Does globalization have negative or positive effects on yoga?
Since I’m comparing yoga in different parts of the world and how it is changing, this is an important question for myself I think. It’s a hard question for me to answer because at first thought I would say it definitely does because it takes away from its purity and uniqueness. Yoga has very powerful effects on people and its culture is so rich. Generally when things become globalized certain characteristics about it get lost. Since yoga is all about being natural and focusing on your body, breath and mind, the idea of those things being lost takes away from the meaning of yoga. After I think more about it though, I probably would not have been into yoga as early as I was. So many people would not be able to experience yoga nor discover it’s, what I think are magical, benefits. It completely opens my eyes and gives me new perspectives on things. To people that have not done yoga this may sound cliché, so I encourage you to practice yoga to see how great it is. In order to cope with this I think people need to study yoga more; learn its history and what is deep about it once they get familiar with yoga. This is because what they think of it at first may not be what yoga is originally like. How yoga is globally perceived isn’t how it is meant to. Yoga becoming globalized allows more people to become familiar with it, but not with it’s true form. People need to look further into yoga after they first become familiar with it because of this occurring today.