Individual Narratives & Stories

Engage with personal stories of those in the Indian diaspora and global community who are sharing their opinions on modern Yoga and Ayurveda

What is Decolonization?

“Decolonization means, to me, being proud of who we are and proud of our tradition. We don’t need the approval of the Western countries.”

- Aruna Bhargava

In 1991, Aruna was one of the first to discuss the “whitification” of Ayurveda and wrote her dissertation on the impact of colonialism on Ayurvedic medicine in India (presented on the left).

Paying Homage to Tradition

“As an Indian-American, I accept that yoga has gone mainstream. Hinduism is an all-encompassing and welcoming religion that accepts even atheists. My problem is that there hasn't been a mainstream discussion about how tens of thousands of non-Hindus are practicing an art central to that religion while not always representing it properly. And there hasn't been much talk about how American yoga studios are making money from selling that religion.”

- Rupa Shenoy, Chicago Tribune, September 14, 2008

Correcting Misinterpretations

Vaidya Dr. Priyanka Shandilya , a trained Ayurveda practitioner, has written a series of articles where she analyzes the work of western scholars in Ayurveda and clarifies misconceptions and points out misinterpretations. Watch a trailer to her series above.

Calling Out Cultural Appropriation

“You start from that problematic context where you are putting on an exhibition here, in a western institution, of Indian science.”
- Bárbara Rodríguez Muñoz

Bárbara is the curator of the exhibit Ayurvedic Man: Encounters with Indian Medicine at the Wellcome Collection in London. Henry Wellcome, the founder of the collection, infamously told collectors not to return until “India is completely ransacked as far as we possibly can for literature and other objects of interest connected with ancient medicine”.

She wanted the exhibition to tackle the issues around cultural appropriation in a transparent way, given Wellcome’s own role.

“Appropriation can feel like you’re not really seeing the culture. Yes, we can all practice yoga but let’s acknowledge where it came from.”

- Rina Deshpande

Rina Deshpande is a first-generation Indian-American yoga and mindfulness researcher, writer and teacher, and was raised with yoga as part of the teachings of her culture and Indian roots. [Source: Reader’s Digest UK]