This article was the most popular emailed article from the New York Times website for most of today. As a yoga practitioner and teacher, and former New York resident, it was really interesting for a few reasons. First, I have some knowledge about Yoga to the People, the main focus of the article, and I am really captivated by their approach to what has become a very large industry. Second, it has become impossible not to consider yoga an industry, which seems contrary to the very nature of what yoga embodies. The introductory paragraph highlights how commodified the practice of yoga has become, making mention of yoga pants that cost over a hundred dollars a pair.
As much as we who practice yoga would like to think otherwise, it is a business. But more than that, it has become a statement that, in some ways, defines who we are. It isn’t simply the case that one engages in the study and practice of yoga; we are also invariably making more political statements about ourselves. Do you buy yoga pants made of organic materials? What about yoga pants made by workers who earn a fair wage? What if you had to choose between one or the other? Would you spend more on a yoga class at a beautiful studio that gives away lemon-infused water? The way in which we spend our money, time, and energy says something about how we look at the world. In a culture where money– how and where we spend it– is power, and in turn a conscious choice based on personal politics and beliefs, the options in the yoga world are definitely thought-provoking.