Kyle Park '23 — Yoga: A Legitimate Part of Hinduism?

Yoga: A Legitimate Part of Hinduism?

Kyle Park ’23

Dating back to the pre-Vedic period, yoga originates from the Indus Sarasvati Valley Civilization and remains a key component of Indian culture. Found in the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutra, two major texts of Hinduism, yoga is deeply connected to religious practices about “realizing god” (Vivekananda). Nonetheless, throughout the last decade, yoga has become a popular “exercise cult with expensive accessories” in the Western world; Westerners have benefited from yoga’s mental and physical perks (Bardach). While the West’s portrayal focuses on yoga’s physical advantages and cultural fluidity, yoga is not only a physical practice but one that promotes religious and spiritual upliftment of humanity: the truth that is often neglected due to Edward Said and Sophia Arjana’s notion of “Muddled Orientalism”––the “[adoption] of Eastern practices [...] while retaining the power” of the West (Arjana 96).

“Yoga is a deeply beneficial and life-changing habit. I’ve seen people use yoga to drag themselves out of eating disorders, depression, marital issues, PTSD, and illness” (Cassandra). Following Indian monk Swami Vivekananda’s introduction of yoga to the West, Western yoga has naturally centered around the Asana, the third path of the Eightfold Path, which focuses on the physical practice of poses; each path in Pantanjali’s yoga system leads to the final goal of the God-realization (“Invitation to World”). To face and overcome the aforementioned problems in life, Western individuals rely on Asana and incorporate the various tenets of yogic spirituality into their lives. Hence, is the Western cultural appropriation of yoga beneficial? Indeed, as it provides thousands of practitioners an opportunity to embark on a journey based on rituals: “a patterned behavior designed to bring about a specific objective”––in this case, the goal of overcoming life obstacles (Nattier 7). Moreover, there were only 14 yoga Asanas initially, yet with the growth of hatha yoga, there are now over 100 unique Asanas: an example showcasing the flexibility of culture and religion (Basavaraddi). The outcome of yoga’s worldwide expansion is a testament to how “culture is fluid,” and that fluidity is what allows yoga to change its shape to fit the needs of different communities (Cassandra).

Nevertheless, one must not forget the utmost importance of “[recognizing] the roots of yoga” to understand the cases when Orientalism and cultural appropriation become toxic (Ratchford). Although Asana is an imperative part of a collection of Indian sutras explaining the value behind the yoga system, it is only one path, one perspective, one part of the entire story. Merely depending on Asana to characterize yoga would be insufficient; in fact, such thinking is an example of “thin description” as Asana alone fails to unravel the “intentions behind what people do” and disregards the “overarching significance” of yoga (Geertz 267). More importantly, it perfectly represents the West viewing the East through the Orientalist lens. As the West is deemed “superior” and the East “inferior,” Orientalism justifies the West “borrowing”, or rather culturally appropriating, Indian culture and suppressing the Orient (Arjana 101). Likewise, some Westerners only focus on Bikram, a specific type of yoga exercise, or Ashtanga, a sequence of yoga stretches; these individuals are also problematic as they have the potential to become extremists who “miss key aspects of practice,” such as mindfulness and kindness (Ratchford). Without exploring the entirety of yoga’s history, philosophy, and roots, Orientalism will continue to advance as not a system of knowledge but a system facilitating power dynamics — in essence, religion has the ability of “[masking] and [legitimizing] inequality” (Nye 59).

Thus, yogis must start with the Bhagavad Gita, a collection of religious works displaying Arjuna and Krishna’s conversation vis-à-vis the “purpose of one’s life” and the threefold path of yoga (“Invitation to World”). Toronto yoga teacher Julia Gibran did just that: she read the Bhagavad Gita with her grandfather (Gibran’s first yoga teacher), “learned about Hindu tradition, cultural history, and the deities and their symbolism,” instead of starting with Asanas (Ratchford). By acknowledging all paths, rather than one, a practitioner can appreciate countless concepts ranging from morality to religious observances, purification of the body to controlling human impulses, and breathwork to promoting collective humanity: actions negating Said’s definition of Orientalism as “a desire to control, subjugate, and police the subject” (Arjana 102).

Moreover, yoga is inaccurately commercialized in Western contexts today as it fails to go beyond the limits of physical exertions. New Age religions continue to “borrow”, or in truth capitalize, from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam through material products and mystical tourism –– an issue that is glaringly apparent in the yoga industry. The yoga market in the United States is worth approximately $11 billion, and an average yogi is estimated to spend $62,640 on classes, clothing, and accessories over their lifetime (Wellness Creative). Hence, as the yoga industry generates a large amount of revenue, the West is inclined to keep yoga as it is and continue to capitalize regardless of ethics: another crucial branch of practices that serves as a “guideline for human behavior” (Nattier 7). For yoga to truly be a “practice,” one must consider the validity of Western yoga and assess whether the end result of Western yoga is muddled.

Western yoga still opens the door though for more cultural awareness and unity in today’s world. Considering the physical, mental, and spiritual rewards, practicing yoga should be for everyone, regardless of race, gender, nationality, and religious background. In fact, exchanging cultures — without erasing the origins of the “borrowed” culture — among different communities is an essential part of how we learn about the world around us. Orientalism and the notion of stereotyping the East are sensitive topics where it can be challenging to arrive at a “correct” answer; this challenge is vital as it highlights the amount of work society must do. While we may not know the “correct” answer, we know the first steps we can take to eventually get to the final destination: “[acknowledging] the greater reason for why yoga was created” and realizing that yoga is much more than “an imitation of postures” (Ratchford).

As I have faith in humanity, I believe that nobody deliberately takes part in yoga to perpetuate inaccurate stereotypes and encourage cultural appropriation. As a society, we instead must simply understand that yoga is not just a workout, yet a method to find harmony between the heart and soul to one day reach divine enlightenment; in essence, “our whole life is the practice” (Ratchford). We all should practice yoga, give credit where credit is due, and unite as one humanity.

Works Cited

Bardach, Ann Louise. “How Yoga Won the West.” The New York Times, 1 Oct. 2011, www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/opinion/sunday/howyoga-won-the-west.html?_r=2.

Basavaraddi, Ishwar V. “Yoga: Its Origin, History and Development.” Ministry of External Affairs (Government of India), 23 Apr. 2015, www. mea.gov.in/in-focus-article.htm?25096/Yoga+Its+Origin+History+a nd+Development

Cassandra. “Yoga – Offensive Cultural Appropriation?” her name was cassandra, 8 Oct. 2013, hernamewascassandra.wordpress. com/2013/10/08/yoga-offensive-cultural-appropriation/.

Geertz, Clifford. “Religion as Cultural System: Clifford Geertz.” Eight Theories of Religion, edited by Daniel L. Pals, 2nd ed., New York, Oxford UP, 2006, pp. 266-73.

“Invitation to World Literature: Bhagavad Gita (WGBH/PBS).” Vimeo, 2011, vimeo.com/16756028.

Nattier, Jan. “What is ‘Religion’?”. Introduction to Religious Studies Reader.

Nye, Malory. “Texts.” Religion: The Basics, Taylor & Francis, 2008, pp. 152-61.

Ratchford, Sarah. “Is Western Yoga Cultural Appropriation? Yes, but That Doesn’t Mean White People Can’t Practice It.” VICE, 26 Nov. 2015, www.vice.com/en/article/jmakbx/is-western-yoga-cultural-appropriation-obviously-but-that-doesnt-mean-you-cant-practice-it

Wellness Creative. “Yoga Industry Growth, Market Trends & Analysis 2021.” https://www.wellnesscreatives.com/yoga-industry-trends/