By Kelly Smyth
The world of wellness in Dublin has really come to embrace yoga- with Dublin being home to approximately seventy or more yoga studios as of 2025. While yoga can be an accessible and mindful way to exercise for all body types, this might not be the case for all economic backgrounds.
A notable problem in Westernised yoga circles is the dominance of expensive athleisure brands like Lululemon and Alo Yoga. In most yoga classes you attend, there will likely be at least one person wearing one of those brands- even your instructor. Perhaps the studio itself uses the Alo Yoga mats which go for a steep €115 at their lowest, with Lululemon presenting a similar price point. While anyone can practice yoga, it seems capitalist Western ideals make it difficult to feel like you are “enough” to do so without a €400 branded ensemble.
Given branding has become such a large part of Dublin’s yoga scene, it could be argued that the traditional meaning of yoga has been lost altogether. Hailing from northern India, yoga begun over 5,000 years ago as a spiritual practice rather than a form of exercise, with the aim of instilling self-accountability as part of spiritual enlightenment. Traditional yoga often makes its way into the modern yoga class through its many practices. If you’ve ever attended a yoga class- you may have heard of ‘asanas’ which refer to your postures, and ‘pranayama’, which refers to breathing techniques. Despite this, one notable concept that seems to be missing is ‘moksha’.
Moksha is the ultimate goal of traditional yoga, in which a person uses yoga and meditation in order to release oneself from worldly limitations and ascend a higher state of freedom. A major part of this is the release of one’s ego- which is completely lost on Dublin yogis thanks to consumerist culture. This brings into question whether or not modern yoga is yoga at all. Is it simply appropriating the principles of traditional yoga while neglecting others in favour of selling a perfectly tailored fitness centred product?
To investigate this further, Oxygen.ie spoke to Gayatri, a UCD student from India who practiced yoga for over five years before moving to Ireland. When asked whether or not she believed all traditional yoga principles need to be addressed within yoga studios, Gayatri believes “The information matters”.
Speaking on her experience of attempting and subsequently abandoning yoga in Dublin, she claims “western countries have it all wrong. It is lost in translation”. In addition to this, Gayatri highlighted the consumerist nature of yoga practice in Dublin, saying: “I think it is accessible to only wealthy people, it should be accessible to everyone. It is only marketed towards the wealthy here”.
It could be argued that Gayatri’s experience of yoga in Ireland reflects a broader issue for those who wish to practice traditional yoga- a yoga beyond fitness and consumerist culture. Additionally, given that yoga is often suggested to be helpful for illnesses such as endometriosis, anxiety, and depression, it is deeply problematic that this beneficial practice is not inclusive to those who may not be financially capable of attending such classes. It appears much of the principles of yoga have been lost in translation, with consumerism being a major barrier to achieving Moksha in Western interpretations of the practice.