Source: www.hafsite.org
UNITED STATES, May 5, 2010: Last year, the Hindu American Foundation called the Yoga Journal magazine to question why it rarely writes the term “Hinduism” when describing the Bhagavad Gita or the Vedas. “Honestly, Hinduism just has too much baggage,” said the receptionist who answered the phone, confirming our suspicion: Yoga Journal was intentionally avoiding mention of “Hinduism” or “Hindu” in its publications.
Yoga Journal is not alone. More often than not, many Western yoga practitioners are aghast at the very suggestion that the cherished “spiritual practice” of yoga is firmly grounded in Hindu philosophy. Despite asanas named after Hindu Gods or the shared goal of moksha , yoga and Hinduism are consistently and systematically being delinked.
HAF is proud to launch our Take Back Yoga campaign – our effort to “Bring to light Yoga’s Hindu root — a relinking, so to speak. Visit the link above (at source) and click on the “Take Back Yoga” button on HAF’s homepage, and you’ll find HAF’s official statement letters. You will also find what the Washington Post called The Great Yoga Debate, an exchange about Dr. Aseem Shukla and Deepak Chopra that was also the theme for an opinion piece in a recent issue of Newsweek.