First off I will state that I am an atheist. Simply I do not believe in a deity, god or goddess, and think all references to them are allegory and are personal to the narrative of the individual considering the deity/god/goddess.
Cultural Appropriation is a term that I recently came across after finding out that the University of Ottawa cancelled a free Yoga class. I have not read deeply into the issue that is at hand so will consider any of my perception particular to that case as circumstantial. Without knowing the specific concerns that were brought up to the University I can't really have an opinion on it.
But reading about cultural appropriation I certainly have an opinion.
Wikipedia states 'Generally, an assumption that the culture being borrowed from is also being oppressed by the culture doing the borrowing is prerequisite to the concept.'
So my question to anyone whom thinks that the westernization of yoga is a cultural appropriation is this, how is the yoga community oppressing culture of India?
And if Yoga is most often translated as 'Yoke, to bring together, unity, integration.' How than can any culture claim yoga as its rightful intellectual property? And do we say the Hindu owns it or the Tantric? How about the Buddhist? Who was Patanjali and can claim ownership of his writing?
If yoga is that state when we have learned to master/control/cease the fluctuations of our mind and heart than whom in their right mind can claim to culturally own this?
I refuse to acknowledge ownership of the word Yoga, just like no person or culture can own the word science. Own your belief without looking down on mine and I won't look down on yours. As an atheist I will always uphold your right to your belief as long as it doesn't remove my right to have my own, and I won't be offended if you 'borrow' from my perceptions and biases to define your own.
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