Sukhasana
My intent for the day’s practice: become more Indian. As an Indian from Indiana who has never been to India, I want to get in touch with my roots, and doing yoga seems like a fun way to do that.
Ommmmmm
As we flutter our eyelids open, Brittany, the instructor, says, “Today we’re going to focus on our third chakra, where Ganesh lives and Buddha sometimes visits. Unleash your Kali!” I’m Sikh and don’t know my Hindu gods that well, except for a couple lessons from history classes, but I’m not sure Buddha is supposed to be included with them. But what do I know? Brittany is the authority on this stuff. Also, she has Sanskrit tattoos and I don’t.
Vinyasa
As everyone raises prayer hands to the ceiling for a sun salutation in time to Major Lazer, Kyle from the front desk sneaks in to photograph the class for the studio’s Instagram page, just like the Indians did thousands of years ago. #YouAreEnough #BeHereNow #StrengthGoals #yogaeverygoddamnday #Namaslay #MadRelax #GoodVibes #NamasteAF
Tadasana
“Pick a dristi—I know, such an exotic word,” says Brittany. Would the name Kristy be exotic in India? Or Misty? Rice Krispie? We only have distant relatives left in India, but I suppose I could ask my British relatives who go to India more frequently than my American side.
Bakasana
“I’m so happy I got a spot in this class,” the woman next to me says as we wait for Brittany to get us blocks. “Brittany discovered yoga in 2009 and brought it to America. She knows everyone in India by name and the color of their aura. And she was asked to star in Slumdog Millionaire but turned it down because the title made it seem like a movie on consumerism.” I think about the $300 I paid for a ten-class card. Maybe the classes are expensive because the studio has exceptional instructors?
Ardha Matsyendrasana
As I twist toward the wall, I see a poster for a sari draping class taking place in the studio later that week. I could ask my mom to teach me the next time I’m home, but Brittany probably knows more. Brittany has henna on her hands and a nose piercing, neither of which my mom has.
Virabhadrasana
“Stand strong in this pose, one hand reaching into the future toward Juice Generation, and another reaching back toward the past, Starbucks. Stay in the present and think about how good you look in your Lululemons,” Brittany instructs. “Concentration is key here…or karma will not lead us to nirvana.”
An interruption
Kyle opens the door and walks down the center of the room. He announces, “Yoga—it’s a way of life” then throws clouds of turmeric into the air. People around me raise their hands to it in devotion, swaying side to side on their sitz bones, while other yogis start snorting it off the hardwood floor. #bliss
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
“Rameshwaria, move your hands closer to the backs of your heels.” “My name is actually Rajpreet,” I reply. “It’s Rameshwaria since I knew a Rameshwaria once.” “But my name is Rajpreet.” “No.”
Shavasana
Brittany explains this is the hardest pose and it really does feel like it. I don’t feel relaxed, in fact, I feel more stressed than when I arrived. A white woman is teaching me about yoga, an ancient Indian practice, and she thinks she’s an expert on Indian culture too, but I don’t know exactly which ways I can be mad because I don’t know enough about India or yoga myself, partly because I feel a pressure to assimilate. But darn it if Brittany’s playlist isn’t fun.
Namaste
(The cultural appropriation in me bows to the Indian in you.)
Putting away mats
“What other instructors would you recommend?” I ask Brittany. “Katie, Jenny, Julie, Courtney, Zoey, Christy, Mary, Lucy, Hayley Ashley, Natalie, Lindsey, Kaylee, Lizzy, and Audrey are amaze.”
Exit
I follow the trail of organic quinoa down the hall to the door and leave feeling very Indian American.
___
Rajpreet Heir is an Indian from Indiana. She received her BA in English Writing from DePauw University and her MFA in Creative Nonfiction from George Mason University. Currently, she lives in New York and works for TED Conferences. Her recent work has appeared in The Normal School, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Literary Hub, The Collagist, The Washington Post, and more. Recently, she was featured on a podcast episode through On Being Studios.
Artwork by Dev Murphy
41 comments
Kate Jones says:
Jan 15, 2019
Brilliant! So much of this resonates with my many attendances of yoga classes – most positive but some questionable.
Daphne says:
Jan 15, 2019
Buddhism teaches us to be ‘aware’ of others without judgement, and to invite compassion. Yoga teaches us to focus on breath, and self.
Compulsive labeling of the other with tags like ‘cultural appropriation’ or “white” is at worst unhelpful, at best spurious. I suspect yoga instructor ‘Brittany’ is as much on a yogic journey as the next yoga instructor and will make mistakes. But must mistakes always be turned into accusations? Namaste.
