MPR News with Kerri Miller: Women of Faith

Women of Faith: Suhag Shukla on reclaiming one's religion

People stretching for yoga
People practice yoga on the top of the Montparnasse Tower on July 4, 2017, in Paris.
Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt | AFP | Getty Images

Yoga's popularity has ballooned over the past few decades. More than 20 million Americans now practice yoga regularly. But yoga's move to the mainstream also stripped away its Hindu roots. What do you do when your minority religion becomes co-opted by a larger culture?

Suhag Shukla is the executive director of the Hindu American Foundation.
Suhag Shukla is the co-founder and executive director of the Hindu American Foundation.
Courtesy photo

That's a question Suhag Shukla tackles daily. In her work as the executive director of the Hindu-American Foundation, Shukla seeks to gently educate. Hinduism is the fourth-largest religion in America, but Hindus still account for less than 1 percent of the population. So Shukla steps into the gap and asks Americans to appreciate and acknowledge the many ways Hindu concepts have added to our culture.

As part of our continuing Women of Faith series, Shukla and Kerri Miller talk about yoga, meditation and how Hindu's contributions to culture are often overlooked.

Guest:
Suhag Shukla, co-founder and executive director of the Hindu American Foundation