The National Institute of Health (NIH) has conducted its third survey studying trends in complimentary medical practices of Americans. The results show that over 34 percent of Americans use some from of alternative health approach. The most popular is vitamins and minerals, especially fish oil. The study also found that over 21 million Americans now practice yoga; nearly double the amount of practitioners from 2002.

The majority practices to improve their physical well-being. Yet many adults have taken up yoga to treat chronic pain, anxiety, and other aliments. Interestingly, many children have also become involved in yoga. The survey shows that they practice not for exercise but for mindfulness and meditation.

“The low cost and the ability to practice in one’s own home may contribute to yoga’s growing popularity,” the authors of the study write in their report. “Furthermore, public school systems are beginning to incorporate yoga into their fitness programs, which may accelerate use by children in the future.”

The American yoga industry is huge and growing fast. The lessons, clothing, mats, and DVDs generate over $10 billion a year. The health benefits of the ancient Hindu practice are numerous and have been known for centuries. However, many in India are not pleased with America’s infatuation.

“What has spread all over the world is not yoga,” said Prashant Iyengar, son of legendary Indian yoga teacher B.K.S. Iyengar. “It is not even non-yoga; it is un-yoga.”

India’s outrage has been building for some time and has recently come to a head with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi trying to persuade the UN to grant India a geographical indication over yoga, much like France has claimed the term “champagne” over sparkling wine. The difficulty is that there are hundreds of styles of yoga and many differences between the yoga in the East and the yoga in the West.

Yoga, according to the Hindu tradition dating back to 200 BC, is a philosophical and spiritual practice designed to unite the mind, body, and soul. The physical poses are only a small part of this. Vinyasa yoga, the idea of syncing movement with breath in smooth flowing motions, did not come about until the beginning of the 20^th century. Other US “traditions” such as power yoga, hot hatha yoga, and hip hop yoga have been around for little more than a decade.

India hopes to rebrand yoga as authentically Hindu in order to boost India’s popularity and soft power throughout the world.