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SBNR - #1 Threat to Yoga

There is little doubt that yoga today is a global phenomenon. The benefits of yoga are well documented and proven beyond doubt in the scientific and medical community. Beyond the medical and wellness benefits, yoga has become the most potent platform to experience Hinduism. Yoga is now emerging as a weapon of cultural conquest for India.

Its true that Indians have never physically invaded any country but we have often used culture to win over the hearts and mind of global citizens. India's cultural influence spreads way beyond its political borders. If one had to re-draw India's boundaries based on its cultural influence, our map would cover a big part of the globe. 

Sensing this imminent cultural threat from India, a new movement has been launched in the west. This movement is being called SBNR or Spiritual But Not Religious. SBNR claims that no religion is complete but every religion has value which can be appropriated. Although SBNR claims to be against all forms of dogmatic/organised religions, its primary target is Hinduism. 

As a first step, the SBNR community is making an all out effort to de-Indianize Yoga. This is been done in 3 ways 

1) Secularize Yoga - Mantras or Chants has been a part of Yoga since the time of Patanjali. Sanskrit being an energy based language and not merely a meaning based language contributes towards yogic benefits via the integration of mantras and chants. Secular Yoga aims to de-sanskritize yoga by removing all chants including that of 'OM'. This reduces the potency of yoga by limiting it to a physical exercise. 

2) Re-Name & Re-claim - Many yogic practices have simply been re-branded e.g. Mindfulness. Western scholars who have studied yoga in India go back and re-brand basic yogic practices and even attempt to patent it. Once re-named, the yogic practice is divorced from its Hindu roots and can be subsequently re-claimed.

3) SBNR movement is also recruiting many Indian yoga gurus. These yoga gurus in the greed of acquiring followers and funds are more than an willing to be an ally in de-Indianizing yoga.

The best response to this SBNR movement is to make some tenets of Hinduism completely non-negotiable. Yoga without OM is no yoga at all. Institutions like SVYASA and Bihar School of Yoga of are doing a wonderful job in teaching true yoga. SVYASA is also conducting scientific measurements of changes in energy fields when yoga is done in a right way.

We need to be vigilant against this effort to de-Indianize yoga. Lets not forget how the decimal numeric system invented in India was appropriated. For those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it.


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