EASTERN MEDICINE IN THE WEST

PRATYAHARA — WITHDRAWAL OF THE SENSES ASANA — POSTURES/PHYSICAL POSES

NIYAMA — INTERNAL DISCIPLINES

PRANAYAMA — BREATH CONTROL YAMA — EXTERNAL DISCIPLINES

Holistic Medicine

Asian health practices whitewashed by Western wellness industry

Shifting attitudes toward health have placed wellness at the forefront of many people’s lives. Whether it’s growing awareness about clean eating, trendy new exercise classes or growing emphasis on mental health, the concept of wellness is evolving from the occasional workout class or massage into an everyday mindset. This is reflected in the rapid growth of the global health and fitness industry, worth $4.2 trillion as of 2017, according to the Global Wellness Institute.

Practices like traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic medicine, like yoga, have been practiced for thousands of years and have been adopted by the West in recent decades as some of the most popular forms of holistic, non-traditional wellness. While TCM and yoga have proven benefits for alleviating pain and stress, some have accused Western companies of profiting from a whitewashed version of wellness, one that disrespects or even erases their spiritual and cultural significance to make practices more palatable to white consumers.

The practice of yoga dates back to around 3000 BCE in the Indus valley civilization and was originally a deeply devotional practice. While yoga predates most modern religions, it has also become closely linked with Hinduism over time. Traditional yoga emphasized spirituality and a mind-body-soul connection above other aspects, like fitness. In yogic philosophy there are eight basic limbs of yoga that practitioners should live by at all times, such as Dhyana (meditation), Pranayama (mindful breathing) and Dharana (concentration).

Western yoga, on the other hand, tends to focus only on Asana, which is the limb

of yoga that involves physical exercise and Advances in Health and Medicine journal poses. Many white yoga studios largely found that more than 10 million acupuncignore the spiritual limbs of yoga to cater ture treatments are administered in the US to their fitness-oriented demographics and alone. maximize profits. As a result, Western yoga Dry needling, another type of acupunctends to be a whitewashed, commodified ture, has also risen in popularity in the West. and ‘trendy’ version of traditional yoga. Its use, however, is supported by little reJunior Abbie Sivaraman, author for Angry search and outlawed in certain states. Dry Asian Americans, a social media blog dedi- needling is when someone other than a licated to educating others about injustices af- censed acupuncturist performs acupuncture fecting the Asian American community, said without any TCM training and without takthat while yoga doesn’t have to be tied to ing important details into account, such as one cultural or religious group, practitioners the patient’s pre-existing health conditions, should still show respect for its roots. lifestyle and environment.

“I think there’s definitely been ways Emily Grace Siy, a Doctor of Acupuncwhere cultural practices, words and images ture and Chinese Medicine based in New have been used as ‘trendy,’ like with using York City, is opposed to dry needling and the ‘om’ symbol or by disregarding the re- does not offer it to clients. By taking a TCM ligious association of yoga to Hinduism,” procedure and removing all Chinese aspects Sivaraman said. “There has to be an appre- from it, Siy thinks dry needle practitioners ciation and an understanding of the religious are appropriating Chinese culture for their history associated with it.” own financial gain while harming others. Megan Hall, “[Dry needling] is a teacher at essentially a way to Yoga Sol, a yoga studio in ColumWe should respect the lineage of yoga and honor it in our own teaching, not pretend advertise acupuncture without it being from Asia,” Siy said. bia, also ac- that we invented a new thing.” “Practitioners are benknowledges efiting and profiting off that while yoga - Megan Hall, Yoga Sol instructor of a modality by using a is beneficial for quick and cheap version everyone, it is of a treatment and important that pretending it does not Western yoga come from a specific teachers keep their teachings consistent system of East Asian medicine.” with traditional yoga out of respect for its The idea of cultural appropriation is culture. often tied to specific clothing items, hair-

“I think it’s wonderful that Westerners styles or costumes. Nowadays, many peopractice yoga,” Hall said. “Mindfulness is ple are quick to call out the appropriation of good for all of us. However, I’m not real- headdresses, cornrows and bindis. But with ly into the branding of many western yogis. wellness practices, which are beneficial to We should respect the lineage of yoga and people’s health and wellbeing, it’s harder to honor it in our own teaching, not pretend distinguish between respectful appreciation that we invented a new thing.” of a practice and appropriation.

Disregarding the cultural and spiritual TCM and Ayurvedic medicine should be significance of Eastern holistic medicine is for everyone, but Western wellness companot only disrespectful to their original cul- nies and consumers must be more mindful tures, but can also lead to inadequate train- of where they came from and ensure those ing in those practices, which can be poten- cultures are respected in their practice, Sivtially harmful to consumers. TCM, which araman said. dates back around 3000 years, aims to cure “There’s a fine line between disrespector prevent disease by maintaining a balance ing a practice and not being educated,” between yin and yang, two complementa- Sivaraman said. “I think Western wellness ry forces present in the body. TCM’s main companies need to do more research on modalities include herbal therapy, acupunc- the practices and goods they are selling, ture, moxibustion, Tui na, which includes and need to be willing to make changes to massage and cupping and Qi Gong, which them if they’re inappropriate based on the involves physical postures and exercises. cultures and religions connected to them. The most popular form of TCM in the West- Despite things like yoga being of Hindu orern world is acupuncture, as a 2014 review igins, it’s great that others want to try them on acupuncture published in the Global out, but it needs to be done respectfully.”

DHYANA — MEDITATION

SAMADHI — UNION

DHARANA — CONCENTRATION