Yoga is by origin an ancient spiritual practice from India. In the form of yoga as exercise, using postures derived partly from medieval Haṭha yoga, it has become a widespread fitness practice across
The Om ॐ symbol and mandalas are sometimes used to adorn bodies and yoga studios, possibly a form of cultural appropriation.
Yoga practitioners in the west may make use of religious or ritual objects from different cultures in their practice.
Yoga in India has adopted elements of modern yoga from the western world, implying a cultural exchange rather than a one-way appropriation.
Neha Tandon writes that nobody "buys a 'Namaste in bed' shirt with ill intentions", though in her view that does not make it unproblematic.
Postural yoga in India
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Postural yoga began in India as a variant of traditional yoga, which was a mainly meditational practice; it has spread across the world and returned to the Indian subcontinent in different forms. The
Statue of Patañjali seated in a meditation asana, Siddhasana
Medieval Haṭha yoga was a solitary practice. The yogin is shown practising Viparita Karani, both an asana and a mudra intended to trap the vital fluid using gravity, helping the yogin to attain liberation. Jogapradipika, 1830
Restored meditation chamber labelled "I am the Eggman" at the Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh, 2019