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Our heritage, their patent
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Kala Chary is shocked that a certain sequence of yogic postures is being patented abroad
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One of the greatest gifts of India to mankind is yoga. One can trace its origin to more than 5,000 years. It is, in fact, more than a "technique". It is a philosophy that aspires for the perfect body-mind equilibrium. Being myself a yoga therapist for more than a decade, I was flabbergasted when I came to know that a certain sequence of yogic postures is being patented abroad! Did the great sage Patanjali, the father of yoga, or the great Hatayogis who practised and preserved this great tradition of our own country for thousands of years, seek a patent on the system?
Isn't the very purpose of yoga shattered when someone starts owning certain postures and techniques? We are horrified, write reams and debate endlessly when a few paragraphs and chapters are plagiarised by a teen chick-lit author. But how come so little is said about something like this, which is amounts to brazenly robbing an entire heritage?
Of course, yoga has become totally commercialised abroad and is slowly getting commercialised in our own country. But a good sadhaka who understands the essence of yoga will never make it a commercial product. To be a good yoga practitioner, one should basically view yoga as a philosophy and not a set of physical exercises.
Yoga is rooted in our country and we should remain vigilant against misuse of this system. It should be used to make a life of good health, happiness and harmony possible for everyone.
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