Yogaland is Anxious Because It Is An Industry With A Product That May Not Exist

THERE IS NEVER ANYTHING TO PRODUCE. In spite of all its materialist efforts, production remains a utopia. We can wear ourselves out in materializing things, in rendering them visible, but we will never cancel the secret.

— Baudrillard, The Ecstasy of Communication (1987)

  Note: This bit of exploratory theory is inspired by the modern globalized yoga industry, as described in sources like Andrea Jain's Selling Yoga: From Counterculture to Pop Culture. If you're a yoga teacher or student who identifies as existing outside of that industry, or feel you belong to a community that plays no part in it, this post may not concern you.   ________   Actually, the 80 billion USD per year global yoga industry does have a product. But it's not a thing. It's not a car, or a book, or an app, or a head of romaine lettuce. It's not therapy or medical service. You have to pay for it, while suspecting you'll ever possess it. The product is a wish, projection, or longing. You must embody it for it to be …