Bina Shah says:
Jan 16, 2019
I’ve taken yoga classes in both the US and in Pakistan and while I appreciate yoga in America, there is nothing like doing yoga in a class full of brown bodies, led by an instructor in whose mouth the Sanskrit sounds like music, in a place where yoga originated (the Indus Valley). It connects you in a way to your past and your present like no other. So, Rajpreet, maybe you should fly over to South Asia and try some yoga here with all of us!
Rajpreet Heir says:
Jan 17, 2019
That must be so amazing!! Connecting past and present–such a great point. I once did yoga with just my grandma at her house (in the US) and we followed a yoga DVD of Indians in a Punjab village, but I haven’t actually been in an entire class of brown bodies. Thanks your comment 🙂
Sejal Shah says:
Jan 16, 2019
But is it the writer’s job to be helpful? And helpful to whom? White is a descriptor just as Indian is. Cultural appropriation is complicated and real and something that is not addressed as much as it could be. That is my opinion as an Indian American who completed a 200 hour yoga teacher training and has taken classes with many different teachers. There’s a range. I do think it’s a blind spot though in how some yoga classes are taught and how some teachers are trained.
Kate says:
Apr 3, 2019
Love both the form and content. Well done!!!
Zo says:
Jul 4, 2019
I can’t tell if you are joking or serious? Your comment is so ridiculous I’m going to assume joking. Cultural appropriation and racism are real things and using a religion to try to pretend that they aren’t doesn’t make it that way for any Indian people or people of color experiencing racism.
Tarmon says:
May 9, 2022
I feel like Daphne may also be a white yoga instructor… apparently they all have ‘ee’ at the end of their names “Brittany. “Katie, Jenny, Julie, Courtney, Zoey, Christy, Mary, Lucy, Hayley Ashley, Natalie, Lindsey, Kaylee, Lizzy, and Audrey are amaze.” XD
Sejal Shah says:
Jan 15, 2019
This is brilliant, Rajpreet! Much of this resonated. I appreciated an exploration of what it can be like to take a yoga class in this country when you are Indian American. Some favorites in this piece: “Also she has Sankskrit tattoos and I don’t.” and #NamasteAF and “A white woman is teaching me about yoga, an ancient Indian practice, and she thinks she’s an expert on Indian culture too, but I don’t know exactly which ways I can be mad because I don’t know enough about India or yoga myself, partly because I feel a pressure to assimilate.” And my favorite section “Namaste.”
Rajpreet Heir says:
Jan 17, 2019
Huge thanks, Sejal! So kind of you to share the essay and comment on it. Your encouragement goes a long way. This is what being an ally of women of color writings looks like. I didn’t know you’d completed training as a yoga teacher–that’s amazing. I really enjoyed both of your Brevity pieces:
https://brevitymag.com/nonfiction/things-people-said/
https://brevitymag.com/nonfiction/thank-you/
You have such great range as writer. One piece list form and funny, the other beautiful and lyrical. Can’t wait to see what else you write. Happy New Year!
Sejal Shah says:
Jan 17, 2019
Thank you for reading, Rajpreet! Yes, I did do two yoga teacher trainings (one Iyengar-influenced and another restorative), but did not end up teaching yoga (because of the demands of my job teaching writing–I was already teaching so many classes per week. I wanted to go to class as a student). I do regret that, though,–and perhaps I will teach in the future.
I appreciate how your essay highlights that it’s a different experience to be in a yoga class in America as someone who is Indian American. I don’t see that perspective in writing enough. And it’s something I think about every time I take a yoga class. Namaste. (just kidding). 🙂
sonal aggarwal says:
Jan 17, 2019
YASSSSS BISSSHHHH, ki gal yaaaar, I’m so grateful these conversations are starting to happen, what in the white hell has happened to yoga??? These conversations need to happen, we need desi’s teaching yoga, PLEASE, I’m glad so many people are getting in to their bodies and breath but it is very troubling the ‘Brittany’s’ making up rules about Hinduism as they go along. Please white people, just LISTEN, receive, get comfortable being uncomfortable (that’s the real yoga guys) and if you can’t pronounce Namaste properly, maybe just don’t say it until you can. ‘Namaste in bed’ is a pun based on MISPRONOUCING A WORD, is that a clever enough joke to print on T-shirt’s?? And why can’t I even adjust my posture in public without some ‘ally’ asking if I’m doing yoga? ‘Wowwwww, is that yoga??’ No, I’m just stretching, I have a bod, ever heard of it? We all do. Why are there no western ways of getting into them? These are very important questions to be asking. Thank you for starting this conversation.
Rajpreet Heir says:
Jan 17, 2019
Lololol Sonal “what in the white hell” made me laugh. Ditto to all that you said. Yeah it’s the making up rules an pretending to be an authority on all things Indian part that usually makes me uncomfortable too. Hahah people think you’re doing yoga if you’re stretching. Thank you for commenting!
