Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Yoga Mat Smackdown: Hindu Man Asks Santa Monica Yoga Company to Stop Putting Lord Ganesha on Its Mats
Photo by A.C. Thamer via the LAist Featured Photos pool
A yoga mat maker in Santa Monica has pulled designs featuring the Hindu god Lord Ganesha—the deity with an elephant's head and a human body—from its yoga mats after a self-proclaimed spokesman for Hinduism demanded it.Nevadan Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, has made it his mission to stop companies from using—or as he sees it abusing—the signs and symbols associated with Hinduism, whether it's on a yoga mat or T-shirt. He told the Santa Monica Daily Press, "Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1 billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken lightly. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled."
The company YogaMatic, which prints user-submitted images on its yoga mats, found itself in Zed's crosshairs with a design of Lord Ganesha submitted by an independent artist. CEO William Cawley told the Daily Press: "Rather than go into a debate with someone who is clearly trouble, it was easier to take it down. I certainly didn't want to argue about it. Apologies to anyone who was upset. That certainly was not the idea."
Most of the yoga mats feature all the designs you might expect on a mat: landscapes, animals, ocean scenes but also Buddha and the Dalai Lama.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
