2. Body in Hinduism

Hinduism is a complex set of different traditions developed by different communities. To have an idea about religious anthropology of body in Hinduism, we choose a simple text taken from Bhagavad-Gita (source n1). Then to approach in practice the argument, we choose examples able to illustrate corporal practices generally adopted by all Hindu’s communities: haircutting of upanayama, householder’s daily ablutions and dead body prescriptions.    

Body in Hinduism (see Source n 1)

According to Hinduism, embodied beings come from the combination of the material substratum pervading all existence (prakriti) and the Supreme Being as eternal consciousness (Atman, the spiritual "Self", the sparkle of eternity in every being). Prakriti is the source and foundation of three material nature modes called gunas.
The first gunas (sattva), is goodness, purity, bright part closest to the divine; the second (rajas) is passion and emotion, humanity; the last one (tamas) nescience, beastliness. The physical body is a product of the three gunas wich bind together spiritual seed (Atma) and body. Different beings have a different disposition of the three gunas, depending on being’s last life and contributing to determine next life. But the result of gunas effects is that the immutable Atma or immortal soul is enslaved by material sentiments of the mind, subject to birth and death within the body.
The second material mode, raja guna, is the source of desire and attachment. Desire is hankering for that which is yet to be experienced and attachment is the obsession to have that which has been experienced already. Desire binds the embodied being in the perpetual cycle of birth and death (samsara) because it leads to fruitive activities, that is, actions that creates Karman, the "fuel" of   the perpetual cycle of birth and death (see more in the Hinduism Module, p. 3)
The word tamas means darkness and tama guna arises from that part of the material substratum that pervades physical existence with the power of illusion and concealing the true perception. This power has the ability to confound and bewilder all embodied beings, to bind them imperiously through madness, or indolence or sleep,  listlessness or mental fragmentation. Laziness and dullness, inaction of the mind due to inebriation or exhaustion are effects of this material mode.

Practices

1. Haircutting during male initiation:

Upanayana was traditionally held when a boy was between the ages of 8 and 12, and it marked his entry into the community of the three higher classes of society. In contemporary Hinduism this can be done at any time before his wedding. The boy is shaved, washed and dressed with new clothes. Conducted to his teacher (guru) often he offers him a gift of water. The guru recites prayers and gives to the boy a mantra (a particular utterance in Sanskrit language and it is typically conceived as having a peculiar power of its own: influencing reality, the psychological and the spiritual dimensions of  the practitioner who recite it; mantras are used as a way to worship deities as well) and some teachings about dharma (cosmic order).
Then finally guru gives him a sacred thread.
In this rite the boys becomes a “twice-born one,” after his biological first birth. Traditionally, this was also the beginning of a long period of study of sacred texts of Hinduism ( theVeda) and education under the guidance of a teacher. In modern practice, most important ceremonial moments are haircutting and the investiture with a sacred thread symbol of tie with traditional knowledge, finally the recitation of mantras. Traditionally the boy’s head was completly shaved except a tuft of hair. Hair was carefully collected by his mother to avoid anyone can use it to harm him. Nowadays also a slight haircut is accepted. 
In Indian cities or outside the country, upanayana is also practiced for girls.
The text of source n 2 records a upanayana ceremony held in New Jersey, US in ours days.  
See also Introduction to the Study of Religions Module II p. 4 for more theoretical information on the rites  of passage.

2. Private ritual: bathing and praying

The morning and evening adorations (sandhya), being a very important duty of the traditional householder. If not shortened, the morning ceremonies consist of self-purification, bathing, prayers, and recitation of mantras, especially the Gayatri-mantra (Rigveda 3.62.10), a prayer for spiritual stimulation addressed to the Sun. The accompanying ritual includes the application of marks on the forehead, characterizing the adherents of a particular religious community, the presentation of offerings (water, flowers) to the Sun, and meditative concentration. The observance of the daily obligations, including the care of bodily purity and professional duties, leads to earthly reward and helps to preserve the state of sanctity required to enter into contact with the divine.

3. Dead body prescriptions

The cremation became the usual mode of disposal of dead bodies, with exceptions of infants. Cremation became popular due to the Hindu concept of detachment of soul from the body at the time of death, and the transmigration of the soul from one body to another.
Preparation of the body: Family members close the mouth and eyes of the deceased, and put the arms straight. The body is placed on the floor with the head pointing towards the north and the feet towards south. The dead body is considered an element of great impurity and minimal physical contact is maintained. Generally the body is bathed by purified water, and then dressed in new clothes. If the dead is male or a widow then white clothes are used, whereas if the dead is a married woman with her husband still alive or a young unmarried girl, the body is dressed either in red or yellow.
Sacred ash (bhasma) or sandalwood paste is applied on the forehead of the deceased depending on his religious community. Often a few drops of the holy Ganges water may be put into the mouth of the deceased so that the soul may attain liberation. The body is almost completely covered with flowers. The cremation ground is traditionally located near a river, if not on the river bank itself. The beginning of the cremation heralds the start of the traditional mourning period, which usually ends on the morning of the 13th day after death. During this mourning period the family of the dead are bound by many rules and regulations of ritual impurity. Immediately after the cremation the entire family is expected to have a bath. One or two days after the funeral, the chief mourner returns to the cremation ground to collect the mortal remains and put them in an urn. These remains are then immersed in a river.

4. Body techniques: Dancing as divine service
In traditional Hinduism dance has a special religious role showing a great tie between body and divine service.
In particular deity Shiva is sometimes represented as king of dancers (Nataraja). Shiva is one of the most revered deity in Hinduism. He is connected to the idea of destruction and assimilation of the cosmos, but this idea of destruction is to be understood in terms of liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Therefore, the benevolent aspect of Shiva refers to his will of rescuing his devotees from the suffering of rebirth. In particular Shiva is worshiped as the divine archetype of the Yogin, the ascetic practitioner of Yoga, destroyer of the attachment towards the sensual world.
Shiva’s dance represents God’s activities of unfolding, preserving and reabsorbing universe, and in this context dancer is a sort of Yogin who represents the rhythm of the universe.
There are halls for sacred dances annexed to some temples because of this association with the divine.
Even today religious themes and  various relations between humans and God are danced and made visual by the codified symbolic meanings of gestures and movements. Traditional classic dance poses, especially posture of the hands (mudra) may refer to Hindu God’s moral characteristic, emotions and activities. Rhythmic movements of dance are at the same time God's stories, prayers, invocations, benedictions and a compelling force generating and concentrating power or releasing energy. Dance induces the experience of the divine in dancer and in spectators as well.
 Source n 3  is a video in which a famous indian dancer, Savitha Sastry, explains a few poses' meaning. 

Links to other Modules’ pages

[link to Introduction Hinduism module]
[link to the Introduction to the Study of Religions Module II p. 4]