Yoga in the 1970s: Awareness, Astrology, and Alice Coltrane

"Throughout America's obsession with yoga the last half century, our perception and interpretation of it has changed considerably with each decade. Take the 1970s. Here curiosity about consciousness and desire for greater connection to self and others was as much a part of the practice as the physical poses. Seekers wanting more were introduced to yoga in various ways, from Alice Coltrane to Lilias Folan, amid the backdrop of the era's iconic bell bottoms, disco, and peaceful resistance."

"In 1972, the United States was in a state of cultural and political upheaval-still reeling from the war in Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement, energized by the rise of feminism and environmentalism, and stirred by anti-war protests and political scandals. A restless, youth-driven counterculture was challenging the status quo and reimagining art, music, and fashion as tools of resistance and self-expression. Peace, free thought, and social justice echoed as rallying cries."

"That year, I was a sophomore at Howard University, navigating a time of transition. I had just moved into my first apartment and transferred from the School of Liberal Arts to the newly established School of Communications, eager to explore creative and academic and career paths. I had recently picked up a copy of the book Astrology: The Divine Science, a book that had evolved from a thesis by two Harvard graduate students. It aligned with my curiosity about the cosmos, fate, and the self."

Yoga in 1970s America combined physical practice with curiosity about consciousness, self-connection, and community. Seekers encountered yoga through cultural figures and teachers amid bell-bottoms, disco, and peaceful resistance. The nation in 1972 experienced political and cultural upheaval from the Vietnam War and Civil Rights aftermath, alongside rising feminism, environmentalism, anti-war protests, and political scandals. A restless, youth-driven counterculture challenged the status quo and reimagined art, music, and fashion as tools of resistance and self-expression. Individual experiences included university students exploring astrology and new academic and creative paths within transformative communal spaces.

Read at Yoga Journal