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The Serpent's Tale: Kundalini, Yoga, and the History of an Experience

Name: The Serpent's Tale: Kundalini, Yoga, and the History of an Experience
Brand: Columbia University Press
SKU: 9780231212533
Price: 35.99 USD
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Contributors:

Sravana Borkataky-Varma, Anya Foxen

Publisher:

Columbia University Press

Binding:

Paperback

Book Category:

Philosophy, Religion, Body, Mind & Spirit

Book Subcategory:

Hindu, Hinduism, Goddess Worship

Book Topic:

History

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The product is eligible for a complimentary return within 30 days from the date of purchase. Furthermore, individual items are shipped within 24 hours of receiving the order.

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Specifications +

Release Date:

9/30/2025

ISBN 13:

9780231212533

Weight:

1 lbs

Size:

8.50 x 5.50 x 0.88 inches

Pages:

392

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product description

Description

There is a standard narrative that recurs throughout popular writings on yoga and tantra, from South Asian texts to Western esoteric thought: Kuṇḍalinī is the Serpent Power. She rests coiled at the base of the spine. If awakened, this divine feminine energy rises toward the crown of the head. Some are apprehensive of Kuṇḍalinī's intense power, fearing physical and psychological turmoil. Others seek it out, hungry for experiences, both spiritual and sensual. But what does this story leave out? What are its cultural and historical roots? What do the many ways of experiencing Kuṇḍalinī tell us about this elusive phenomenon?

The Serpent's Tale traces the intricate global histories of Kuṇḍalinī, from its Sanskrit origins to its popularity in the West. Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Anya Foxen explore its symbolic link with the serpent, its fraught connections to sexuality, and its commercialization in the form of Kuṇḍalinī yoga. Ranging from esoteric texts to global gurus, from the cliffs of California to the charnel grounds of Assam, they show that there has never been one single "authentic" model of Kuṇḍalinī but a multiplicity of visions. Bridging the gaps between textual and historical analysis and the complexities of embodied practice, Borkataky-Varma and Foxen reflect on the narration and transmission of experiences, including their own. Lively, accessible, and nuanced, The Serpent's Tale offers rich insights for scholars, practitioners, and all readers drawn to Kuṇḍalinī.

About the Author

Sravana Borkataky-Varma is an instructional assistant professor of comparative cultural studies at the University of Houston as well as a research affiliate at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School. She is coeditor of Living Folk Religions (2023), among other books.

Anya Foxen is associate professor of religious studies at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her books include Inhaling Spirit: Harmonialism, Orientalism, and the Western Roots of Modern Yoga (2020).