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BRANDINGYOGA
Introduction
Who are the Key Players?
People: Bikram Choudhury
Tara Stiles
Deepak Chopra
Suhag Shukla
Bikram Choudhury
Professional Yoga Practitioner of Indian origin
Founder of the eminentBikram Studios
Tara Stiles
Ballet Dancer, Model, Yoga practitioner,
and of American origin
Deepak Chopra
An Indian-bornself-help author,
and medical doctor
Suhag Shukla
Managing Director of theHindu American Foundation
Groups: Hindu American Foundation (HAF)
Yoga Journal
Hindu American Foundation
The Hindu AdvocacyGroup
in America
Yoga Journal
Popular Americanyoga magazine
In 2008, almost 16 million people in the U.S were practitioners of yoga
Their Practices ranged from meditative to highly athletic styles
Net capital of Yoga Journal was $5.7 billion
In 2010, the population of Hindus in the U.S was nearly 2 million
In 2008, HAF members examined Yoga Journal’s editions
Saw no reference to Hinduism, or its Philosophy
Concluded that it associated other religions with yoga more than it did
Hinduism
In 2009, HAF Launched a campaign called “Take Back Yoga-Bringing to Light
Yoga’s Hindu Roots”
Commercialization of Yoga in America
Branding Of YogaIn America
Bikram‘s Approach: Hot Yoga
Stiles’ Approach: Strala Yoga
KeyIssues
Is yoga rooted inHindu
philosophy ?
Is brandingyoga justified ?
Has Hinduismlost control of
the yoga “brand” ?
Is yoga rooted in Hindu
philosophy ?
The earliest records of apparent yoga practice were found in Indus Valley
archaeological relics that dated to the third millennium B.C.E.
They Included a seal depicting a man seated in lotus posture and a sculpture
of a meditating man in lotus.
EVIDENCE:
These evidences pre-dated some of the earliest texts considered foundational
to yoga……
The earliest Sanskrit verses (circa 1500-1000 B.C.E), known as the
Vedas, contained some themes that may have been antecedents of yoga
theories and practices……
Vedas
The Bhagavad Gita (circa 300 B.C.E), part of an epic known as the
Mahabharata, was a philosophical cornerstone for yoga……
EVIDENCE:Written in verse, it was “a yogic
teaching…..conveyed from guru to student.”
Mahabharata
The Yoga Sutras, a series of aphorisms authored by the Indian
philosopher Patanjali, were also among yoga’s most important precursors.
Dates for Patanjali were unclear, but historians believed the Yoga
Sutras were most likely written after the Bhagavad Gita.
AshtanaYoga :
All of these texts are also sacred to Hinduism
Chopra argued that:Hinduism as a religion came
centuries after the foundation of yoga in consciousness.
And, as history claims…
Yoga pre-dates Hinduism
However.....
The argument of Shukla was that “Hindu” was a 12th-century Persian abstraction
“referring to the people they found espousing Santana Dharma, the eternal
wisdom of life, ” and that “today, Santana Dharma and Hinduism are synonymous.”
Also, one historian noted that yoga was “technically a part of three ‘world religions’: Hinduism, Buddhism, and
Jainism.
Hence…..
Conclusion:
Yoga is rooted in Hindu philosophy, and Hindu philosophy is rooted in
yoga,but only a part of each.
Is Branding Yoga Justified?
Merits:
Awareness
Diversity
Specificity
Awareness
Branding Provides
Branding Yoga in America increased the number of yoga
practitioners from almost none to 16 million within a
few decades.
People develop an interesttowards particular brands
Stiles’s book, Slim Calm Sexy Yoga, was
published in the summer of 2010,and was the number-one yoga bookon Amazon.com for several months
Yoga Journal’s net capital rose to a
whopping $5.7 billion by 2008
Diversity
Branding of Yoga can providea secular platform for
people belonging to anyreligion to learn yoga
Stile’s yoga was highlysecular. She did not use
Sanskrit words for poses
or chant in class
Thus, branding yoga can createunity, and integrity among
people of different originby bringing them together
Specificity
Brands adopt different styles of yoga,
thereby giving the customer amplechoice regarding his/her
requirements
Bikram Studios
Demerits: Commercialization
Patenting
Commercialization
The Biggest problemwith any Branding
Patenting
Conclusion:Since, the merits outnumber, and
outweigh the demerits,
Branding of yoga is justified.
This case studywas done by:
Vignaesh Muthukumaar
Under the guidance of:Prof. Sameer Mathur