USA, May 13, 2009: (By Sheetal Shah, HAF) As I slowly discover the true beauty of yoga, I find myself increasingly proud to be Hindu; to be able to claim the religion that has brought this amazing practice to the world as my own is truly empowering. Yet through my work with the Hindu American Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy organization, I have become keenly aware of an alarming trend that disassociates yoga from its Hindu origins.
For example, I regularly read Yoga Journal at my gym and am continuously amazed at how many times its editors blatantly avoid using the word “Hindu.” As I perused the April 09 issue, I found the Upanishads described as “Tantric yoga texts.” Exactly one year ago, HAF wrote to the editors of Yoga Journal about the clear disregard for Hinduism. Our letter was never published, and upon following up with them, HAF was informed that the journal does intentionally avoid using the word “Hindu”!
(To read about her insights, click on the source link above.)