In a couple of days, the controversial International Yoga Day will dawn. Are you going to get into the spirit and get all twisty – or will you be watching from the sidelines? Did you know the yoga products business in the US was estimated at $27 billion in 2013?
There is a big patent war out there too. Bikram Choudhary, who developed the Bikram Yoga style, taught in a sauna, moved to get a copyright. Angry Indian gurus collaborated with the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research to counter the move by registering over a 1,000 poses from several yoga texts and scriptures on the grounds that yoga emerged in India and people in other countries had no right to patent it.
Yoga wear and accessories is a huge business too, with many big retailers and brands having sub-brands that deal in it. Lululemon has Athletica, Gap Athleta, Nordstrom has Zella. Zobha is a brand created by a yoga instructor and retails in several stores across the world.
Other players include Calvin Klein and Victoria’s Secret besides sports brands Nike and Adidas/Reebok.
India just seems to have the Urban Yoga brand of apparel, though.
There are people who have patented videdography of yoga classes as well as a few Instagrammers whose fame led them to set up yoga-bases businesses.