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

(www.IIMinternship.com)