Jane Austen and Yoga?

Jane Austen wrote novels during the Regency period in England, while yoga is a practice that dates back thousands of years in India. So, are we comparing apples and oranges here? Actually no. Even though Jane Austen never set foot in India and the practice of yoga was unknown to her, we indeed find curious connections. For example, there is ONE heroine in Northanger Abbey, Catherine Moorland, who imagines herself walking ‘with great elasticity,’ and I say, if not from yoga then whence has this remarkable elasticity arisen? (Just kidding).

Jane’s art is compatible with yoga because she depicts a moral universe, including the idea of karma, and this makes it very compatible with the Bhagavad-Gita’s teachings. Both are in harmony despite the many centuries and even the uniqueness of the cultures that separate them. I look forward to presenting many more connections, as we move along the path towards self-knowledge–or as we call it, self-realization.