O Yoga como resistência à sociedade do cansaço

Abstract

This article analyzes Byung-Chul Han’s diagnosis of contemporary society, characterized as a "achievement society" (Leistungsgesellschaft) whose imperative for productivity results in the systemic symptom of tiredness. The primary objective is to explain Han’s diagnosis and investigate alternatives to prevent exhaustion from becoming an irreducible condition of daily life. To this end, the study resorts to the classical philosophy of Yoga, establishing a parallel between the ancient Indian tradition and the contemporary practice of Hatha-Yoga in Brazil. The theoretical framework is based on the concepts of "deconditioning" and freedom presented by Mircea Eliade, combined with a historical mapping of the yogic tradition in Brazilian territory. Finally, through a parallel with subjective experience in Hatha-Yoga, it is demonstrated that the practice acts as the "contemplative life" (vita contemplativa) and the "negative potency" proposed by Han, offering an effective resistance to the excess of positivity and the acceleration of modern life.