Wednesday,May 19,2010
Yoga has become the new aerobics—a great form of exercise that builds strength, flexibility and endurance and may also have other benefits.
According to a statement from the group: “From asanas named after Hindu Gods to the shared goal of moksha to the common pluralistic philosophy, the Hindu roots of yoga seem difficult to deny. Yet, more often than not, many Western yoga practitioners are aghast at the very suggestion that the cherished “spiritual practice” of yoga is firmly grounded in Hindu philosophy.”
Apparently, Hindu scholar Aseem Shukla and “New Age” mega-guru Deepak Chopra have been engaging in a Great Yoga Debate on the WashPost’s On Faith Blog about whether it is legit to practice yoga without acknowledging the practice’s Hinduism.
Shukla writes: “Hinduism, as a faith tradition, stands at this pass a victim of overt intellectual property theft, absence of trademark protections and the facile complicity of generations of Hindu yogis, gurus, swamis and others that offered up a religion’s spiritual wealth at the altar of crass commercialism.”
Chopra fires back: “If you strip away his sour mood and questionable assumptions, I think Shukla’s real lament is like that of Jews who see the young fleeing from the old ways and Christians sitting in half-empty churches. To him it could be said what is often said to these other religionists. Maybe it’s you who haven’t found a way to keep the temples, synagogues, and churches full. That’s a very different matter form the millions who are finding a spiritual path on their own, outside organized religion.”
Good stuff.
The Hindu American Foundation also has a paper explaining the yoga/Hindu connection.
It explains: “In a time where Hindus around the globe face discrimination and hate because of their religious identity, and Hindu belief and practice continues to be widely misunderstood due to exoticized portrayals of it being caricaturized in “caste, cows and curry” fashion, recognition of Yoga as a tremendous contribution of ancient Hindus to the world is imperative.”
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