Take Back Yoga

In order to guide this post, let’s focus on one of the core questions; “Are there sufficient continuities to justify the claims of “Take Back Yoga” campaign, or has yoga changed so dramatically it has become something different?” The answer to this question really goes both ways. For example, during the case study we were presented with very different views on the subject. The general idea was that yoga was a common Hindu practice that had great spiritual and cultural significance. Writer, Deepak Chopra would claim that yoga was not created from Hinduism, therefore it was not theirs to take back. Aseem Shukla, on the other hand would claim otherwise. He argues that yoga was stripped from the Hindu people so that it could be sold and used as a commercialized concept in modern society, specifically a big problem in Western culture. There are too many similarities between modern yoga and ancient yoga practices, which is why it is such a big deal. The “Take Back Yoga” campaign was created to help give Hinduism the recognition it deserves, rather than ignore the obvious.

Besides the continuities, we can not deny that yoga has been changed quite a bit in some cases. Some modern forms of yoga are used for physical exercise, suggesting that it does not have the same value that other older forms of yoga consist of. Or it could just be natural evolution, where concepts change over time. Then again, Hindu mantras such as “OMMM” and “Namaste” are still used today and have quite an importance. There are too many factors to answer the question. However, I think the most valuable argument is whether yoga instructors do it for profit, or if they are nonprofit. If one were to promote yoga with intent to make money, they should at least hint at Hinduism. Commercialized yoga can not resemble ancient traditions unless this is done. Otherwise, Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has every right to take back yoga.