As co-authors, we argue how Indian knowledge systems, particularly those related to spirituality, health, and psychology, have been appropriated and repackaged by the West. The authors argue that these practices have been commercialised and stripped of their holistic context, leading to a form of cultural piracy. This theme is explored through various examples, including yoga, mindfulness, Ayurveda, and the concept of chakras.
Over the past decades, there has been large-scale commercial ‘piracy’ of Indic knowledge by the West. And in character with the prevalent psyche, the discovery is followed by patents and copyrights, motivated by financial gain, in total disregard that such knowledge is socially created. Holistic practices have been flattened, taken out of context, and singularly administered. Through simplification, the Western interpretation often presents a diluted version that may not fully capture the essence of the original teachings. One of the more well-known cases that have been taken to court by Vandana Shiva is the appropriation of Basmati Rice.
In the West, yoga has been widely adopted, primarily focusing on its physical postures (āsana) and breathing techniques (prāṇāyāma). While traditional yoga is a holistic practice encompassing mental, spiritual, and ethical dimensions, Western interpretations often emphasise its health benefits, stress reduction, and fitness aspects. Studios and brands like Lululemon have commercialised yoga accessories, making it a multi-billion dollar industry. The very depth of Antaranga Yoga is skipped in the face of such mass commoditisation.
Mindfulness, rooted in Buddhist meditation practices (which themselves have Indian origins), has been adapted into secular therapeutic practices in the West.
Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme is a prime example, popularising mindfulness meditation as a scientifically validated method for managing stress, anxiety, and depression. The Buddhist rigour calls for the adoption of ethical disciplines, but sadly the MSBR practices that have been borrowed from Vipassana simply set aside all the rigour.
This is the practice followed while taking Ayurvedic medicines and “extracting” the active elements from it, calling it a discovery of a pharmaceutical molecule and marketing it under a brand. This is how sarpagadha became “reserpine” a drug used for hypertension.
While Ayurveda is a comprehensive medical system, it has been mostly adapted to the wellness industry in the West.
Ayurvedic herbs, diets, and detox routines are marketed for health and beauty, often stripped of their broader philosophical and diagnostic context. Brands like Himalaya and Deepak Chopra’s wellness products blend Ayurvedic principles with modern health trends.
Ayurveda and yoga have contributed to the rise of Western holistic and alternative medicine. Techniques such as Panchakarma (detoxification) are offered in spas and wellness centres, often marketed without the deep-rooted Ayurvedic context, focusing instead on their physical and therapeutic benefits.
Transcendental Meditation (TM) was popularised in the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1950s and 60s, simplifying traditional Vedic meditation techniques into a form accessible to a broad audience. TM has since become a major part of the West's self-help and wellness movements, with celebrity endorsements and widespread corporate and educational programs.
Western philosophers and spiritual seekers, like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Aldous Huxley, were deeply influenced by Vedantic philosophy. The concept of non-duality (Advaita) has been repackaged within the New Age movement, often simplified and sometimes detached from its rigorous philosophical foundations, becoming a part of modern spiritual discourse.
The Theosophical Society, founded by Helena Blavatsky in the late 19th century, integrated many Indian spiritual concepts, including karma, reincarnation, and the idea of spiritual evolution, into a Western esoteric framework. This movement significantly influenced Western perceptions of Eastern spirituality and was a precursor to the New Age movement. These concepts have found their way into Western spiritual literature, often simplified into digestible ideas about destiny, life purpose, and personal growth. These ideas have been popularised in books, workshops, and seminars, forming a significant part of the modern self-help industry.
The concept of chakras, originating from Tantric traditions, has been widely adopted in Western spiritual and healing practices. However, the Western interpretation often focuses on a simplified version of the seven chakras, each associated with specific colours and psychological traits, diverging from the more complex and subtle interpretations in traditional Indian thought.
Carl Jung, a key figure in Western psychology, was influenced by Indian philosophy, particularly ideas of the collective unconscious and archetypes, which resemble concepts in Vedanta and Tantra. More recently, mindfulness and meditation have been integrated into cognitive-behavioural therapies, blending Eastern practices with Western psychological models.
The principles of Vastu Shastra have been adapted to the West, often merging with Feng Shui, a Chinese system of harmonising environments. While Vastu focuses on harmonising the individual’s inner space and energies with cosmic space and energies, Western adaptations often emphasise general principles of spatial harmony and well-being in architecture and interior design.
The idea of interconnectedness, as found in Indian philosophies, has influenced Western scientific thought, especially in quantum physics. Thinkers like Fritjof Capra in "The Tao of Physics" have drawn parallels between modern physics and Eastern mysticism, although these interpretations sometimes face criticism for oversimplifying both fields.
Western thought has adapted and reinterpreted Indian knowledge systems in ways that resonate with Western cultural and commercial contexts. While this has helped popularise these ideas globally, it has also led to a simplification and, at times, a misrepresentation of their original meanings and depth.
The issue is that these concepts and practices that are the outcome of a cosmology that is anchored on the idea of divine consciousness as the substratum are placed in a materialistic framework. They were meant to help human beings live in profound harmony with the earth and welcoming divine energies.
When the “active components” of these profound practices are extracted and embedded in a world view that takes for granted that human beings are given the Divine sanction to exploit and dominate nature, they become part of a ‘civilizational’ process that is destroying the earth!!
We invite the reader to reflect on the ethics of cultural appropriation and the importance of preserving the integrity of ancient knowledge systems. It highlights the need for a deeper understanding and respect for the original context of these practices, rather than reducing them to mere trends or commodities.
The discussion invites a broader dialogue on how global knowledge exchange can occur without exploitation or misrepresentation.
(Steve Correa is an Executive Coach and Author of The Indian Boss at Work, Thinking Global, Acting Indian. Raghu Ananthanarayanan is a behavioural scientist, yoga teacher and an author of several books)