In the Western wellness industry, South Asian traditions such as Ayurveda, yoga, breathwork, and meditation are often repackaged as ahistorical trendy self-care activities. The colonization of these practices dilutes their rich historical, spiritual, and cultural value, ultimately reducing them to commodities ready for eager Westerners to mindlessly consume. As a South Asian-owned mental health practice, our team at Boundless aims to illuminate the erasure of these deeply sacred practices and restore a greater sense of respect for the ways in which they are used to shape the important work being done in the mental health and wellness space today.
A Note: This article is written by Prerna Menon who is a therapist that specializes in working with the South Asian, Asian and immigrant community. Prerna, along with our other South Asian therapists are here to help you navigate this unique and delicate balance.
How the Western Wellness Industry Co-Opts South Asian Healing Traditions
Despite the spotlight these practices have gained in the West, it is often without the issuing of proper credit. As a team of South Asian and South Asian-allied clinicians ourselves, we believe credit must be given where credit is due– to their South Asian origins. Yoga, meditation (i.e. Dhyana), Ayurveda, and breathwork (i.e. Pranayama) all originated in ancient India and are rooted in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions. These practices have been integral to South Asian culture for thousands of years, and are immortalized in sacred texts like the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
The colonization of yoga is perhaps the most salient example of how South Asian practices have been errantly co-opted in the Western world. Originally a deeply spiritual practice aimed at uniting the mind, body, and soul; yoga is often depicted as a pseudo-spiritual health and fitness trend in the West. Many yoga studios and brands emphasize physical postures (i.e. Asana) while neglecting the mental, philosophical, and spiritual aspects, including Pranayama (i.e. breath control) and Dhyana (i.e. meditation) (Jain, 2020.)
Dhyana has heavily influenced mindfulness practices today, specifically within the Western psychology sector. It is here where its use is emphasized in psychotherapeutic interventions such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and other cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT.) While these models integrate mindfulness techniques in ways that show meaningful, evidence-based clinical outcomes, their efficacy is often credited to the Western theorists themselves, with little to no acknowledgment of the Buddhist and Hindu wisdoms that they are derived from (Purser, 2019).
Pranayama, a controlled breathing technique from yogic traditions such as Nadi Shodhana (i.e. alternate nostril breathing), is also a mainstay of various modern Western psychotherapeutic interventions, including Peter Leveine’s Somatic Experiencing and Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs. Although sometimes lazily accredited to the ever-generic characterization of “Eastern” practices, the depth of their particular South Asian origins are largely omitted in the marketing, education, and service delivery of these offerings in the West (Farah, 2021.)
Furthermore, Ayurveda, a 5,000 year-old system of ancient holistic medicine, is commonly superficialized into gimmicky wellness trends in the West. Its likeness can be found appropriated in “skinny girl” detox teas and cleanses, skincare products, and prescriptive "dosha quizzes" that oversimplify Ayurveda’s three-pronged energetic approach to holistic health (Zysk, 2001). The capitalistic commercialization of Ayurveda in the West ultimately strips it of its foundations as a system of herbal medicine. Thus, treating it as a one-size-fits-all wellness trend when in fact, authentic Ayurveda prioritizes the nuances of one’s diet, lifestyle, emotional well-being, and spiritual practices in a personalized way that cannot be condensed into a 10 item quiz on Cosmo.com nor a quick-fix miracle product with proprietary “Ayurvedic properties” (Zysk, 2001.)
The same can be argued for ancient South Asian sound healing practices, such as Kirtan (i.e. devotional chanting,) Nāda Yoga (i.e. the yoga of sound,) and Mantras (i.e.repetitive chanting of syllables or sounds.) These practices have new names in the West, often marketed as “sound baths” accompanied by imagery of crystal bowls, gongs, and chimes to attract its audience.
Decolonizing Therapy & Other Wellness Spaces
Decolonizing the Western mental health and wellness space means identifying, recognizing, respecting, and giving credit to the traditions that shape many of the modern healing practices available to us. There’s a few ways that we can achieve this:
Acknowledge the Roots – when using mindfulness, yoga, or breathwork in therapy, be intentional about giving credit to their South Asian origins and provide psychoeducation on its cultural context.
Support South Asian Practitioners – seek out South Asian teachers, healers, and therapists who offer these traditions with cultural responsiveness and integrity.
Avoid Cultural Appropriation – engage with these practices respectfully rather than reducing them to commercialized wellness trends.
Educate & Advocate – provide historical information to engage others in the history of these practices to encourage more conscious consumption. Also, encourage discussions about cultural appropriation in wellness spaces and advocate for inclusive, culturally attuned mental health care.
Summarizing Trendy Wellness & Mental Health Practices Rooted in South Asian Culture.
Part 1
The Western Wellness Industry's Co-Opting of South Asian Traditions: South Asian healing traditions such as Ayurveda, yoga, breathwork, and meditation have been integral to holistic well-being for thousands of years. However, the Western wellness industry often repackages these sacred practices as trendy self-care tools, stripping them of their historical and spiritual depth. Yoga, for example, is widely marketed as a fitness trend, emphasizing physical postures while neglecting its philosophical and meditative foundations. Similarly, breathwork (Pranayama) and mindfulness (Dhyana) have been incorporated into Western therapeutic models like DBT and CBT without proper acknowledgment of their South Asian roots.
Part 2
Part 3
References
Farah, R. (2021). Breathwork and Cultural Appropriation: The Western Misuse of Ancient Practices. Journal of Holistic Studies, 12(3), 45-61.
Jain, A. (2020). Selling Yoga: From Counterculture to Pop Culture. Oxford University Press.
McCartney, P. (2019). Sound Healing and Cultural Appropriation in the Global Wellness Industry. Contemporary Yoga Studies, 8(2), 78-94.
Purser, R. (2019). McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality. Repeater Books.
Zysk, K. G. (2001). Asceticism and Healing in Ancient India: Medicine in the Buddhist Monastery. Oxford University Press.
Authors
LCSW | CCTP
Specialties: survivors of childhood sexual abuse & incest survivors, existential crisis, race-based stress, gender identity & sexuality-related conflicts, cross-cultural issues, addiction, international students, family issues & acculturation
Begin Therapy Today
Discover the transformative power of therapy today! Explore therapy services tailored to your needs and find culturally sensitive support. Connect with our team of therapists at Boundless and experience the benefits of the right cultural fit. Begin today.
Comments