My statement posted on social media June 25th 2021

Me, January 2017 — Zarna Joshi speaking at Women’s March, January 2017

Modi came up with the idea of an International Day of Yoga as a way to try to re-establish the Indian origins of yoga after it had been culturally appropriated and bastardized by the west for decades. I understand and sympathize with his motivation.

But...all it does is give insincere westerners and capitalist colonizers permission to keep selling yoga. Modi said that yoga is a "gift" to the world. No, it isn't. It's not a gift. Why the hell would we gift our culture away to colonizers?

And the idea that we have to continue to "globalize" yoga is a colonial missionary mindset that is offensive and against the very values of yoga.

Yoga is only for those who sincerely seek Divine union and who humbly ask to learn and then dedicate their entire lives to learning and practicing and living the values and defending those values. Everyone else can get lost.

Yoga isn't a "gift". It is not something that can be "given away". You have to earn it.

I am not a missionary because I am not a colonizer. I tell you what I tell you about Hinduism so that you can understand that we're not demons and then maybe you will stop hating us. I am not here to convert anyone to yoga because that is against the teachings of yoga.

That is why I don't like the International Day of Yoga.

The only reason why so many Indians celebrate it is internalized oppression. They think they have no choice but to give their culture and spirituality away to the very people who hate them.

It is deep self hate and inferiority complex disguised as Indian patriotism. It is colonial trauma.

Stop celebrating International Day of Yoga. It is a disaster for genuine yogis.