Racism and Cultural Appropriation in Yoga

A Necessary and Honest Conversation

Recently, we came across an incident in Rishikesh where Indians were reportedly not allowed to attend a kirtan night organized in India. If such incidents are happening, we must address them directly.

A kirtan.

In India.

Where Indians are excluded.

This is not a small misunderstanding. It touches the deeper and uncomfortable theme of Racism and Cultural Appropriation in Yoga.

Read: Cultural Appropriation in Yoga - You will be surprised (if this is new for you) to see how Yogic practices are rebranded while some practices and experiences having no connection to Yoga are sold in the name of Yoga.

When participation in a spiritual event is restricted based on nationality or race, it is discrimination. When traditions born in a land are celebrated while excluding the people of that land, something is ethically disturbed.

Yoga speaks of oneness. Exclusion based on identity contradicts that foundation.

Understanding Racism and Cultural Appropriation in Yoga

Yoga today is global. That in itself is beautiful. Knowledge should travel. Wisdom should be shared.

But sharing is different from extraction.

When ancient yogic knowledge is taken from its cultural roots, rebranded, repackaged, and commercialized without acknowledgment of its source, it becomes a form of cultural appropriation in yoga. And when the original custodians of that knowledge are marginalized in the very spaces built upon their heritage, it begins to resemble structural imbalance.

History gives us many parallels. During colonial rule, Indian weaving traditions were dismantled, industrialized elsewhere, and sold back to the same population. Power imbalances allowed one group to capitalize on another’s skill and labor.

Today, the dynamics are more subtle. Instead of textiles, it is philosophy, breathwork, meditation, and psychology.

In our Yoga Sutra philosophy classes, it happens frequently. After discussing concepts such as chitta vritti, samskara, abhyasa, and vairagya, students trained in psychology often say, “This is exactly what modern psychology teaches.”

It is not surprising.

Modern contemplative psychology has borrowed deeply from yogic and Buddhist traditions. There is nothing wrong with integration. But there is something incomplete when credit is absent.

Asteya, non stealing, is not only about material objects. It also applies to intellectual and cultural heritage.

If we speak about Racism and Cultural Appropriation in Yoga, we must speak about acknowledgment. When wisdom is taken, gratitude and attribution should follow.

The Other Side of Racism and Cultural Appropriation in Yoga

At the same time, we must be honest.

In conversations about the Rishikesh incident, another explanation was shared. Some organizers have faced repeated behavioural challenges. Complaints of harassment. Disrespecting personal boundaries. Men approaching foreign women for selfies. Ignoring consent. Attending events for networking rather than sincere practice.

These are not comfortable truths. But they exist.

I remember attending Ashtanga Primary Series classes with Saraswathi Jois. For the first few weeks, I was placed in an afternoon batch where mostly Indians practiced. The morning sessions were predominantly international students.

I wondered why.

After some time, I was invited into the morning group. Slowly, I began to understand that past experiences had shaped this structure. There had been instances where people attended not to practice sincerely, but to promote businesses, seek personal advantage, or pursue romantic opportunities.

Repeated negative patterns create defensive rules.

When discussing Racism and Cultural Appropriation in Yoga, we must distinguish between prejudice and reaction. If exclusion is purely racial, it is unacceptable. If it arises from repeated disruptive behavior, it becomes a more complex situation.

This does not justify discrimination. But it explains how unhealthy atmospheres lead to protective barriers.

And here we must turn the mirror toward ourselves.

Do we as Indians consistently uphold civic sense in shared global spaces?Do we respect boundaries?Do we embody the yamas and niyamas we quote so easily?

If we expect our heritage to be respected, we must represent it with dignity.

Yoga Cannot Be Extracted From Its Roots

Yoga cannot belong to one race.But it also cannot be uprooted from its civilizational context.

When discussing Racism and Cultural Appropriation in Yoga, balance is essential.

On one side, excluding Indians from Indian spiritual events is wrong.On the other side, ignoring behavioral realities within our own society is also wrong.

The solution is not segregation.The solution is not resentment.The solution is not silent appropriation.

The solution is maturity.

Spiritual schools must create inclusive environments that do not discriminate by nationality. Clear codes of conduct should apply equally to everyone. Respect must be mutual.

Participants must practice asteya culturally. If you teach pranayama, acknowledge its origin. If you use Sanskrit, understand its meaning. If you build a career from yogic philosophy, credit its roots.

And we, as Indians, must hold ourselves to higher behavioural standards in global spiritual spaces.

Yoga is not merely posture. It is conduct.

Moving Beyond Racism and Cultural Appropriation in Yoga

We are living in an interconnected world. Traditions travel. Knowledge circulates.

Cross cultural exchange can be powerful and transformative.

But without awareness, exchange becomes extraction.

Without humility, appreciation becomes appropriation.

If yoga spaces become racially divided, something fundamental has been lost. If ancient wisdom is consumed without context or credit, something sacred has been diluted.

The ideal world may be distant.

But we can build better ecosystems within our own circles.

Inclusive gatherings.

Clear behavioural expectations.

Honest acknowledgment of origins.

Mutual respect.

When discussing Racism and Cultural Appropriation in Yoga, the goal is not blame. The goal is alignment.

Yoga was meant to reduce ignorance. Let it not become another arena where ignorance quietly survives.

If we truly believe in the world as one family, then let that family act with fairness, responsibility, and dignity.

Only then will kirtan nights, teacher trainings, and philosophy classes reflect the spirit they claim to honour.