CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, October 26, 2015 (Chicago Maroon by Urvi Kumbhat): Yoga and its relationship with the West have been constant sources of bemusement to me and Indians all over the world. Back home, yoga isn’t a fitness regimen or a fashion trend; it’s a way of life that’s seamlessly integrated into our daily routines. I’ve practiced yoga since I was a child, as have my parents, siblings, and friends. Growing up, we never saw it as a remarkable, life-changing activity. We were fully aware that doing yoga doesn’t guarantee washboard abs and bulging biceps; the myth of the yoga body never existed for us.
But yoga isn’t just exercise for the Western world, either. It’s also a billion-dollar industry. Advertisements of scantily clad women posing in those omnipresent yoga pants, glowing with divine light, have infiltrated print and social media. Yoga classes have never been more popular, and workout gear is flying off shelves. A video of Briohny Smyth doing some mind blowing yoga in her underwear went viral, and yes, her skills are impressive, but why is she in her underwear in the first place? Is it because yoga has to be sexier to appeal to the masses? As I watched the video, I thought of my yoga instructor back home: a short, squat, mustachioed man who doesn’t earn half of what Smyth does.
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