The latest victim of the West’s great whitewash is Pranayama. A time-tested classic tactic appears to be at play: first give credit in small or brackets, then repackaging ancient wisdom, and finally sell it as their own. Pranayama, the sacred Yogic science of breath control, is being shamelessly repackaged as “Cardiac Coherence Breathing” since 2019.
While giving credit in the smalls to Sama Vritti, Western wellness gurus want to call it by an English-friendly name of “Box Breathing.” However, behind the glossy names and slick left-handed credits to Yogic Science lies a deeper agenda: the slow erasure of Hindu knowledge systems. While the same people once mocked Yoga and Ayurveda as “pseudoscience,” they now profit from it – renaming, repackaging, and reclaiming what was never theirs to begin with.
Ancient Wisdom of Pranayama Under Modern Threat
The latest buzz in Western wellness circles on social media is the resufracing of the so-called groundbreaking “breathwork technique” called Cardiac Coherence Breathing. The technique involves controlled breathing to regulate heart rhythms and induce calm. Does this sound familiar?
This is nothing but Pranayama, the ancient Hindu science of breath control — a fundamental pillar of Yoga, rooted in the Vedas, perfected by rishis, and practiced for millennia.
An ex-Navy SEAL and wellness guru specifically gave credit to Sama Vritti in the beginning, but then went on to give it an English name by calling it “Box Breathing.” He effectively repackaged Sama Vritti Pranayama, an age-old Yogic pattern of equal inhalation, retention, exhalation, and pause. Does he understand that renaming leads to rebranding? Just citing Sama Vritti Pranayama in the beginning does not allow anyone to rebrand the ancient wisdom of Yoga. It seems that since the West couldn’t copyright Yoga, they have resorted to renaming it and gaslighting Hindus for objecting to their behavior.
Appropriation of Yogic Pranayama
This was just about one wellness guru. At least he cited ancient wisdom of Yoga and Sama Vritti Pranayama in the beginning. However, it is part of a larger force in action. Western wellness influencers keep attempting to rename Pranayama techniques through apps, workshops, and “scientifically proven” programs — often without even a whisper about their Hindu roots. Worse, many add token acknowledgments like “inspired by ancient traditions” in fine print, only to erase the Indian origin when marketing for Western audiences.
If unchecked or unquestioned, like अधोमुखश्वानासन became Downward Dog Pose, the following pattern for Pranayama shall soon flow:
- Sama Vritti Pranayama became “Box Breathing.”
- Anulom Vilom shall become “Alternate Nostril Breathing.”
- Ujjayi Pranayama shall be called “Resonant Breathing.”
- Sheetali Pranayama shall be rechristened as “Cooling Breath Technique.”
Such a known pattern is not just about borrowing or making it approachable. It is blatant rebranding with relatable Western names to make it palatable to a demographic that has historically ridiculed Hindu practices as “unscientific”.
Meanwhile, Western medical journals increasingly validate these practices, without fully acknowledging the Sanatani epistemology that systematized them thousands of years ago.
From Pseudoscience to Profit: Western Hypocrisy Exposed
This is the same West that mocked Ayurveda, dismissed Yoga as cultish exercise, and ridiculed Yogic philosophies. Mainstream outlets from the BBC to the NYT have long labeled Indian traditions as “pseudoscience” — only to turn around, repackage them, and patent them under new names.
In 2010, India had to launch the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) to prevent Western pharma companies from patenting turmeric, neem, and basmati rice.
Even haldi doodh had been sneakily marketed as “golden milk latte” by Western food chains, at triple the price. The West is not sharing knowledge. It is appropriating it, profiting from it, and erasing the Indic civilization that gave it birth.
Warning Hindus – Renaming Leads to Rebranding
Let’s be clear: Knowledge from Bharat has always been offered to the world freely. But what is happening now is intellectual theft with an agenda. This is not cultural exchange. This is systematic cultural erasure. Its Hindu name of “Pranayama” gets mocked or misprnounced. Yet, a white wellness guru’s rebranding of “Cardiac Coherence” makes it science.
Today, it’s Pranayama – Tomorrow, it will be Dhyana (already referred to as “Mindfulness”)! If Sanatanis do not object, soon Yoga itself will become “Neuromuscular Movement Therapy.” Left unchecked today, it is not improbable that Sanatani sacred knowledge systems will be found in Western libraries under Western names, with footnotes describing them as ‘formerly practiced in India’. Therefore, all these “inspired ” wellness Gurus should realize that giving credit in brackets is not enough.
Western Wellness Experts need to: Say the name – Honor the source – Respect the civilization.
In the colonial era, they looted gold and artifacts. In the modern era, they’re looting ideas and identity. This is not just plagiarism via rebranding – it’s cultural colonization.
The least the West can do is give due credit to the Sanatani Wisdom by using the true original names of the Pranayama they are benefitting from!
