Now The West Is Repackaging ‘Pranayama’ As ‘Cardiac Coherence Breathing’

By: Chandan Kumar |
January 30, 2019 5:45 pm

Breathe In…Breathe Out

A U.S Journal in its recent article wrote about ‘proper breathing’, but Indian Twitteratis have lost their breath to it.

The article explaining the benefit of breathing exercises presents the Indian technique of ‘Pranayama’ as ‘Cardiac Coherence Breathing’, the critics said.

The journal posted the article, titled ‘Proper Breathing Brings Better Health’, with a tweet, ”Cardiac coherence breathing exercise can stabilise heartbeat and have a powerful ability to dampen anxiety”.

Several Twitter users in India slammed the article calling it an attempt to ‘repackage’ ancient traditions. They went on to draw comparisons on how the West renamed turmeric milk to ‘turmeric latte’

Same wine in new bottle!#Pranayama #Yoga

— Pichattisawala Engry Troll (@MyTeaAmbr) January 30, 2019

I mean @yogawithadriene says #pranayama and explains the origin – if you want people to benefit from a practice stay true to the practice instead of renaming or rebranding it to make yourselves sound like the only people who have wisdom.

— linta khan (@_hijabijournal) January 30, 2019

Why these Scientists are rebranding our ancient techniques of #Pranayama as ‘Cardiac Coherence Breathing Exercises’?

Soon they may have intellectual property rights for these techniques & we may have to pay them for doing ‘Pranayama’. Sad. 🙁

— Sanjay Sabnis (@SanjaySabnis) January 29, 2019

India’s contribution to health and wealth pirated!! #pranayama

— नया रामगढ़ (@NewRamgadh) January 30, 2019

Those who took a jibe at the article included Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.
” Detailed description of the benefits of the 2500-year-old Indian technique of pranayama, dressed up in 21st c. scientific language as “cardiac coherence breathing”! It’s taking the West a few millennia to learn what our ancients taught us millennia ago, but hey, you’re welcome…,” the MP from Thiruvananthapuram tweeted.

Detailed description of the benefits of the 2500-year-old Indian technique of pranayama, dressed up in 21st c. scientific language as “cardiac coherence breathing”! It’s taking the West a few millennia to learn what our ancients taught us millennia ago, but hey, you’re welcome… https://t.co/LLltRZ3pP5

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 29, 2019

However, the article does mention ‘Pranayama’ and cites Yoga as the first doctrine to build a theory around respiratory control.

“Recommendations for how to modulate breathing and influence health and mind appeared centuries ago as well. Pranayama (“breath retention”) yoga was the first doctrine to build a theory around respiratory control, holding that controlled breathing was a way to increase longevity,” it said.