BENT OUT OF SHAPE

out ofshape Bent THE WHITEWASHING OF YOGA IN WESTERN SOCIETY NEEDS A CLOSER LOOK.

by

RAMNEET KANG

Last year, in March of 2017, UBC Recreation organized a “Yoga Rave,” which consisted of a massive yoga class featuring DJs and glow-in-the-dark paint. It became a controversial event that raised concerns among students. While some suggested the event defeated the purpose of the practice as it contradicted its meditative nature, others were more concerned about cultural appropriation. The Ubyssey (The University of British Columbia’s student newspaper) published an article shortly after the event in which Dr. Adheesh Sathaye, a UBC professor in the Department of Asian Studies, asserted that although the commodification of yoga can be detrimental to its heritage, it also creates a space of inclusivity and pushes individuals to further explore and respect its origins. “Philosophically, it’s not grounded in any one religion.

It allows you to practice whatever religion you want. It just shows you one way to do it, which is oriented towards the body,” said Sathaye. “I think the way to do it is to differentiate the philosophy from the practice. These are two different histories.”

In a health-centric city like Vancouver, where Lululemon is all the rage and you can find a yoga studio every few blocks in Kitsilano, there’s no denying yoga’s popularity. In a way, it demonstrates our society’s longing for connection, stillness, and spiritual fulfillment. However, it’s critical that we understand that yoga is much more than a trendy exercise; we must be mindful of its historical roots and true meaning.

What we think comes from India actually came from a place whose current geopolitical borders didn’t even exist AFTER LOSING HER GRANDFATHER IN 2010, GILL TOOK A TRIP TO INDIA WHERE SHE FOUND AYURVEDA, AND EVERYTHING SHE’D BEEN FASCINATED WITH AS A CHILD CAME BACK FULL CIRCLE.

before British colonization and partition. More importantly, what a lot of people don’t know is that yoga and Ayurveda (the traditional system of medicine in India that uses diet, herbal treatment, and yogic breathing) was banned in South Asia under British rule and colonization. The practices millions of Westerners now turn to for alternative health therapies were intentionally eradicated to the point where lineages of practitioners were broken and thousand-year traditions were lost.

I spoke to Navi Gill, a wellness entrepreneur specializing in holistic wellness education, Ayurvedic therapy, lifestyle consulting and yoga about what inspired her to pursue a career in health and wellness.

After losing her grandfather in 2010, Gill took a trip to India where she found Ayurveda and everything she’d read and been fascinated with as a child (astrology, folktales, natural remedies and healing). “I never felt something resonate so strongly, so after years of trying to fit into a corporate box, I couldn’t deny that my path in life and in my career had to encompass the spiritual path, healing and Ayurveda,” she said.

Gill prefers to teach slow-paced yoga classes with a strong focus on breathing, something the west would refer to as hatha, yin or restorative style. “I also like to understand the sequencing according to Ayurveda and how it will affect the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual body as a whole,” she says. Gill likes to help others find inner stability and clarity, given the busy and chaotic nature of our nine-to-five lives, and so she avoids distracting hot yoga and power classes.

A common misconception that westerners have regarding the practice of yoga is that anyone can become an instructor with a bit of training. But Navi tells me that learning yoga in India requires a guru passing the knowledge down to the disciple. “In the past this sacred knowledge was not available to or attainable by everyone. Like anything, when things are mass-produced and there’s no controlling body, deviations will happen and you lose the authenticity.”

With yoga, the forms of cultural appropriation we see are subtle but happen on many levels from the messaging we receive from major brands and media to Sanskrit mantras printed on clothing. When you aren’t mindful of trying to understand the true context of yoga and Ayurveda, you fail to see the issues in it being commercialized for profit.

In her 20s, Gill found it difficult to feel comfortable and welcomed in wellness spaces that were predominantly white. She struggled with feeling confident, often felt small and insignificant, and says it was a challenge to be seen, heard, and valued for her experience. Her feelings highlighted just how detached her own community members had become from their ancestral knowledge, which was now being sold back to them.

While Gill believes that wellness is a necessity for everyone, she also believes that it can’t be isolated as a luxury for the elite or the white. “We have to do our absolute best to preserve the authenticity and reclaim our own indigenous wisdom. If we don’t take the responsibility now we will lose it.”

This realization reminded Gill how important her role is as an Ayurvedic practitioner and educator of Indian descent. “If I don’t do my share, little brown girls and boys will forever be disconnected and feel like this wisdom is not theirs to share or have and that’s just something I am not okay with,” she explains.

Inherent within the basic teachings of yoga (which means “union”), is that yoga is for everyone. “Yoga is inclusive. It’s for you and me and everybody... You won’t like every teacher or every class style, but you’re the one doing the work. If you go, sit, breathe, and move, I promise you, you’ll feel better than when you walked in,” says Gill.

If you like practicing yoga, there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s not where the problem lies. The problem is

A holistic wellness educator, Ayurvedic therapist, and yoga instructor of Indian descent, Navi Gill asserts her right to her ancestral knowledge. with those who choose to remain ignorant of South Asian history, its complexity, and the challenges that its cultures have faced in the West.

When we are mindful of yoga’s true meaning and origin, when we treat it with respect, and pass its wisdom on with the same integrity with which it was introduced, we do our part in preventing its re-colonization. So the next time your yoga teacher guides you in a Sanskrit mantra, enquire about its meaning, pronunciation, and history. When you buy new yoga apparel, consider what the printed symbols represent, and if you devote hours towards perfecting a new pose, maybe spend a fraction of that time exploring its textual meaning and significance. ■