In addition to these courses taught by Arihanta Institute faculty teaching as adjunct faculty at CST, students may fulfill the 9-credit requirement by taking relevant courses offered at CST in consultation with their advisor.
Why Study “Yoga Studies” alongside Engaged Jain Studies?
The MA in Engaged Jain Studies, offered by CST, integrates a concentration in Yoga Studies to provide graduate students with a comprehensive understanding of the historical, philosophical, and spiritual dimensions of yoga. Yoga has become a global phenomenon, attracting practitioners from all backgrounds, and the demand for qualified yoga professionals has grown. This concentration prepares students to teach and promote yoga in a manner that is historically and philosophically informed.
Through the Yoga Studies concentration, students in the Engaged Jain Studies MA track gain a deeper understanding of yoga's history and philosophy, its relationship to religion and spirituality, and its specific connections to Jain Yoga. The program offers opportunities for students to engage with primary yoga texts, develop their Sanskrit skills, practice yoga techniques, and explore the continuities and changes between premodern and modern forms of yoga by interacting with living, practicing communities. Graduates are well-prepared to pursue PhD studies in Yoga Studies, with a particular emphasis on Jain Yoga and related fields of scholarly inquiry.
The MA in Engaged Jain Studies, offered by CST, integrates a concentration in Yoga Studies to provide graduate students with a comprehensive understanding of the historical, philosophical, and spiritual dimensions of yoga. Yoga has become a global phenomenon, attracting practitioners from all backgrounds, and the demand for qualified yoga professionals has grown. This concentration prepares students to teach and promote yoga in a manner that is historically and philosophically informed.
Through the Yoga Studies concentration, students in the Engaged Jain Studies MA track gain a deeper understanding of yoga's history and philosophy, its relationship to religion and spirituality, and its specific connections to Jain Yoga. The program offers opportunities for students to engage with primary yoga texts, develop their Sanskrit skills, practice yoga techniques, and explore the continuities and changes between premodern and modern forms of yoga by interacting with living, practicing communities. Graduates are well-prepared to pursue PhD studies in Yoga Studies, with a particular emphasis on Jain Yoga and related fields of scholarly inquiry.
Apply Today!
To schedule an appointment with a faculty advisor from Claremont School of Theology (CST) and learn more about the program, please email: admission@cst.edu.
Additionally, you may contact Arihanta Institute faculty advisors, who serve as Adjunct Faculty at CST, at: study@arihantainstitute.org.
Additionally, you may contact Arihanta Institute faculty advisors, who serve as Adjunct Faculty at CST, at: study@arihantainstitute.org.