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Monday
Nov292010

Who owns yoga?

The NYT this weekend had a piece looking at the movement to "take back yoga". A number of Hindu groups in America are working to remind people that yoga isn't just about stretching and stretch pants, that it has a debt to the ancient Hindu religious traditions. It's an interesting question, although what is striking is that the Hindu groups seem conflicted, and unable to decide  whether what they find objectionable is that an ancient
tradition has been commericalized, or that they're not getting a big enough slice of the pie.

Related: Melissa Nylander brought to my attention the film "Yoga, Inc.", which addresses the question of whether "yoga can survive big business with its karma intact".