SurajSyrah wrote: ↑Wed Jan 06, 2021 8:56 am The most important thing is that you treat the heritage/traditions/cultural magick with respect. I cannot count the times I’ve seen people utilize others’ heritage to profit while they are being completely racist! There’s one blogger who has repeatedly offended black people yet when she decided to jump on the spiritual wagon; all her courses were based on African heritage! I was once in a group of energetic healing and the likes, most the healing activations and alignment involves Kali, Krishna and many Indians deities. The Indians have repeatedly asked to fact check what the creator of the activations say in her courses as it was all misinformation to no avail.
You can’t profit off of other’s culture and be disrespectful at the same time.
Yet at the same time, I also believe POC have the right to be offended when someone uses their hertiage regardless. Because that’s who they are and that’s their identity. I understand when Indians don’t like the modern forms of yoga because to them yoga is ritual, not spiritual. There are people who tread using other people’s cultural magick respectfully and still get criticized and I totally understand that — being POC myself.
The part of past life has interested me the most; I have a very prominent past life as an Irish Druid and this life is what influences me currently. Yet here I am, not Irish, and certainly not a Druid but the metaphysical comes to me naturally and I do infact want to learn different types of cultural magick which lumps me with those who utilize other culture! It’s indeed a very complicated subject...

If you're going to get a bit political on it, I should point out that all fair-skinned people do not come from the same culture or background, and should also be included, not just those of varying darker skin tones, regardless of the fact that skin color does not nescessarily have anything to do with a specific culture or their magickal practices.

SurajSyrah wrote: ↑Wed Jan 06, 2021 8:56 amI understand when Indians don’t like the modern forms of yoga because to them yoga is ritual, not spiritual.

Try reading this:
https://academic.oup.com/jaar/article/82/2/427/812870

darkwing dook wrote: ↑Wed Jan 06, 2021 3:14 pm

SurajSyrah wrote: ↑Wed Jan 06, 2021 8:56 amI understand when Indians don’t like the modern forms of yoga because to them yoga is ritual, not spiritual.

Try reading this:
https://academic.oup.com/jaar/article/82/2/427/812870

I respectfully disagree with this, as yoga isnt a broad practice used to decribe multicultural practices over the globe. Its a relaity that modern yoga doesnt really have any soul to it. Just my opnion friend.

SeraphimSaber wrote: ↑Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:53 pm

darkwing dook wrote: ↑Wed Jan 06, 2021 3:14 pm

SurajSyrah wrote: ↑Wed Jan 06, 2021 8:56 amI understand when Indians don’t like the modern forms of yoga because to them yoga is ritual, not spiritual.

Try reading this:
https://academic.oup.com/jaar/article/82/2/427/812870

I respectfully disagree with this, as yoga isnt a broad practice used to decribe multicultural practices over the globe. Its a relaity that modern yoga doesnt really have any soul to it. Just my opnion friend.

I think we can practice physical exercises that also aid our vital energy (eg Hatha Yoga, with its link to prana etc), in a way that is de-linked from religion and that religion's associated deities or forms of worship. It can be beneficial for our health and wellbeing.

It's everyone's human right to practice their preferred belief or religion and that needs to be respected. At the same time, yes, a system's origins should also be acknowledged and respected.

I can't see myself that yoga practiced by non-Hindus is inherently negative, in the sense of cultural appropriation. The yoga (hatha and 'raja') that I was taught 50 years ago did have a spiritual aspect to it and that was how I practised it.

When it comes to 'modern' yoga, the last yoga teacher I met - at a wedding - did seem to have a good spiritual side to his practice. I can't speak for all yoga teachers - maybe there are some whose classes have become spiritually diluted and soulless. There again - good health & fitness is a good in itself.

I actually developed respect for Indian systems like Hinduism, Jainism & Buddhism, as a result of contact with Indian or Tibetan teachers who welcomed Western students. (Don't forget, Indian yoga has long been taught by Indian practitioners to outsiders - Westerners, for example.) And Taoism. My life would have been greatly impoverished 'spiritually' without what I've gained from those systems.

..and some people think the true origins of some of these spiritual systems was otherworldly...ie not originated by humans even, but taught to them by 'higher' beings.

There's been extensive cross-cultural pollination throughout the last few thousand years, which I believe has greatly benefited the human race.

Cultural appropriation must surely be something different from that.

I agree with the thrust of the academic article @darkwing dook mentioned, which basically takes the position that intolerance due to narrow-minded, religious fundamentalism is behind the longstanding religious criticism from some Christians & Hindus about Yoga being taken up by Westerners.