Will the Yoga Secrets patented?

India has decided to formalize ownership of the secrets of yoga, says the British edition of The Daily Mail. For this purpose a commission was set up consisting of the Indian gurus and 200 scientists who have to separately register each of the traditional gymnastics, and thus secure their rights to the copyright in those elements.

Thus, India plans to protect religious practices and associated rituals from the commercialization: income from paid yoga, which has become very popular in Europe and the U.S. in late 1960 - early 1970's, is estimated at 225 billion dollars. But in India the gurus teaching yoga do not take money for their services.

According to the publication, the growing number of western schools of yoga has led to increased demand for patent applications. For example, American and European schools are asked to register their activities not as the “teaching of yoga” but as the “spiritual and unique learning physical practices”. Only in the United States such schools have been given 130 patent licences and 150 patent certificates for the possession of the rights to this or that method of physical exercises. Moreover, 2300 new schools of yoga have been registered in America.

India believes that the registration of new practices, that are actually copying of traditional elements of yoga, and giving them out to be one's new ideas damages the ancient culture. The representative of Digital Library of Traditional Knowledge, which is the initiator of yoga poses patenting, said that their organization hopes to register up to 1500 postures of the Indian practice before the end of 2009.

The Third International Yoga Festival will take place at the foot of Pyramids

If you are going to go to Egypt in late spring, you will have an excellent opportunity to take part in the Third International Yoga Festival. Opening will be held on May 30, 2009 at the foot of the pyramid Hufu. The program of events includes master classes and lectures on yoga, musical performances and dance groups from Jordan and India.

Also, guests and participants of the International Festival are offered the guided tours of biblical places, the Dead Sea and Petra with 2 000 years history. By the way, in 2007 this city was included in the list of wonders of the world. Closure of the large-scale events will be held on June 7, 2009. The organizers plan to make it no less colorful and memorable than all the other days of the festival.