Recently, the cancellation of Vish Iyer’s yoga class has sparked a debate over cultural appropriation in the yoga community. Vish Iyer, a South Asian yoga teacher based in San Francisco, was scheduled to teach a yoga class at the YogaWorks studio in the same city. However, the class was cancelled after a group of white yoga teachers complained that Vish Iyer was using Sanskrit terms and teaching yoga in a way that was too “traditional” and “ethnic.”
This incident has raised questions about the appropriation of yoga by western culture and the exclusion of South Asian voices in the yoga community. Yoga has its roots in South Asian culture and has been practiced for thousands of years in India. However, in recent years, yoga has been appropriated by western culture and has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. Many western yoga teachers have taken traditional yoga practices and rebranded them as their own, often without acknowledging their origins.
The cancellation of Vish Iyer’s yoga class is just one example of the exclusion of South Asian voices in the yoga community. South Asian yoga teachers often face discrimination and are not given the same opportunities as their white counterparts. Many South Asian yoga teachers report feeling pressured to conform to western yoga standards and to teach in a way that is more palatable to western audiences.
The debate over cultural appropriation in the yoga community is not new. In recent years, there have been numerous discussions and articles about the appropriation of yoga and the exclusion of South Asian voices. However, the cancellation of Vish Iyer’s yoga class has brought this issue to the forefront once again.
The yoga community must acknowledge the roots of yoga in South Asian culture and work to include South Asian voices in the conversation. Yoga studios and teachers must make an effort to diversify their offerings and to highlight the contributions of South Asian yoga teachers. Additionally, the yoga community must work to dismantle the systems of oppression that lead to the exclusion of South Asian voices.
In conclusion, the cancellation of Vish Iyer’s yoga class has sparked an important conversation about cultural appropriation in the yoga community. It is time for the yoga community to acknowledge the roots of yoga in South Asian culture and to work towards a more inclusive and equitable future for all yoga practitioners.