Viral Beer Yoga video sparks outrage in India; Bira91 clears its position [reactions]

"Yoga is the journey of the self, to the self, through the self," says Bhagavad Gita, the holy scripture of Hindus. Originated in India, Yoga is a system of exercises for the body that involves breath control and helps relax body and mind. Yoga has since been adopted widely across the globe and the world even observes June 21 as International Day of Yoga following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. In India, Yoga is seen as a sacred and spiritual practice and naturally the video about "Beer Yoga" was met with strong criticism in India

A video of a couple of people practicing so-called "Beer Yoga" has gone viral on social media, sparking much outrage over the "contamination of ancient Hindu practice." The viral video is not new, but it was shared on YouTube in July 2017. Some elements of the video, such as captions of "Om Chug Chug" even hurt the Hindu sentiments.

India rejects "Beer Yoga"

A lot of netizens instantly reacted to the video upon its reemergence on Twitter, criticising the whole concept and even pointing out how dangerous it can be. See some reactions below:

When many users criticized Bira91, a popular alcohol brand in India, for being associated with such a campaign, the company issued a clarification saying its beer was used without permission or knowledge.

Where did it begin?

The exact details on the origin of Beer Yoga are hazy, but Germany based BierYoga started conducting sessions mixing beer with yoga in 2016 and the trend picked up. Describing the practice, BierYoga's official website says: "BeerYoga is the marriage of two great loves – beer and yoga. Both are centuries-old therapies for body, mind and soul. The joy of drinking beer and the mindfulness of yoga compliment each other, and make for an energizing experience."

While beer yoga hasn't been as popular, many see it as a fancy gimmick to engage people without any health benefits.