Indians rage as magazine calls pranayama ‘cardiac coherence breathing’

SOCIAL media users have called out a scientific magazine for cultural appropriation after it referred to the pranayam - a yoga exercise - as "cardiac-coherence breathing".

Indians took to social media to criticise the article, titled Proper Breathing Brings Better Health, for "shamelessly appropriating yoga in the name of science".

In the article, writer Christophe André described the cardiac-coherence exercise as involving “inhaling for five seconds, then exhaling for the same amount of time.”

This is similar to pranayama, practised by millions of yoga practitioners and over many years.

Indian politician Shashi Tharoor wrote on Twitter: "Detailed description of the benefits of the 2500-year-old Indian technique of pranayama, dressed up in 21st c. scientific language as "cardiac coherence breathing"! It's taking the West a few millennia to learn what our ancients taught us millennia ago, but hey, you're welcome."

Another Twitter user compared it to Turmeric Latte, a staple of Indian kitchen that was repackaged and sold to the west. Pranayama "will be patented and sold back to us terming it as superior way of living," the user said.

Scientific American justified the article. In a statement, the journal said the article “attributes the ancient practice of controlled breathing exercises at the beginning of the story.”