“Yoga” : The Western Sensation vs. Its’ Religious Roots
Just the word “yoga” outside Hindu context conjurs up images of groups of people on mats in tight clothing, stretching into tricky positions led by their soft-spoken teacher. There are words of ‘balance’, ‘energy’, and ‘relaxation’. There seems to be developed courses in this so-called ‘yoga’, complete with levels, certificates, qualifications and retreats- but where are these words and teachings coming from? Many practitioners and instructors believe there are ‘authentic’ sources for such teachings and pride themselves on excelling in a rich, ancient tradition, claiming it as an accessable and secular practice. But where?
However, yoga itself in its’ original context simply means a ‘religious action’, equal and synonymous to worship to God and are everyday practices for Hindus everywhere. There are three essential yogas (religious actions) which are karma, bhakti, and jnana. Simply put, karma is the yoga of deeds, bhakti the yoga of devotion and jnana the yoga of study. The source of these yogas is The Bhagavad Gita from the 2nd century BCE, in which Lord Krishna gives the three yogas the upmost importance and prescribes them as duties to all Hindus.
Nearly 20 centuries later, the term Raja (or Ashtanga) yoga was coined by Swami Vivekananda. Raja referred to a yoga in which total control over the mind and body acted as divine worship to God, with Sage Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras written in the 4th century BCE as its’ main text. Within the Yoga Sutras we see eight essential practices, only one of them regarding any sort of asana, or posture: to be seated comfortably. Throughout history, yoga has and continues to be in most settings, a religious offering; an aid and means to worship God, not to challenge flexibility.
So, if ‘yoga’ as we see it plastered on a trendy studio window downtown isn’t one of the four main yogas, where does it come from? For all your ‘downward facing dogs’, you’ll have to look at much more recent texts.
Until 300 years ago, the only asana (posture) in existence was to be seated cross-legged with hands in relaxed positions. Even currently, there are only two texts in Hindu canon that list and describe differring asanas: the Hatha Ratnavali and the Gheranda Samhita. Both texts describe 84 total asanas in existence, but the Hatha Ratnavali only describes 52 of those and the Gheranda Samhita says that only a select 32 are “useful in the world of mortals” and furthermore describes lengthy and painful purification rituals as obligatory prior to practice.
Most of today’s ‘franchise yoga’ has put its’ authority in the Shiva Samhita, a text written some time after the Gheranda Samhita. It’s referred to as the “most comprehensive and the most democratic treatise” on the popular practice in the West but only describes four different asanas in detail (all relatiing to tradiional sitting positions). Strangely, the Shiva Samhita has no author, is speculated to be written around the 17th or 18th century and describes itself as tantric, or ritualistic rather than scientifically beneficial in nature. The text itself leers on the side of black magic within Hinduism, initiating the reader in its’ first chapter that once certain concentrational benchmarks are met “one could kill a thousand Brahmins, kill his Guru, drink alcohol, steal or sleep with his Guru’s wife and not be bound by his sins.” [v.15-16]
Another text claiming to be an authoritative body to most ‘franchise yoga’ practices is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika which, to initiate your practice describes the construction of a secluded yoga hut four cubits in distance plastered with cow dung, windowless and which should be free of fire, stones, and dampness to be lived at in solitude apart from a guru. The text claims “Yoga perishes by socializing”- so much for the 15-person groups packed into the downtown studios.
So, if ‘franchise yoga’ has no origin, text or authentic source, rejects worship of any type to God, but still somehow associates itself with India and ancient practices, where exactly is the information coming from? Uncountable amounts of money have been spent on classes, training programs, products, clothing, vacation packages and retreats sometimes as far away as India. Who and what is dubbing you a ‘yogi’? Who is confirming your ‘certified status’ of ‘yoga teacher’? According to Andrea R. Jain, yoga is undoubtedly a Hindu movement for spiritual meditation, yet is now being marketed as a supplement to a cardio routine but still as ‘authentic and ancient’. This scope dilutes and distorts its Hindu identity. Many Hindus argue that the more popular yoga gets, the less concerned people become about its origins in history- and origins which are sketchy at best.
What is your take on ‘franchise yoga’? If you are a Hindu, how does it affect you?
