This document discusses the key issues around the branding of yoga in America. It provides background on important yoga figures like Bikram Choudhury and Tara Stiles and organizations like the Hindu American Foundation and Yoga Journal. While yoga has roots in Hindu philosophy, evidence shows it predates and is also part of other religions. Branding yoga has increased its popularity in America but also risks over-commercialization. Overall, the document concludes that branding is justified due to the benefits of raising awareness, increasing diversity and choice, while acknowledging risks around commercialization and patenting need to be managed.

1. BRANDING
YOGA

3. Introduction

4. Who are the Key Players?

5. People:
 Bikram Choudhury
 Tara Stiles
 Deepak Chopra
 Suhag Shukla

6. Bikram Choudhury
Professional Yoga Practitioner
of Indian origin
Founder of the eminent
Bikram Studios

7. Tara Stiles
Ballet Dancer, Model,
Yoga practitioner,
and of American origin

8. Deepak Chopra
An Indian-born
self-help author,
and medical doctor

9. Suhag Shukla
Managing Director of the
Hindu American Foundation

10. Groups:
 Hindu American Foundation (HAF)
Yoga Journal

11. Hindu American Foundation
The Hindu Advocacy
Group
in America

12. Yoga Journal
Popular American
yoga magazine

14. 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

16. 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”

17. Commercialization of
Yoga in America

18. Branding Of Yoga
In America
 Bikram‘s Approach: Hot Yoga
 Stiles’ Approach: Strala Yoga

23. Key
Issues

24. Is yoga rooted in
Hindu philosophy ?
Is branding
yoga justified ?
Has Hinduism
lost control of
the yoga “brand” ?

25. Is yoga rooted
in Hindu
philosophy ?

26. 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:

28. These evidences pre-dated some of the
earliest texts considered foundational to
yoga……

29. 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……

30. Vedas

31. 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.”

32. Mahabharata

33.  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.

34. Ashtana
Yoga :

35. All of these texts are also sacred to Hinduism

36.  Chopra argued that:
Hinduism as a religion came centuries
after the foundation of yoga in
consciousness.
And, as history claims…

37. Yoga pre-dates Hinduism

38. However.....

39.  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.

40. Hence…..

41. Conclusion:
Yoga is rooted in Hindu
philosophy, and Hindu
philosophy is rooted in yoga,
but only a part of each.

42. Is Branding Yoga Justified?

43. Merits:
 Awareness
 Diversity
 Specificity

44. Awareness

46. Branding Provides

47. Branding Yoga in America
increased the number of yoga
practitioners from almost none to
16 million within a few decades.

48. People develop an interest
towards particular brands

49. Stiles’s book, Slim Calm Sexy Yoga, was
published in the summer of 2010,
and was the number-one yoga book
on Amazon.com for several months

51. Yoga Journal’s net
capital rose to a
whopping $5.7 billion by
2008

52. Diversity

53. Branding of Yoga can provide
a secular platform for
people belonging to any
religion to learn yoga

55. Stile’s yoga was highly
secular. She did not use
Sanskrit words for poses
or chant in class

56. Thus, branding yoga can create
unity, and integrity among
people of different origin
by bringing them together

57. Specificity

58. Brands adopt different styles of yoga,
thereby giving the customer ample
choice regarding his/her requirements

59. Bikram Studios

63. Demerits:
 Commercialization
 Patenting

64. Commercialization

65. The Biggest problem
with any Branding

68. Patenting

71. Conclusion:
Since, the merits
outnumber, and
outweigh the demerits,
Branding of yoga is
justified.

73. This case study
was done by:
Vignaesh Muthukumaar
Under the guidance of:
Prof. Sameer Mathur
(www.IIMinternship.com)