The Future of Yoga in the West? Leave it to Americans.
Sep 04, 2026
OK...the title of this post is intentionally provocative...but if it got you to read this far – and perhaps even watch the video below – it's working.
AND..."Leave it to Americans" is pretty much a direct quote from my teacher T.K.V. Desikachar. When I asked him about the future of yoga back in 1992, he responded:
"I always feel that the future of yoga in America is safer in the hands of Americans..."
Some of you may recall that quote as part of the interview that became the very first blog post I uploaded when we launched this new platform back on April 13, 2026. The complete context of that quote is what opens this week's video.
Since recording "The Future of Yoga" Q&A eight years ago, I have found myself regularly re-posting it to social media comment threads whenever I see people getting their knickers in a knot about some new permutation, like "snake yoga"— this year's answer to dog/goat/pig yoga.
As long as it stays free, yoga will be just fine and it doesn't need us to protect it from people with whom we disagree. If you are the kind of yoga purist who has an issue with beer yoga, instead of railing against it or trying to prevent people from teaching it, focus your energies on putting out a better product and educating the public about it.
FYI, the [email protected] address still works, so send in your questions...maybe it will result in a new video!
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