Danielle DiFalco: Yoga as a Commodity

Yoga as a Commodity: Has Yoga been Transformed into a Shadow of its Former Self in the West? The History of Yoga’s Transformation from a Spiritual Practice into a Commodity.

DANIELLE DIFALCO
Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

This article investigates the origin and history of yoga as a spiritual practice and how it has been transformed into an entirely new “commoditized” practice in both parts of the world. The cultural appreciation of yoga has degraded to yoga now being advertised as a product for consumption. Even though there are Yogis in both parts of the world who practice and teach for spiritual fulfillment, yoga has become a trend; and for some, yoga is not about reaching a state of enlightenment or fulfillment, but just a physical practice to fill a time slot in their days, or as a paycheck and a way of making yoga less accessible for all to learn and practice.

INTRODUCTION

“Nobody knows for sure exactly how yoga first came to be. Likely an important part of the sacred rituals practiced by Indian holy men and an essential component of meditation. The poses themselves were most likely passed down directly from teacher to student for centuries” (Budilovsky & Adamson, 2003 p. 52). In the East, the history and practice of yoga started out as a very ritualistic and sacred practice, in which yoga poses were passed down from teacher to student. But yoga has changed, and perhaps it was the influence of the West and colonialism that caused this. For the most part, in the West we are interested in yoga for different reasons other than just “spiritual fulfillment”, and the United States in particular seems to see in dollar signs. The words “’yoga piracy’” (Hume, 2007 p. 92) do not often come to mind when thinking about yoga. “However, some individuals in the West are claiming intellectual ownership of yoga postures and have copyrighted sequences of poses that have been taken straight out of classical Indian yoga texts which have existed in India for thousands of years” (Hume, 2007 p. 92)
Yoga is a practice that is extremely popular in the United states, studios can be found all over towns and cities, yoga students are commonly seen walking the streets with their yoga mat in hand. Where did this popularity come from? What is the history of this wildly popular practice and how did it become so commercialized? “Yoga has been evolving since it’s introduction into Western culture, and the yogic teachings have been progressively stripped of their spiritual and moral principles and practices” (Feuerstein, 2003). Is every form of practice commoditized in the West? There are many forms of yoga being taught in the West, but what have copyrights and patents done to yoga itself? This debate about copyrighting yoga poses does not only relate to the West. There are instructors in the East as well that engage in the commoditizing and copyrighting of yoga postures, the best example being Bikram Choudhury.

Yoga Commoditization and Copyrighting in the East
“Bikram Choudhury was born in Calcutta, India in 1946. He began to learn yoga at the age of four from Guru Bishnu Ghosh, and at age eleven he won the National India Yoga contest—the youngest winner in its history. At Ghosh’s urging, Bikram established yoga schools throughout India. He eventually headed to the United States, where he opened a studio in Beverly Hills. He slept on the floor, and the classes were free like they had been in India. However, the days of free classes soon came to an end (Susman, 2005 p. 245). This is a perfect example about how yoga changed. Bikram did not believe in charging money for yoga classes at first, however, some sources claim that Bikram “began charging for his classes at the insistence of his students who, he says, told him, ‘This is not Calcutta; this is America. You have to charge money or else nobody will believe you know something’” (Susman, 2005 p. 246).

How Yoga Came to the Western World and How it Became Popular
“Nineteenth century America was largely unfamiliar with Eastern thought. Then, in 1893, Swami Vivekanada addressed the parliament of Religions. He became a popular figure and was followed by many other gurus that came to the West” (Budilovsky & Adamson, 2003 p. 52). Perhaps this is when yoga truly did come to the Western world, no one really knows for sure since there are so many different records. “However, yoga most likely became popular in the west when the 1960 rock group The Beatles became interested in Eastern thought and visited India, befriending Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The Beatles introduced Hindu melodies to modern music and when the Maharishi came to the West in 1959, America’s ‘hippie generation’ took to yoga the next year” (Budilovsky & Adamson, 2003 p. 52). Because of what the “hippies” were, it is easy to see why they embraced yoga. They wanted something new, and something to explore altered states of consciousness, and yoga provided that for them.
The amount of time that yoga has been around differs according to whom you ask and what you read. “However, 5,000 years and counting is the amount of time that embodies Yoga’s heritage in India. This translates into about 200 generations, which can be compared to the 10 generations that make up the history of the United States” (Feuerstein 2003 p. xiii). So yoga has quite the history, its practice has been cultivated over many years, and this translates into the very culture of India itself. “Even today, despite widespread industrialization, India is a land of religion and spirituality. Many people travel to India from all over the world to immerse themselves in what they think is a spiritual journey. Ironically though, Indians who have received a Western-type education are ignorant and even dismissive of their own spiritual heritage”(Feuerstein 2003 p. xiii-xiv). How did this translate into the Western world and culture? Why do people embrace and practice yoga?

