Yoga Pants Not for Yoga “Build arm and core strength!” “Lose weight today!” “Get toned and balanced!” All of these assertions are recurrent headlines for the incessant proliferation of yoga in the media. Prominent corporations delineate yoga as the latest fitness fad, glamorizing its capability to promote preferable physical health. This contemporary incarnation of the ancient discipline has flourished in the United States into a multi-billion-dollar industry, built with the interests of the consumers and commercialism. These misguided interpretations of yoga have modified it into the diluted practice it is today, void of its cultural heritage. While some Westerners presume they are honoring yoga’s divine roots, most have actually adopted a pseudo-spiritual practice that doesn’t acknowledge Hindu traditions. Yoga is an aspect of Hindu faith, traced back to India over 5,000 years ago.
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The word “yoga” derives from the Sanskrit root “yuj,” which means to yoke, harness, or unite (Yoga Reflection). Its original purpose, like the denotation of its root, was to be a method for training and uniting the body, mind, and spirit. Six major schools of thought, or darshanas, are combined in the concept of pluralism, which believes there are multiple paths that exist to reach liberation, or moksha with God (HAF). The person reaches an enlightened state where there is a cessation of thought and an experience of union. Enlightenment may also be described as extinction of the ego and a lasting perception of the non-dual nature of the universe. Each student embarks on his own path that requires lifelong dedication, devotion to God, and consistent practice. The Westernized transformation of yoga is a textbook example of cultural appropriation (Smith, 2013). Today “yoga” implies “asana” to most Americans. Traditionally, asana is a series of poses or postures used to prepare the body for meditations. Asana is just one aspect in the interconnected system of yoga, which should comprise of breath work, concentration, meditation, withdrawal, observances, and restraints. However, modern day asana is practiced unaccompanied and merely a level of physical exercise, vacant of understanding, faith, or intention. Practicing asana is publicized to promote lower blood pressure, arthritis relief, improved strength and balance, reduced weight, and numerous supplementary advantages (Goyanes, 2015). The emphasis on the myriad of health benefits attributed to asana has de-emphasized all the other customary purposes of yoga. In turn, many people solely envision yoga as a sequence of pretzel-like corporal movements performed to become fit. As the yoga empire unremittingly expands, studios are becoming as ubiquitous as Starbucks (HAF). Yoga classes are available at most gyms and even offered as DVDs. New styles, such as hot yoga, cannabis yoga, doga, or aerial yoga, have developed in order to accommodate nearly anyone who desires to venture into the domain of yoga. Greater accessibility to the practice has permitted certification to be a yoga instructor much simpler. Training is readily available, making the vocation palatable to those who may not have committed to the career if it demanded more years of study (HAF). Without the proper teaching of the discipline and its roots, this inevitably leads to less emphasis of the spiritual side. The commodification of yoga has also been prevalent as it gains popularity. Brands such as Lululemon and Fabletics, founded by celebrity Kate Hudson, sell
The word “yoga” derives from the Sanskrit root “yuj,” which means to yoke, harness, or unite (Yoga Reflection). Its original purpose, like the denotation of its root, was to be a method for training and uniting the body, mind, and spirit. Six major schools of thought, or darshanas, are combined in the concept of pluralism, which believes there are multiple paths that exist to reach liberation, or moksha with God (HAF). The person reaches an enlightened state where there is a cessation of thought and an experience of union. Enlightenment may also be described as extinction of the ego and a lasting perception of the non-dual nature of the universe. Each student embarks on his own path that requires lifelong dedication, devotion to God, and consistent practice. The Westernized transformation of yoga is a textbook example of cultural appropriation (Smith, 2013). Today “yoga” implies “asana” to most Americans. Traditionally, asana is a series of poses or postures used to prepare the body for meditations. Asana is just one aspect in the interconnected system of yoga, which should comprise of breath work, concentration, meditation, withdrawal, observances, and restraints. However, modern day asana is practiced unaccompanied and merely a level of physical exercise, vacant of understanding, faith, or intention. Practicing asana is publicized to promote lower blood pressure, arthritis relief, improved strength and balance, reduced weight, and numerous supplementary advantages (Goyanes, 2015). The emphasis on the myriad of health benefits attributed to asana has de-emphasized all the other customary purposes of yoga. In turn, many people solely envision yoga as a sequence of pretzel-like corporal movements performed to become fit. As the yoga empire unremittingly expands, studios are becoming as ubiquitous as Starbucks (HAF). Yoga classes are available at most gyms and even offered as DVDs. New styles, such as hot yoga, cannabis yoga, doga, or aerial yoga, have developed in order to accommodate nearly anyone who desires to venture into the domain of yoga. Greater accessibility to the practice has permitted certification to be a yoga instructor much simpler. Training is readily available, making the vocation palatable to those who may not have committed to the career if it demanded more years of study (HAF). Without the proper teaching of the discipline and its roots, this inevitably leads to less emphasis of the spiritual side. The commodification of yoga has also been prevalent as it gains popularity. Brands such as Lululemon and Fabletics, founded by celebrity Kate Hudson, sell