Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Author Note

Introduction

1. Romanticizing the Premodern: The Confluence of Indic and Indigenous Spiritualities
Interlude: Cultural Possession and Whiteness
2. Anxieties over Authenticity: American Yoga and the Problem of Whiteness
Interlude: “White People Are on the Journey of Evolution”
3. Deconstructing the Self: At the Limits of Asceticism
Interlude: Sculpting Bodies and Minds 
4. Wonder, Awe, and Peak Experiences: Approaching Mystical Territories
Interlude: Producing Wonder / Branding Freedom
5. The Cathartic Freedom of Transformational Festivals: Neoliberal Escapes and Entrapments

Conclusion

Appendix 1: @Instagram Data for Public Figures Cited
Appendix 2: Methodology
Notes
References
Index

About the Author

Amanda J. Lucia is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Riverside, and the author of Reflections of Amma: Devotees in a Global Embrace.

Reviews

"Lucia’s sharp analysis and enthusiasm for historical and theoretical context dominates the book."
*High Country News*

"Being highly engaging and informative, this book is a valuable read for all scholars interested in contemporary questions of religion and spirituality."
*Religious Studies Review*

"Lucia’s work brings an important and timely perspective on the racialised power dynamics of [‘spiritual but not religious’] communities to the study of contemporary yoga."
*Religion*