Yoga in the Western World
“In 2004, Americans spent $2.95 billion on yoga classes, yoga-related products like clothing, books and mats, and yoga retreats and vacations, according to a survey of nearly 4,800 people conducted for Yoga Journal magazine” (Moran, 2006). This is an old number, so the amount of money spent on Yoga has most likely doubled or even tripled in the present year. Some people practice Yoga to reach some kind of spiritual goal; others do it for the peace of mind and others for the physical activity. The real question is what does “practicing Yoga” even mean?
This is explained differently according to where you look. For instance, in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Yoga: Illustrated, “the purpose of yoga is to maximize your potential—to help the best you emerge” (Budilovsky & Adamson, 2003 p. 58). So here yoga will make you know yourself better, although you must pay money to a Yoga instructor or buy a book for that to actually happen. “Yogi Bhajan says that as we expand our awareness through the practice of yoga, we evolve from individual consciousness to group consciousness, and from group consciousness to universal consciousness. The goal for Yogi Bhajan is for each person to experience his or her unknown potential Self” (Khalsa, 2002 p. 2). However, this is the goal of yoga that is called Yoga Secrets for Business Success, so the goals themselves wherein are already biased towards a certain way of thinking, and have already been commercialized for people who seek yoga as a means to an end.
And at last there are the “ ‘part-time Yogis’ –people who attend occasional Yoga classes, use various techniques borrowed from the ancient system to get a good workout for the sole purpose of rounding out an exercise regimen” (Rosen, 2011 p. 23). These people are the true version of Western Yoga practitioners. They express interest in Eastern ideas and cultural practices, but the question of whether or not the actual Yoga experiences in the East and West are the same remains. “Anthropologists and indigenous people of India are engaged in discussions about the political and ethical aspects of cultural appropriation, but so far have not launched into the question of whether or not the experiences might be similar”(Hume, 2007 p. 92).

Yoga is Big Business
Yoga is big business in North America and abroad. It is a hard fact to ignore, especially when you can find a yoga studio or two in every neighborhood. “Retailers have gone beyond printing images of the Hindu deity Genesha on stretch pants or bags. Advertisers are using yoga to market everything from air fresheners and breakfast cereal to alcohol bottles such as Absolut, e.g. ‘Absolut Yoga’ (Schultze & Woods, 20088 p. 179). Yoga merchandise is extremely popular, and like all businesses that need to make a profit, the merchandise acts as a traveling advertisement once it has been purchased.
So can yoga, in fact, be considered “commercialized”? Gary Kraftsow disagrees, but settles on the fact that “yogic techniques, yogic teachings, yoga products, and yoga schools are all a form of commercializing yoga. However, he does believe that the intention of any commercialization of yoga is only to make it more available to people” (Solan, 2001 p. 139). The entire world seems to be embracing this opinion, yoga studios now can be found anywhere in the world and usually sell their own products and practice as if they were a kind of fashion trend. “The global reach of yoga is also reflected in the recent outcropping of new yoga studios and studio chains like Pure Yoga in Hong Kong. Riding that momentum is Yoga Journal magazine, which is now published 5 countries and adding more. ‘Yoga has moved into a much broader marketplace,’ said Bill Harper, publisher of Yoga Journal. ‘So many people are introducing products for the space, and they’re all rising with the tide.’” (Moran, 2009).

Yoga and Patents
As bizarre as the caption sounds, even the practice of yoga has been plagued with patents and copyright claims pertaining to yoga postures and techniques over the use of intellectual property rights. Where have you heard these terms before? Probably when reading about any kind of big business or company in the news. “Patent applications on yoga mats, devices, and other apparatus have been filed in many countries including Russia, Taiwan, Canada, and China” (Srinivas, 2007 p. 2866).
“Instinctively, the notion that one person claiming possession to a part of an ancient spiritual practice is somewhat uneasy, although the same court who thought of this also ultimately held that, indeed, a yoga sequence could be copyrighted”. (Jesien, 2006-2007 p. 623). This statement can be applied to Bikram Choudhury, the Indian who came to the United states to teach yoga, once starting out with free classes, and now who is enjoying the life of luxury and the fastest growing yoga classes in popularity. Of course, Bikram’s yoga postures aren’t the real thing that is copyrighted, but the series of yoga postures itself. “Bikram has issued cease and desist letters to yoga studios throughout the world, threatening the studios with litigation if they continued to violate his copyright” (Susman, 2005 p. 248).
Even though some of this commercialization can compromise the public image of what yoga really is and turn people away, yoga has and will continue to exist for years to come. The commercialization of yoga seems to be governed by the will of the teacher. If the teacher’s intention is more to make money that to deepen his or her understanding, than the incentive would be to market products rather than study, practice, and improve teaching skills. This, in effect, contributes to the reduction of the quality of yoga in the public’s eye.

Conclusion
Yoga has been practiced for a long time. Thousands of people practice it all over the world, and these people are the same ones who add to its commercialization. Perhaps it is impossible for a practice such as yoga to not be commercialized. This is true especially for the West, where the advertising and marketability of something is the key to making money. Even if the goal of yoga teachers is to teach and not to just make money, the bottom line is that they need money to support themselves. This is why the selling of yoga products occurs—Hindu deities become prints that generate money, yoga mats are outrageously overpriced, and it is all done because the sellers know what is popular. Yoga is like any other craze—like going to the gym, it comes with its own set of products and pricey services that make it a “commercialized” practice.







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