Yoga Day USA And The Distortion Of Yoga In America

January 29, 2006

For thousands of years Yoga referred to the realization through

direct experience of the preexisting union between Atman and Brahman,

Jivatman and Paramatman, and Shiva and Shakti, or the realization of

Purusha standing alone as separate from Prakriti. If you are not

familiar with these or other such terms, and yet think you are

familiar with Yoga, it may be because you have heard little of the

more authentic meanings, goals and practices of Yoga, while also

having heard little of the true roots of Yoga.

To see the distortion of Yoga in America over recent decades, one

need go no further than Yoga Day USA, which is scheduled for January

28, 2006. In their website (www.YogaDayUSA.org) and press release the

promoters state that the " Top 10 Reasons to Try Yoga " or " to `Make

the Connection' " with Yoga are stress relief, pain relief, better

breathing, flexibility, increased strength, weight management,

improved circulation, cardiovascular conditioning, better body

alignment, and focus on the present for health reasons. The authentic

reasons for Yoga seem to be not even worthy of mention in their Top

10 Reasons for Yoga.

Yoga Alliance, the sponsor of Yoga Day describes itself on the

www.YogaDayUSA.org website as " the leader in setting educational

standards for yoga schools and teachers. " However, while they claim

this authority, they do not see fit to acknowledge or include in

their Yoga Day promotions the fact that the roots of Yoga come from

the ancient tradition of Sanatana Dharma, out of which has grown

Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and other traditions.

Interestingly, while the Yoga Day promotions do not acknowledge the

root of Yoga, many religious leaders in America who are opposed to

Yoga for religious reasons are very quick to point out the authentic

roots of Yoga, effectively reversing the roles of promoters and

opponents.

To counterbalance the recent distortion of Yoga in America, there is

a slowly increasing presence of scholars, teachers, religious

leaders, teaching institutions and organizations that are speaking

out about the true nature of Yoga and its goals. Individual seekers

and media who are interested in knowing more about authentic Yoga can

easily find these organizations and their spokespeople.

Recommended Posts