New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) Amid a
raging row in India over reported attempts to patent the ancient Indian
practice of yoga overseas, the US Thursday denied granting patents on
yoga positions.
In the same breath, the US embassy said here that it has granted patents
on "new and non-obvious devices that may be used in conjunction with
yoga". However, those patents would not include any yoga positions, the
embassy said in a statement Thursday.
The US government has conducted a search of all patents issued and no
patents on yoga positions have been identified, it said.
"Recent media reports alleging that such patents exist are inaccurate,"
the embassy added.
Over the years, the centuries-old Indian practice of yoga - which
literally means the union of body and mind - has become hugely popular
in the West and is even patronized by many Hollywood celebrities.
Some even say yoga has become a multi-million dollar industry with all
kinds of gurus or instructors, both Indian and western, offering their
own version of this practice to lure stressed-out urbanites seeking
holistic cure to their diverse maladies.
The US statement comes in the wake of reports last week saying that
Indian health ministry officials were scrutinizing yoga-related patents
and trademarks granted by the US.
Indian yoga gurus have contended that yoga is intrinsic to Indian
spiritual tradition where it is often used as an aid to meditation and
has been practiced in this country for thousands of years and any
attempt to corporatize it is unethical.
"Yoga can't be owned and run like a company. Since there are attempts to
patent this tradition (of yoga) in America, the Indian government and
yoga organizations should take measures to prevent it," Swami Ramdev, a
leading Indian yoga expert, said recently.
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