Long before Europeans appropriated the South Asian dupatta and rebranded it as the 'Scandinavian Scarf', Americans did the same with yoga, the ancient Hindu practice of spiritual and ascetic discipline which emphasises breath control, meditation, and the observance of specific body movements and postures as a path to self-realisation and spiritual purification. In Western countries like the USA and UK, yoga has been commercialised heavily as a simple and quick wellness workout, and its popularity among white women has catapulted it to an industry soon projected to surpass $84 billion globally. But yoga was never meant to be a quick feel-good workout, and its appropriation by the white wellness industry is a form of colonialism.
In Mayuri Bhandari's electrifying solo show, 'The Anti Yogi', the Indian-American actress, dancer, educator, yoga practitioner, and former national figure skating champion delivers a powerful critique of how yoga has been commodified and misrepresented in the West. The searing solo act — which premiered at the 2024 Hollywood Fringe Festival at the Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles — blends dance, dramedy, live percussion, and poetry to explore the spiritual roots of yoga and its appropriation into a multi-billion-dollar industry.
One of the show’s core critiques is the rampant misappropriation of yoga in America. What began as a complex spiritual discipline rooted in Indian philosophy has been flattened into a fitness craze and lifestyle brand—often stripped of its meaning, history, and cultural context. Bhandari calls out how sacred symbols are repackaged for profit, how Sanskrit is misused like décor, and how the global wellness industry excludes the very people whose culture it exploits.
The Anti Yogi isn’t a rant — it's a reclamation. Drawing from her diverse background to portray a yoga instructor confronting the superficial adoption of yoga in the West, Bhandari moves between biting satire and poignant self-reflection. She brings to life characters such as a peppy, tone-deaf American yoga teacher and the fierce Hindu goddess Kali, exposing the absurdity and spiritual erasure embedded in so much of modern yoga practice with a sharp balance of satire and reverence.
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