Over the past couple of years, I’ve become fascinated by the appearance of yoga in newspaper and magazine comic strips/cartoons. There’s an ever-growing folder on my phone containing examples of comic characters becoming interested in yoga or yoga being used as a punchline.
I don’t yet know what I’ll end up doing with these images (other than aimlessly scrolling through them whenever I’m bored in a supermarket queue), so thought I’d share some of my favourites.
Jane
During June and July in 1955 Jane (of Daily Mirror fame) became hooked on yoga after being introduced to it by what appeared to be a would-be suitor (is it daft that I’m trying to avoid spoilers about a 65-year-old comic?). Yoga was for Jayne (and therefore presumably some Daily Mirror readers) a method of calming the mind through physical postures and something which had been mastered by successful Western high-fliers, though her boyfriend had a different opinion.
Yoga as a punchline.
Many of the comic strips in my folder use yoga, or a misunderstanding of yoga, as a punchline. It’s amazing how often this also revolves around a headstand or Lotus posture.
BWY caption contests.
In the ‘Yoga’ newsletter of the British Wheel of Yoga comics/cartoons were sometimes used as funny caption contests. The five winners of this one, as announced in Spring of 1972, were:
“My goodness Arthur, how well you do Savasana”
“But I only said ‘Om'”
“Can I put our names down for an ashram holiday?”
“Dishes, soap water, foam pillow, relaxation”
“Our session tonight is on Tantric Yoga and the release of the kundalini. See you later darling!”
Could you do any better?