Prompt - Yoga has made a transition from "traditional culture" to "counter culture" to "pop culture" here in the West. What have you observed about yoga that firmly establishes it as "pop culture"? What has been the effect on yoga in the West?

Response - Yoga has definitely been transformed into a significant part of American pop culture. It is often marketed as a "cure-all" for an unfit body, for stress, for an unhappy sex life, for an unhealthy lifestyle, etc. which is something Americans tend to seek out and buy into. Yoga is also part of a broader "self care" rooted healthy lifestyle that is becoming extremely popular and sought after nowadays. Instagram personalities with thousands to millions of followers post videos of their slender, scantily clad bodies in perfect handstands or flowing through sun salutations against some picturesque back drop in Bali or Costa Rica. In the same breath, they are endorsing essential oil and nutritional supplement companies and offering "wellness" coaching courses. Doing yoga seems to be a big part of what the "simple living, enlightened, self actualized" personalities we envy and seek to be like do and endorse. Yoga has become much more than an exercise, but more like a personality trait or a social status people tout around like the latest fashion trend or hairstyle.

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