Headlines
Commercialisation of yoga: Boon or bane? (June 21 is International Yoga Day)
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By Nivedita New Delhi, June 19
From the tranquil environs
of a forest or mountains, yoga is now increasingly moving to
air-conditioned enclosures within homes, fitness centres or attractive
resorts. While commercialisation has surged the popularity of yoga,
glamourising it to suit modern taste, this has also taken away the
authenticity of the age-old discipline, say experts.
Nupur Sikka,
director of Ganga Kinare, a riverside boutique hotel in Rishikesh - a
city touted as 'World Capital of Yoga' and home to many ashrams and
spiritual gurus - feels that "commericialisation has both positive and
negative impact".
"We really need to treasure the traditional
yoga style and maintain its authenticity rather than mixing up different
styles of yoga," Sikka told IANS.
The origins of yoga - which
helps in physical and mental well-being - have been speculated to date
to pre-Vedic Indian traditions. Later, yoga gurus from India introduced
the discipline to the west. It is estimated that 250 million people
around the world practice yoga, over 20 million of them in the US.
It has evolved into forms like hot yoga, power yoga, Ashtanga yoga and more.
Now,
with the world ready to celebrate International Yoga Day on June 21 -
proposed to the UN by by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accepted with
acclamation - experts hope its popularity gets a further boost.
“The
affirmation coming from one of the highest offices in the country
surely helps people shed their cynicism and develop an honest
inquisitiveness. The fact that Modi himself is a trained yoga
practitioner has further helped in promoting yoga,†Manisha Kharbanda, a
28-year-old practitioner and proponent of yoga for almost two decades,
told IANS.
Kharbanda, who founded BrahmYog, a Patiala-based
initiative committed to spread the benefits of yoga, stressed that “yoga
is an education and commercialisation of any type of education is not
good".
There are some, like IT training company Koenig Solutions,
who give free yoga classes not only to their employees, but also to
underprivileged children.
On the flipside, a major benefit of the
commercialisation of yoga has been the increased accessibility of the
practice to the masses. Today, yoga is being offered in more venues, in
more styles and of course more teachers, but Kharbanda believes that to
keep a check on ensuring the promotion of authentic yoga, certification
of yoga teacher from right institute must be a prerequisite.
“The
idea of certifying yoga teachers through the ministry of AYUSH will be a
welcome step and will ensure that people learn yoga the way it was
evolved by our forefathers,†added Kharbanda, who holds four batches of
yoga classes everyday.
Also, with the burgeoning popularity of yoga among the young and old alike, it has created space for multiple training centres.
Bikram
Yoga, an international chain, has opened its first franchisee in India.
For a monthly membership of Rs.6,000 exclusive of taxes or an annual
membership of Rs.50,000 plus tax, it is attracting customers.
“Till
now, 50-plus people have joined the classes in a period of one month
while over 150 have taken a trial and have liked it. Many are eager to
join. We have members from various age-groups ranging from 13 to 70,â€
Bikram Yoga owner Pallavi Aggarwal told IANS.
The fact that yoga
is turning out to be a huge business globally is also proven by the
variety of designer apparel and practice mats available in the market.
And it's only poised for growth.
“The interest of yoga in western
countries is much more than India. In fact, yoga in the west has
already taken off... It has much to do with government's initiative
because that is a force which guides people in a certain way,†Navneet,
assistant general manager, Kairali Yoga at Kairali Ayurvedic Group, told
IANS.
(Nivedita can be contacted at [email protected])