Cathy Park Kelly says:
Jan 17, 2019
Loved this! Hilarious and very pointed. Thank you.
Rajpreet Heir says:
Jan 17, 2019
Thank you so much, Cathy 🙂
Dartinia Hull says:
Jan 17, 2019
Love this. Working on an essay that speaks of the cultural appropriation of yoga and my reluctance to let it go because of my love of the practice. The judgement of myself is unyogalike, but it makes me uncomfortable, so that’s a good thing, right. And my teacher’s playlist also is bomb.
Rajpreet Heir says:
Jan 17, 2019
What a neat angle for an essay. Can’t wait to see it out in the world! Srsly, though, how do these yoga teachers come up with their awesome playlists?
David W. Berner says:
Jan 17, 2019
I began the new year with a promise of daily meditation. Yoga is hard enough — but meditation, true meditation, is enormously difficult. Still, I keep at it. And in your wonderful essay, what comes through to me is this — we are all practicing. Getting their — where ever that is — is our own path. No one elses. .
Dheepa Maturi says:
Jan 17, 2019
Really, really enjoyed this essay, Rajpreet — particularly how you structured it around your yoga routine that day — so clever! And I definitely share your complicated feelings about well-meaning, but often haphazard and inaccurate, references to these beautiful and complex aspects of Indian culture. So many of us grapple with where to draw the cultural appropriation line, particularly when it’s perceived as offensive to take offense.
Btw, I, too am an Indian-American writer from Indiana — born in New York City — and had a Brevity blog essay published last year. So much in common — would love to meet if you’re ever visiting home!
Rajpreet Heir says:
Jan 18, 2019
Thank you so much for your kind words, Dheepa! Funnily enough, I live in NYC now, so we’ve switched places. Same applies for you–if you’re home, we should hang out. I’m on Twitter @ratweet_edu. I read your piece on Brevity and really enjoyed it. https://brevity.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/submitting/ It’s a wonderful read and I like the idea that you arrive at, that submitting work is an act of love.
cassie arnold says:
Jan 18, 2019
i have shared this essay with a few whom i know will appreciate it. i certainly did. i did yoga since my twenties and i am now in my seventies. I traversed many different practices but found KUNDALINI several years ago, which was the most transformational of all. my most powerful take away is the emphasis on mantras and i have an iPod loaded with them. i listen to them as i hike at times, but which always down-regulate my twitchy nervous system. i walk and chant along when there are words, so familiar have i become with my playlists. SAT NAM Rajpreet – truth is my identity.
Sara Dovre Wudali says:
Jan 18, 2019
This is brilliant. I’m never going to be able to go to a yoga class again without hearing this line in my head at the end, “The cultural appropriation in me bows to the Indian in you.”
Rajpreet Heir says:
Jan 18, 2019
Thank you, Sara 🙂
Gita V. Reddy says:
Jan 20, 2019
For many years, I treated yoga with an indifference born out of familiarity. Being an Indian living in India, there were always a few people around who started the day with yogasanas.
Yoga was a solitary activity. The practitioner would go up on the terrace of his house or find an unobtrusive corner in a public park. No leotard or yoga mat. If there was any chanting, it was done in the privacy of the home.
My indifference lasted until I read an article in which a US based yoga teacher asserted that yoga had nothing to do with Hinduism. Tibetan monks had invented it.
I was furious. They wanted to appropriate my yoga! They were robbing my ancestors of their invention! And what was the government doing about it? Why wasn’t it patenting it or whatever!
That’s the thing about culture. It owns you. And you own it only when somebody else tries to appropriate it.
Kevin says:
Jan 22, 2019
Ugh, thanks for ruining turmeric snorting for me…
Rajpreet Heir says:
Jan 25, 2019
HAHA my friend read this comment to me and we couldn’t stop laughing
Sonia Arora says:
Jan 23, 2019
This essay made me laugh so hard. Thanks Rajpreet for this lovely, refreshing perspective. I’m also a Punjabi American writer (poet) who does yoga. There are many practitioners who know nothing of the history behind this practice and it’s alright to poke fun when once this yoga was only meant for a select community. One of my friends from India, who is a Dalit scholar, what so upset at seeing so many yoga studios in New York . He was appalled. Those who teach yoga should not be ignorant of its origins and rich history.
Rajpreet Heir says:
Jan 25, 2019
Oh nice-a Punjabi American poet! So cool! Nice to meet you, Sonia. Totally agree with you about the importance of understanding the origins and history of yoga. Thanks for commenting.
