India adopts fighting position to hold on to ancient yoga poses

GoanCanuck

It is meant to engender feelings of peace and well-being but yoga has become a battleground as India tries to stop its ancient heritage being exploited by the West.

The Indian government is furious that yoga practices dating back thousands of years are being "stolen" by gurus and fitness instructors in Europe and the United States.

Foreign practitioners are already said to have claimed hundreds of patents and copyrights on poses and techniques lifted straight from classical Indian yoga treatises.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/ma...0/ixhmain.html

Vasko

colonialist looting in a new disguise...?

Nick-H

Excellent article. Very interesting.

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crvlvr

I am glad some one is fighting back. Here in os angeles, yoga instriuction is out of control. people go for a 2 week class to India and come back as a "guru" . I realized it had gone over the top when I saw an ad for "Techno Yoga" -- Yoga done to techno music. Patanjali must be turning in his grave.

bijapuri

maybe they should set up a call center to process claims against offenders . . . .

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lookit me!!!: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bijapuri/

Utube fuzzy logic:
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AvidTrekker

I used to feel upset over such info... but now take it with a pinch of salt.... and smile...

Techno yoga, or Disco yoga... maybe its a new dance combo cum exercise routine with the misnomer "Yoga".

Only one observation: neither the advertiser [spider] nor the victims [flies] have any idea of what is "Yoga". Both are blissfully unaware and are simply following the "in thing". Its more for the "in-crowd"; those who follow fashions and such matters passionately. That's my impression; and I could be horribly wrong... coz I've never followed these trends.

I am already out. Fact is, never was in.

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crvlvr

trekker, i'm am not upset about it. but its one of those things that has the potential to ruin it for everyone else.

AvidTrekker

Whoever has the slightest inkling about the real path of Yoga, would be entitled to being upset, including the both of us. I stopped because I discovered that I was the loser. Even if I say it too often, my [trekking] friends would deem it a lecture... so decided that "no comments" is better.

Yes, it ruins the saadhanaa for many a newbie. Hopefully a sincere aspirant eventually discovers something nearer to the genuine article. Till such time lots of time and effort would have gone down the drain...

But how do we STOP it? [or minimize it?] Even the Indian Govt.'s action might stop future patents from being granted... but can they [Govt] STOP the advertising of techno yoga, for instance?

Even the English Press in India copies their Western kin only. Sometimes c & p job is passed off here as research. Barring two/three actual Yoga teachers who write, all the journos here are equally guilty of dishing out "techno yoga" news. [coz it sells?]

hawaiiyogagrl

I am glad to see the indian govt doing something..the comercial yoga thing is troubling in the states.
But, none of us can predict what Patanjali is doing- not turning in his grave, he had to be burnt, right?
Maybe techno yoga is silly, but if it touches one heart, and one person decides to find out what the mantra chanted to the techno beat means (really, there are techno-mantra cds out there!!), then it's all worth it.
If I had known what yoga was all about before I went to my first class, I wouldn't have went...and if that class had be super-traditional I may not have kept at it.
That said- trademarking yoga in the US is kooky! That would be like Indians trademarking Jesus! (okay, maybe alittle different, but the right analogy eludes me right now)

Sama

Interesting that the article decries "foreign practitioners" who commit "yoga piracy" and cites Bikram Choudhury as one of the culprits. BC was born and raised in India and was in fact a "yoga champion" in India.

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genevieve_lalune

Blame Deepak Chopra.

Any idea how many thousands of dollars it costs to stay at his resort?

The Indian government should in true Bollywood ishtyle renounce Chopra's Indian identity before they let Westerners ruffle their feathers. He is already American? Indian government could still take his picture off the wall.

Sama

YES!

If the government was really concerned about "saving" the yogic tradition, their efforts would be better spent going after the "become a yoga teacher in a weekend" courses that are prevalent in the west.

Nick-H

Google, on this page, is advertising yoga software!

AvidTrekker

Nick, on my page two Yoga courses came up... no software at all.

What in the name of hell is Yoga software? A sftwr that performs aasanas for you on-line... and allows you to retain your waistline or what????

Nick-H

If you are still not seeing the add here is the Link

Best to click on the add, though ---that way IM gets paid