Asian Medicine Zone

• About
• Latest Posts

Pierce Salguero

Dr. Salguero is an interdisciplinary humanities scholar interested in the role of Buddhism in the crosscultural exchange of medical ideas. He has a Ph.D. in History of Medicine from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and teaches Asian history, religion, and culture at Penn State University’s Abington College, located near Philadelphia. He is also a long-time practitioner and teacher of Buddhist meditation, yoga, and traditional Thai medicine. More information about his research and publications is available at www.piercesalguero.com.

Latest posts by Pierce Salguero (see all)

• How do Buddhists handle coronavirus? The answer is not just meditation - May 15, 2020
• Curing Illness with Meditation in Sixth Century China - July 14, 2018
• A Roundup of Critical Perspectives on Meditation - May 11, 2017

Some recently published books on history yoga (in no particular order). Seems like we’re in a “golden age” of scholarship in this area!

Premodern 

The Origins of Yoga and Tantra: Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century, Geoffrey Samuel https://www.amazon.com/Origins-Yoga-Tantra-Religions-Thirteenth/dp/0521695341

Kiss of the Yogini: “Tantric Sex” in its South Asian Contexts, David Gordon White https://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Yogini-Tantric-South-Contexts/dp/0226894843

The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India, David Gordon White https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226894991

The “Yoga Sutra of Patanjali”: A Biography, David Gordon White https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Sutra-Patanjali-Biography-Religious-ebook/dp/B00I1OV9OS

Modern 

Sinister Yogis, David Gordon White https://www.amazon.com/Sinister-Yogis-David-Gordon-White/dp/0226895149

A History of Modern Yoga: Patanjali and Western Esotericism, Elizabeth De Michelis https://www.amazon.com/History-Modern-Yoga-Patanjali-Esotericism/dp/0826487726

Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice, Mark Singleton https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Body-Origins-Posture-Practice/dp/0195395344

Selling Yoga: From Counterculture to Pop Culture, Andrea Jain https://www.amazon.com/Selling-Yoga-Counterculture-Pop-Culture/dp/019939024X

21st Century Yoga: Culture, Politics, and Practice, Carol Horton
https://www.amazon.com/21st-Century-Yoga-Politics-Practice/dp/0615617603

Yoga Ph.D.: Integrating the Life of the Mind and the Wisdom of the Body, Carol Horton
https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Ph-D-Integrating-Life-Wisdom/dp/0615622364

The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America, Stefanie Syman
https://www.amazon.com/Subtle-Body-Story-Yoga-America/dp/B0058M5TWO

Yoga in Modern India: The Body Between Science and Philosophy,  Joseph S. Alter
https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Modern-India-Between-Philosophy/dp/8178223244/

Theory and Practice of Yoga: Essays in Honour of Gerald James Larson, Knut A. Jacobsen
https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Practice-Yoga-Essays-Honour/dp/8120832329/

Yoga: The art of Transformation, Debra Diamond, David Gordon White, Tamara Sears and Carl Ernst (eds.)
https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Art-Transformation-Debra-Diamond/dp/1588344592/

Primary Sources

The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary, Edwin F. Bryant  https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Sutras-Patañjali-Translation-Commentary/dp/0865477361

Yoga in Practice, David Gordon White (ed.) https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Practice-Princeton-Readings-Religions-ebook/dp/B0066AAYBI

Roots of Yoga, James Mallinson and Mark Singleton (eds.)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0241253047/