Ram YogaSutra

In its American form, yoga can sometimes seem like it's less about meditation than fitness, extreme sweatiness, and the absurdity of trying to balance on your head while wearing hot-pink lycra pants. But the practice has deep spiritual roots, dating back at least 2,500 years to philosophical traditions in ancient India. In the twentieth century, one of the most influential figures in spreading yoga beyond South Asia was B.K.S. Iyengar. He died on Wednesday at age 95 in the Indian city of Pune - he was still doing headstands into his early 90s.

Source: The Amazing Contortions of B.K.S. Iyengar - The Atlantic

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Demand for yoga gear, is outpacing growth of the sport itself. Yoga participation grew 4.5% in 2013, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.

Meanwhile, sales of yoga apparel were up 45%, according to Matt Powell, an analyst for SportsOneSource, a sporting-goods industry tracker.

"Everyone is wearing yoga pants, even people who aren't doing it," said Karen Score, the owner of Yoga Mandali, an independent yoga store in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Source: Yoga Poseurs: Athletic Gear Soars, Outpacing Sport Itself - WSJ

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Amid all the regimens available in America’s soul-cure marketplace, the unlikely maneuver of folding yourself into a pretzel and standing on your head for five minutes is more popular than ever. Some twenty million people practice yoga in more than twenty-five thousand studios scattered around the country. Yoga is booming—and decked out in the telltale chain studios, retailers, empire-building egomaniacs, and attendant litigation.

Source: The State of Stretching | The Baffler

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