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How Yoga Can Influence the American Economy

What possible impact can “yoga” have on the economy, other than that which is a direct result of the buying and selling of yoga products? Seriously, can yoga influence the way we buy and sell homes, cars, household goods, jewelry?

The above paragraph is the typical response I get when explaining how yoga has changed the way I purchase as a consumer. Perhaps I shouldn’t be so grandiose in my claims, but it is the truth. Since I began to practice yoga my purchasing decisions have been profoundly influenced, whether I am buying groceries or clothing.

What I have learned from Yoga:

Lesson 1: It is fairly easy to control the body but infinitely difficult to control the mind. By practicing yoga you are first learning to control the body, which then opens the way to controlling the mind. One way we learn to control the body is by being aware of it, by paying attention to the sensations of the body. In the same way, controlling the mind starts with being aware of it, by paying attention to the thoughts of the mind. Before yoga I would go to Wal-Mart when I needed, say – a new blender for instance – simply because it was close and convenient. I did not think about it one way or the other, although I was aware that Wal-Mart isn’t the most responsible place to shop. Now I have trained myself to pick up on these inclinations, to stop, to think, and to act on my “awareness” of what Wal-Mart means to the community and the planet.

Lesson 2: It is fairly easy for me to “not steal” directly from others, as it is not in my nature to do so, but is infinitely difficult for me to “not steal” indirectly from others. One of the yamas (philosophies) of yoga and it instructs you not to steal. However, it goes beyond the “Thou shalt not steal” we normally think of, as in “do not take something from someone else that does not belong to you”. Through yoga we learn that by injuring one part of the body we affect others, or by stretching one part of the body, we affect others. Likewise, by taking more than our fair share of clean oxygen, Americans are “stealing” from the rest of the world. We (Americans) represent 5 percent of the world's population but contribute 45 percent of the world's emission of carbon dioxide, according to a report by the nonprofit group Environmental Defense.

Lesson 3: It is fairly easy to balance your body in a certain yoga position, but it is infinitely difficult to balance your mind and the impact your actions have on the Earth. The body and mind seek balance (homeostasis) just as the ecosystem seeks balance. In industrialized terms, the quest for a balanced ecosystem is called sustainability. If I lean too far to the right, left, back or front while doing a headstand I will fall over. The middle ground is the way, and this takes concentration. Likewise, if I base too much of my decisions on the needs of the environment, I would not be typing this sentence. I would be living in the woods searching for berries. But if we make decisions in complete disregard for the environment, there will eventually be no world in which to live. We will have, in essence, cut off the hand to feed the stomach – a proposition that even a starving human being does not consider.

I am no yogi. I do not teach yoga and, frankly, I don’t even make it to class half the time. But I am a good student and a decent observer. And what this student has observed from practicing yoga is that my happiness, health, wealth and future are affect by my purchasing decisions much more than I had ever thought. And now I am what I like to call a “Yoga-Centric” consumer. My purchasing decisions, in turn, have an effect on the economy that is much larger than the purchase itself. So, if you want my business, get with the program! Learn about the LOHAS movement, make yoga-centric products, and practice conscious capitalism.