Can one own Yoga ?

Two things I'm interested in are Yoga and Intellectual Property issues. They seem rather disparate, but I've had a feeling there was an interesting intersection for a while now. Well, as it turns out, I was right, and my suspicions were confirmed after reading Source-ing Yoga: Implications for the Commons on the iCommons web page. I guess when it comes to the creation of particular schools of yoga, I could understand why trademarks would be purchased and the practice of particular schools regulated by an organization that certifies one's authority on the discipline. It helps to establish a relationship of trust between student and teacher. I feel that we need a third-party for this trust these days mostly because we don't really live in communities anymore so we don't know who to believe unless there's some kind of institution involved. The organics movement also relies on third-parties to establish trust between grower and consumer, but some farms have circumvented this need by setting up CSAs so that the trust is fostered through a personal connection with the farmer and a hands-on awareness of the farm. I wonder if there's an analog in the "yoga movement".

Anyway, what brought me here was to state that I think it is unjust to declare that some sequencing of yoga postures can be owned. Yoga has been around for a loooong time, which means that it should be in the public domain by now, right ? But now we have these hustlin' yogis driving their Mercedes Benz like they wuz Osho trying to capitalize on the comodification of yoga, and I think that's just whack.

On this issue, I also find myself trying to negotiate my feelings that on one hand sacred wisdom should have "gatekeepers" and on the other hand we'd all be much better off if we shared our knowledge. Concerning the former, I feel that there really is a loss of gatekeepers in our society, and it concerns me because it means that those who want to acquire spiritual power can do it regardless of their intention. I sense the teachings get watered down in the process of making them more exoteric as well. And of course, often the spiritual "inner circles" of our society are determined by class (as are the political), which is not the greatest metric for deeming a student to be worthy of this power if you ask me. I still hope that people will continue to publish media on yoga online; maybe I'll go check out what's there already ...