I recently finished reading Yoga as Embodied Resistance: A Feminist Lens on Caste, Gender, and Sacred Resilience in Yoga History by Anjali Rao. Now, in full disclosure, I know Anjali and have always thought of her as a very insightful, genuine person who brings their full self to anything they do. I have also worked alongside Anjali and truly miss that time in my life. All that being said, I want to be clear this is a very honest review of her book.

When I first heard about this book I didn’t know exactly what to expect. Would it be dry, like reading a history book? Would it be like most other yoga philosophy texts I’ve read where it could lend itself to interpretation or is based on a specific translation of non-English writings?

I personally found the text to be very engaging and narrative. I found the breadth of information slightly overwhelming, however I do appreciate the way Anjali brought in different historical contexts and stories that are often not shared. I feel this book illustrated the hidden aspects of yoga, the history and philosophy that is not taught by mainstream yoga courses. It dives into the reality of the philosophy and shows how it became warped with colonial, religious, and caste influences. This book gives a real idea of what yoga was, is, and can be. It doesn’t mix words about what has happened to yoga over time, what different groups have done to the practice. Through this text, a door is opened to deeper learning and understanding of the powerful practice and philosphy of yoga.

For relatively short text, less than 250 pages, it is quite dense, covering a wide range of histories. I believe this is one of the few books currently available that not only paints an accurate picture of yoga history and philosophy, but goes a step further by identifying ways to question what we have learned, who we have learned from, and how to open our minds to expansive histories.

Overall, this is a great read. I recommend it as a permanent addition to anyone’s yoga philosophy and history library. I found it to be the most aligned text with that I’ve learned and know about yoga history and philosophy. I would recommend this book to anyone starting their yoga philosophy journey.