Journal 7: Yoga as a Lifestyle & Culture

        This week I participated in a yoga class via Zoom. The class was focused on Sivananda Yoga. The postures that we practiced seemed to relax my body and it was not too difficult. I enjoyed this yoga session over previous ones I have taken part in. This class moved at a casual pace and was not too fast. The postures were easier for me to do rather than some past sessions where the postures were difficult for my body to hold. 
        What I have observed about yoga that firmly establishes it as "pop culture" is that every one young and old can do it. It is popular among the culture, therefore it establishes it as "pop culture". It is a form of practice that is done all around the world from country to country. The history behind yoga and how it was brought from India to the United States and how quickly it became a part of the culture here is proof of how yoga is "pop culture". I've also observed that it has become a part of every day life and how whenever I go out in public I see yoga studios and places around my town and where ever I travel to.
        The effect on yoga in the west is that yoga is no longer geared towards a spiritual practice, but rather a physical fitness practice. The west has taken away the part of yoga that started all yoga forms. The west changed yoga from a spiritual and enlightening practice to a more fitness focused practice that people take part in just to physically better themselves, rather than do yoga for the original reasons. Yoga today in the west is viewed very differently than it is in India and when it was first created in India and introduced to the United States many years ago. The west has definitely changed yoga from a more meaningful practice to merely just a workout routine and stretching. 

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