You might have noticed that for some time now I no longer close my yoga classes with the Sanskrit word Namaste. You might have wondered why. The answer lies in my continuous learning and re-learning of what yoga is truly about, and how in the West we have culturally misappropriated many aspects of this ancient Indian practice.
Cultural appropriation is not always easy to define and there are many variations on a theme when it comes to figuring out what is culturally appropriate and what is not. I’ve been studying lately with Susanna Barkataki, teacher, inclusivity promoter, and yoga culture advocate. Susanna is rooted in her Indian and British background, and as an immigrant to the US, here’s what she has to say:
“Cultural appropriation is when someone uses someone else's culture, including practices, symbols, rituals, fashion, or other elements from a target or "minority" culture, without considering the source, origins or people of that culture.
They may be using another culture for various reasons such as to make a profit, establish a new trend, to look cool or be fashionable, to be a cultural tourist or explore the “exotic”, or for some other self-serving purpose without respecting or caring for the original culture or context.
Cultural appropriation happens when a dominant group adopts, benefits from, shares and even exploits the customs, practices, ideas, social and spiritual knowledge of another, usually target or subordinate, society or people.”
Cultural APPRECIATION, on the other hand, involves respecting the “codes, mores, values, and practices of a given culture”. One way to begin, in the context of yoga, is to honour the roots of this wisdom tradition which originates with the Indus Valley Civilization in India and Pakistan, and dates back thousands of years.
Another is to explore the vast richness of the yoga tradition beyond the physical aspects that we are most familiar with. Another powerful way is to trace back the lineage of your yoga teachers to their Indian roots.
For example, my first yoga teacher, Serge Salvador, studied in India under the tutelage of Yogi M.S. Viswanath (Master Ji). At the age of twelve, Master Ji began his yoga journey with his uncle Yogasana Visharada Vidwan K. Pattabhi Jois and studied with him for about 15 years. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, yoga teacher and Sanskrit scholar, studied for almost three decades with Sri Tirumalai Krisnamacharya. Krisnamacharya is often referred to as the “father of modern yoga”.
Returning now to why I no longer close my classes with Namaste… I’ve learned that within Indian culture “Namaste” is said when meeting and greeting someone, in particular an elder. It is never used as a “goodbye”. As Susanna Barkataki says, “It honestly feels rather formal. So it feels strange to say it at the end of class for me personally. Though I certainly have done it. I usually don't now.” She goes on to say, “Why not? I notice that it's become a signifier, a glamorizing of Eastern culture. To use "Namaste" telegraphs our positionality as a teacher. Something like using the exoticism of a foreign word connotes "I, the wise yoga teacher, am now importing some wisdom to you.”
I keep expanding my horizon on this front, I continue to make mistakes, and of course I still have work to do. I am always filled with gratitude that you are on this journey with me.
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