From the tranquil environs of a forest or mountains, yoga is now increasingly moving to the air-conditioned enclosures within homes, fitness centers or attractive resorts. While commercialization has surged the popularity of yoga, glamorizing it to suit modern taste, experts are of the opinion that this has also taken away the authenticity of the age-old discipline.Nupur Sikka, director of Ganga Kinare, a riverside boutique hotel in Rishikesh, feels that “commercialization has both positive and negative impact”. “We really need to treasure the traditional yoga style and maintain its authenticity rather than mixing up different styles of yoga,” said Sikka.The origins of yoga – which helps in physical and mental well-being – have been speculated to date to pre-Vedic Indian traditions. Later, yoga gurus from India introduced the discipline to the west. It is estimated that 250 million people around the world practice yoga, over 20 million of them in the US. It has evolved into forms like hot yoga, power yoga, Ashtanga yoga and more. Now, with the world ready to celebrate the International Yoga Day on June 21 experts hope its popularity gets a further boost.”The affirmation coming from one of the highest offices in the country surely helps people shed their cynicism and develop an honest inquisitiveness. The fact that PM Modi himself is a trained yoga practitioner has further helped in promoting yoga,” said Manisha Kharbanda, a 28-year-old practitioner who has been practicing yoga for almost two decades.Kharbanda, who founded BrahmYog, a Patiala-based initiative committed to spread the benefits of yoga, stressed that “yoga is an education and commercialization of any type of education is not good”. There are some, like IT training company Koenig Solutions, who give free yoga classes not only to their employees, but also to underprivileged children.On the flip-side, a major benefit of the commercialization of yoga has been the increased accessibility of the practice to the masses. Today, yoga is being offered in more venues, in more styles and of course by more teachers, but Kharbanda believes that to keep a check on ensuring the promotion of authentic yoga, certification of yoga teacher from right institute must be a prerequisite.”The idea of certifying yoga teachers through the ministry of AYUSH will be a welcome step and will ensure that people learn yoga the way it was evolved by our forefathers,” added Kharbanda, who holds four batches of yoga classes everyday. Also, with the burgeoning popularity of yoga among the young and old alike, it has created space for multiple training centers. Bikram Yoga, an international chain, has opened its first franchisee in India. For a monthly membership of Rs.6,000 exclusive of taxes or an annual membership of Rs.50,000 plus tax, it is attracting customers.”Till now, 50-plus people have joined the classes in a period of one month while over 150 have taken a trial and have liked it. Many are eager to join. We have members from various age-groups ageing between 13-70 years, noted Pallavi Aggarwal who owns Bikram Yoga.The fact that yoga is turning out to be a huge business globally is also proven by the variety of designer apparel and practice mats available in the market. And it’s only poised for growth.”The interest of yoga in western countries is much more than India. In fact, yoga in the west has already taken off. It has much to do with government’s initiative because that is a force which guides people in a certain way,” opined Navneet, assistant general manager, Kairali Yoga at Kairali Ayurvedic Group.I myself have experienced yoga’s healing power in a very real way. Weeks before a trip to India in 2002 to investigate yoga therapy, I developed numbness and tingling in my right hand. After first considering scary things like a brain tumor and multiple sclerosis, I figured out that the cause of the symptoms was thoracic outlet syndrome, a nerve blockage in my neck and chest.Despite the uncomfortable symptoms, I realized how useful my condition could be during my trip. While visiting various yoga therapy centers, I would submit myself for evaluation and treatment by the various experts I’d arranged to observe. I could try their suggestions and see what worked for me. While this wasn’t exactly a controlled scientific experiment, I knew that such hands-on learning could teach me things I might not otherwise understand.Yoga is known for its ability to ease stress and promote relaxation.In fact, multiple studies have shown that it can decrease the secretion of cortisol, the primary stress hormone .One study demonstrated the powerful effect of yoga on stress by following 24 women who perceived themselves as emotionally distressed.After a three-month yoga program, the women had significantly lower levels of cortisol. They also had lower levels of stress, anxiety, fatigue and depression
