Around this time last year, my morning routine peaked. I would wake up, do the Surya Namaskar and Anulom Vilom (both different forms of yoga) before following a Move with Nicole 30 minute pilates workout. She would end the class with an âinhale, reach your arms up, and exhale, lower your hands to your heartâ, and I made it my quiet rebellion to stop the video right before this moment every time. Why?Â
Recently, there has been a growing discussion around South Asian fashion being rebranded as Western style – think âScandinavian Scarfsâ, the oxidised silver âbohoâ earrings that are sold for ÂŁ10 a pair (jhumkas are ÂŁ1 in Indian street markets) and âmatching skirt and top setsâ (lehengas). Rather than âsharingâ culture, elements of it have been taken and their origins dismissed. There is a consistent failure to recognise where these âtrendsâ are from.Â
Even more pressing is the issue that this aesthetic is only deemed acceptable on white bodies; if I were to go out wearing traditional clothing or hair oil, I would be out of place, not trendy. In the same summer that EDL (English Defense League) riots took to the streets, beaded sequin tops – rebranded under a ây2k aestheticâ – came back into fashion. When Western influencers profit from appropriating your culture yet stay silent and when the livelihoods of your people are threatened, you start to feel used. So when September came around, I couldnât stand the idea of someone using Namaste at the end of their workout with no cultural context. While the exploitation of South Asian fashion has only caught public attention fairly recently, the wellness industry built its foundations on this culture decades ago.Â
Meditation and yoga are pillars of the wellness industry, and I want to emphasise that we cannot promote or embody this lifestyle without taking the time to understand where it originated from. Ancient Indian scriptures, called Vedas, first mentioned the idea of âyogaâ as being something which âjoinsâ. Over time it became one of the six schools of Indian philosophy, focusing on a connection between oneâs spiritual self and the cosmos. This is the primary purpose of it rather than physical fitness. In lieu of this, I thought Iâd explain the yoga routines I do, how they help me, and what they mean.
Surya Namaskar:Â
A part of the universal connection can be fulfilled through the Surya Namaskar (Surya – Sun, Namaskar – greetings), which is a morning yoga routine. I use it to ground my day and set my intentions (often as vague as âI will be goodâ). If you can, set yourself up facing the sun. For me, closing my eyes and feeling the rays of the sun feels like a prayer that is being answered. It helps me focus on the sun as a life-source and I find myself expressing gratitude for the world we live in. There are some different versions of the steps, but the routine should comprise of 12 moves that are led by your breathing pattern. I would recommend finding a tutorial which also includes the Sanskrit names of each pose. With a foundational understanding, I found it far easier to personalise the experience for my needs. For instance, the downward dog pose in yoga is actually âParvatasanaâ, meaning mountain pose. Doing this in the morning means I feel stable and anchored, more at one with nature despite being in central London.
Anulom Vilom:
A breathing exercise which focuses on rebalancing the energies that flow through the ânadisâ or rivers in your body. It helps blood circulation, increases lung capacity if done consistently and is a great form of meditation. It uses the technique of alternate nostril breathing. Sitting in an up-right crossed legged position, use your left thumb to block your left nostril, and inhale through the right. Block both nostrils as you hold your breath (I use my ring finger) and then release through the left nostril. Alternate, and keep repeating. Personally, I built up the duration of this exercise, starting with 5 minutes and gradually increasing it. Aside from the physical benefits, this was a good way to meditate and focus on my breath. It helped disconnect from the material world of consumption and allowed me to look inward. When done correctly, this can eventually help you connect with the physical and even spiritual surroundings. Like the Surya Namaskar, I prefer doing this in the morning as it starts the day in a peaceful quiet which I can ground myself in later on.
Although it’s a longer method of learning, connecting with the original meanings of wellness and looking at it as a part of a global puzzle is beneficial. Culture can become something that is actually shared as opposed to stolen. It can challenge the stereotypes of looking to the East for a âquick fixâ that we often see in popular media. Eat Pray Love is a classic example of finding spirituality or solutions anywhere outside of the UK or USA. Lordeâs satirical pop song, Mood Ring, embodies a character that is so entrenched in the capitalist Western world that her only solace is to âfly somewhere Eastern, theyâll have what I needâ. Perpetuating these clichĂ©s whittles Eastern cultures down to a mystique of herbal remedies that can be ignored until theyâre useful to a white population.
But ultimately, my aim is not to demonise fitness coaches, yoga teachers or Julia Roberts; in fact, many instructors already incorporate a Vedic approach to their work. Instead, I would argue that as consumers of this industry that only benefit from this lifestyle, we must spread awareness about its roots and tackle the Western prejudice held against the people whose culture it comes from. If âyogaâ is about a connection to the cosmos, the first step to getting âwellâ is to embrace the histories and cultures around us.Â