The Times of India reports today that celebrities in India, and especially Bollywood stars, are embracing the yoga fitness trend. In the article Celebs stay fit, the yoga way, the fitness expert Leena Mogre is quoted saying:

More and more celebs are taking up yoga because of the results it delivers and also because they have seen the results in celebs abroad like Madonna who have followed yoga.

Power yoga is now making its way back to yoga’s birth place, and it seems that the evolution of yoga has come full circle. While in the US we do our best to keep yoga true to its roots, chanting mantras and displaying Ganesh statues next to our incense, India is happily importing fitness-focused yoga from the West. Back in March the same newspaper wrote in the article Bollywood’s going the’ Y-way’ about power yoga coming to Bollywood via Hollywood and New York. The article concludes:

With celebs showing the way, it is a matter of time before health-conscious Indians embrace the healing power of yoga in a big way.

Indians embracing yoga? Didn’t they invent it in the first place? It looks like the popularity of yoga in the West is making it more popular in India too. Does it matter that it is the Westernized power yoga that is getting all the attention? Either you can feel outraged about what is happening to the sacred practice of yoga, or you can choose to feel happy that more and more people are making yoga a part of their lives.

Maybe we are reaching the sweet spot in the yoga evolution, with yoga being defined by variety, accessibility, mindfulness, and fitness, allowing for different styles serving different people’s needs?