Only 2.4% of yoga teachers are South Asian despite yoga originating in India

Despite yoga being a 5,000-year-old practice originating in South Asia, the Western yoga industry is overwhelmingly represented by white teachers. The $27 billion US yoga industry profits from South Asian cultural heritage while South Asian and Indian teachers are systematically underrepresented in studio hiring, teacher training faculty, magazine covers, and social media sponsorships. When South Asian teachers are included, they are often positioned as 'diversity' tokens rather than given leadership roles or equitable compensation. Major yoga media outlets, apparel brands (Lululemon, Alo Yoga), and festival lineups feature predominantly white teachers, while Indian-origin teachers report being asked to 'tone down' cultural references to make classes more 'accessible' to Western students. This creates a perverse dynamic where the cultural originators of the practice are marginalized within the industry built on their tradition. This persists because the Western yoga industry was built by and for affluent white consumers, studio owners hire teachers who 'look like' their existing clientele, and the economic power in yoga (brand deals, retreat bookings, social media followings) flows through networks that exclude South Asian practitioners.