Yoga was born in India and has thousands of years of history. Yet the yoga practised in the West today often arrives disconnected from that origin. Teacher Susanna Barkataki, of Indian heritage and based in the US, writes about this in openDemocracy.
A history we don’t always tell
Barkataki recalls that under British colonial rule many traditional Indian practices were suppressed. Today those same practices are sold in the West as wellness products, often emptied of their meaning.
When culture becomes decoration
She describes the discomfort she feels in many Western yoga spaces: Om chanted as “exotic” exposure, sacred symbols used as décor, and even hung upside down.
What we can do
- Learn the history: where the practices, texts and Sanskrit words we use come from.
- Practise more than asana: yoga is also ethics (yamas and niyamas), breath, meditation and service.
- Use symbols respectfully: understand them before putting them on a T-shirt or a wall.
- Listen to South Asian voices and acknowledge teachers and traditions.
At Omshanti we believe practising yoga also means honouring its roots.
Source: openDemocracy – How to decolonize your yoga practice (Susanna Barkataki).