Lizzie says:
Jan 23, 2019
I really love this piece and the conversations it has inspired here in the comments. As a white lady (…called Lizzie…with a nose piercing…) who’s been practicing yoga for a while now, I want very much to be aware of the cultural appropriation issues inherent in most (all?) US versions of yoga. So, yeah, I felt a little called out here–because all of this is so spot-on. Like Sonal said above, I gotta be comfortable being uncomfortable! Thank you for showing us this mirror.
Rajpreet Heir says:
Jan 25, 2019
Hi Lizzie, I really, really appreciate your comment. You’ve contributed very meaningful thoughts to this conversation. Thank you for making an effort to understand the Indian American experience. You are opening yourself to this dialogue, recognizing your own blind spots, and stepping out of your comfort zone. Wow, that is not easy to do. YOU ARE AMAZING.
Agatha says:
Feb 5, 2019
Loved this creative nonfiction piece that takes one’s questioning of a an issue— cultural appropriation of yoga — and writes as if each pose is a tiny sting from an insect, intensity increasing until you cannot bear the discomfort and want to scream. Thanks for this!
Emma and Audrey says:
Feb 6, 2019
We loved this essay, as two high school students our teacher made us read a bunch of essays, but this was our favorite by far. We loved the twist of it being comical, but also makes you think. Being able for us to see the other side of cultural-appropriation in this perspective is unlike anything we’ve read or experienced. Thank you for sharing this beautifully written essay!
Aadil Mian says:
Feb 6, 2019
I’m a high school student reading this, and I just think the way you presented such topic in a comedic way was brilliant. A lot of people are quick to undermine these things, so when the author is able to grab the reader while also presenting the topic at hand, I think, is genius, especially when it’s a relatable story being told. My family is from Pakistan, and naturally, I’ve gotten my name mixed up with the same Pakistani person since middle school, which now we just laugh about it.
Leandro Rubio says:
Feb 6, 2019
(Hey, high school student here. My teacher made me post a comment here)
It’s great how the idea of appropriation of other cultures’ elements is presented in this essay, which is also a real life situation. It’s written so it’s funny, but it also makes us reflect.
I also have to say that I come from South America, and this is not only a thing from the United States. It made me think that I’ve taken elements from other cultures without realizing, and made a fool of them without knowing what I was doing. We should definitely create consciousness an learn before acting in this kind of things.
Julia says:
Feb 6, 2019
I’m a high school student and we were reading some of these articles for English class. This one interested me the most and I think it’s really funny. I was very intrigued about how cultural appropriation could be presented so lightheartedly while also calling real attention to the issue.
Chelsea Kay says:
Feb 12, 2019
Yes! Oh, your writing is so spot on. This resonates like hell in an embarrassing way since I’m that white woman yoga teacher with the nose piercing (who used to have a ridiculous playlist) but I’m aching for more pieces like yours. Your words are also the PERFECT response to a piece I read earlier today on some “wellness” website where a white woman wrote about the “true meaning” of namaste–quoting other white women and only posting photos of young white women in fancy-ass leggings. Thank you for calling out the prevalence of that white-washed, culturally appropriated, consumer-oriented BS. Now, gotta go snort my turmeric…
Marie Ann Bailey says:
Mar 15, 2019
Oh, I loved this essay but squirmed the whole time I read it. I’m white and been practicing yoga for about ten years. I’ve been going to my current studio for several years. I love the practice because of what yoga has done for my aging body and distracted mind. I know little to nothing about the history of yoga, and I know I would mangle Sanskrit if I tried to speak it. I go to a particular studio because of the community there, because it’s a place where I can be my awkward self and not judged, where I can laugh with myself and not at myself, where I can focus on the moment and push away my troubles … at least for an hour. I don’t know if I’m appropriating. I love what I do there, how I feel during practice and after, and that’s all that matters to me. But your essay is so funny and now when we say Namaste at the end of practice … while, I’ll have to try and not laugh.
Jill says:
Jul 21, 2019
I laughed so hard I cried. I can’t remember an article ever giving me a laughing fit this intense. I needed to regroup for a minute afterward lol.
Vijay says:
Aug 20, 2020
Of course you will laugh coz it’s not your culture! If you have to mock it why learn it?
Anjali says:
Jul 9, 2021
Your article was part of an assigned reading list for a Summer Writing course. I love it! Thank you!
Nova Smith says:
Aug 10, 2023
I found this article to be a thought-provoking exploration of the cultural dynamics within a yoga class. The author adeptly navigates the intricacies of yoga’s global popularity and its connection to its Indian origins. It’s crucial to recognize that while yoga has become a worldwide phenomenon, its roots in India are the very foundation upon which its philosophy and techniques are built.