One of the problems with organisations is that as they grow, the importance of minute stuffs which they are made up of starts to diminish. Lalit Modi was not as much needed in post-IPL BCCI as much as he was in pre-IPL phase of the Board. That holds true for other aspects of life as well. Currently, this distortion is happening with Yoga. Its original meaning is getting lost and it is turning into a western fad.
International Day of Yoga and related problem
On June 21, 2015, world witnessed first official Yoga Day. Along with increasing the might of India on global stage, the day will be remembered for one more thing. That is universal acceptance of the good effects of Yoga. Yoga changes your mind and body and now whole word including countries like Saudi Arabia are tacitly accepting it.
However, it created a problem. A problem whose solution is getting increasingly difficult to find. The distortion of the meaning of Yoga. In its letter and spirit, Yoga is exactly opposite of what modern Yoga gurus claim it to be. For common folks, the meaning has been twisted to such an extent that people are not getting their desired results from it.
Benefits of Yoga
In plane words, Yoga can be defined as a breath control exercise. A huge majority of our daily lives problems are not actual problems. They are the creation of our own mismanagements. A big problem starts as a mole and when we do not take course corrective measure in a short span of time, it converts into a mountain. This mountain increases stress and due to this stress, you are not able to breath in a relax manner. This changes the blood flow, leading to various diseases like hypertensions among others.
Then you are advised to do Yoga. You take it up and slowly start to realise that health is improving. It is because Yoga helps to regulate your breath. That is why a lot of practitioners initiate their sessions by chanting OM. The word OM is designed in such a way that while chanting it, your lungs behave in a different fashion leading to increase in its capacity over time. Similarly, by doing 5 minutes of Kapalbhati per day, you may notice that your anxiety level will go down. If somehow, you are able to extend it for 15-20 minutes, the amount of sweat generated is comparable to what you generate while running.
The amount of change Yoga effectuates on our body and mind is enormous. Over the period, various athletes reported how adopting Yoga enhanced their performances. And that’s where the problem kicked in.
Corporatisation of Yoga
Modern Yoga Gurus picked the practice and started to sell it as a product. They started to sell their courses proclaiming different benefits to different body parts; from different sets of Yoga poses. So, for example, if a batsman is slow runner, he is advised only lung enhancing exercises like Anulom-Vilom, Kapal Bhati among others. Different poses were sold to different groups of people.
Its utility in sports opened the floodgates. In the wake of world getting more prosperous and lifestyle getting more hectic, people started to hunt for a quick-fix solution and that too of their mental health. Western Gurus rightly told them that their body and mind are connected. So, until both are in tandem, it’s impossible to resurrect an individual’s spirit.
Demand was ready, Gurus came as supplier. They opened their studios and reserved the place. Their consumers are communicated that a room located in modern day corporate jungle is as pure and pious as a Sadhu’s Kutiya full of Vedic Mantras used to be. Somehow, attempts are pushed in to create the false effect of purity as well. Apparently, these Gurus have started to treat themselves as cut above rest.
Yoga’s original meaning is being twisted
But, people are coming to like this rebranding of Yoga. That is why a stupidity such as specific Yoga dresses has crept in. In fact, specific dressing and Yoga do not go hand in hand. In state of nature, we are born without clothes and die as such. Yoga is more in touch with nature than society. Practitioners in previous eras used to wear minimum clothes, just enough to not cross the line of public decency, for the purpose.
It helped them to connect with nature and transact the air volumes with atmosphere without much layer of hindrances. On the other hand, taking Yoga as a sport has led to specific dresses designed for Yoga. The fact is that demands of sports like Tennis and that of Yoga are exactly different. Rafael Nadal may practice Yoga in his Tennis pants, but he won’t be able to get the desired result which he would be getting by doing it in loose Dhoti or Pyjama.
Need to stay away from modern Yoga Gurus
Additionally, Yoga is not a thing which is advisable to do in a closed environment. It takes modern Yoga studios out of equation. No matter how much green your Yoga mat is, the effect which your body and mind feels with grass can’t be created. The connection between your body and Earth is just unmatchable and no private entity can create it. Only you can do it and of you need, you need a Guru at the best. Someone charging you money for making you feel what your body already knows is not someone you should be running after.
All these aforementioned changes have only helped to commercialise the practice. Various companies have now propped up, leading to GDP contribution in developed economies. Yoga market is expected to grow to $66,266.4 by 2027. The fad is expanding its reach in India as well.
As a proud individuals having allegiance to Bhartiya Sanskriti, we need to be aware of these companies. They are just trying to make money and nothing else. Get a selfless Sanatani practitioner as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would become next to impossible to differentiate between real and fad. Remember, anyone luring you towards Yoga by invoking Vasna is a fraud.
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