Sacred Symbols, Empty Practices: Rethinking the Wellness Industry’s Ethics

The global wellness industry has become a marketplace of healing practices, offering everything from yoga and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to Indigenous smudging rituals and Amazonian plant medicine. These traditions, rooted in complex cultural systems, promise healing, connection, and transformation. Yet, in their adaptation for modern consumers, their authenticity is often compromised.

Symbols like Tibetan singing bowls, smudging kits, or ayahuasca ceremonies are frequently presented without the cultural or philosophical frameworks that give them meaning. Techniques are offered by practitioners whose training is often cursory, reducing intricate systems of healing to tools for stress relief or personal optimization. While this domestication has made traditions more accessible, it has also fragmented them, stripping away their transformative potential.

This is not merely a question of aesthetic misrepresentation or poor execution. It reflects deeper structural issues: the commodification of ancient systems and their reduction to surface-level practices. These dynamics not only diminish the traditions themselves but also perpetuate inequities, sidelining the cultures that sustain them.

Aesthetics Without Depth: The Cost of Misrepresentation

At a luxury spa in Vancouver, I booked a signature massage, expecting a simple and relaxing experience. Instead, I was met with an elaborate presentation claiming to be rooted in TCM, promising balance and harmony through a diagnostic process. The space was adorned with Tibetan Buddhist artifacts—singing bowls, ceremonial horns, and sacred motifs—that bore no connection to TCM, reflecting instead a generic “Eastern” aesthetic seemingly intended to evoke mysticism. The practitioner, meanwhile, giggled her way through the so-called TCM intake protocol, undermining any sense of seriousness or respect for the traditions she purported to represent. This blending of unrelated traditions, combined with the lack of professionalism, resulted in a disjointed experience that felt more like a contrived performance than a meaningful encounter.

This is not an isolated example but a reflection of a broader pattern in the wellness industry. Tibetan artifacts, for instance, are sacred tools integral to meditative and ritual practices aimed at cultivating awareness and compassion. When used as decorative props, their spiritual and cultural significance is erased. Similarly, TCM—rooted in the dynamic interplay of qi, yin-yang, and the Five Elements—is often reduced to isolated techniques like acupuncture, devoid of its broader diagnostic and philosophical framework.

By relying on aesthetics over authenticity, the wellness industry diminishes the depth of these practices. Symbols and techniques that were once embedded in cohesive systems of meaning are stripped of their purpose, leaving participants with an experience that feels shallow and disconnected.

Fragmentation and Commodification

Yoga, perhaps the most visible example of this phenomenon, has undergone significant fragmentation. Traditionally, yoga is a holistic discipline encompassing physical postures, breath control, meditation, and ethical principles. It is not merely a series of movements but a path to self-realization and liberation, grounded in centuries of philosophical inquiry.

In many contemporary studios, however, yoga has been reduced to physical postures. Breathwork and meditation are treated as optional, while ethical dimensions like the yamas (moral disciplines) and niyamas (personal observances) are rarely mentioned. What remains is a fitness regimen that serves physical goals but neglects the deeper questions of existence that yoga was designed to address.

At one of the most popular high-end yoga studios in Vancouver, I attended a class where the instructor repeatedly scrolled through her phone while ostensibly leading the session. She would give an instruction, then immediately return to her phone, continuing this pattern throughout the entire class. As a participant, it was disheartening to witness this lack of engagement. While extreme, this incident reflects a broader trend: practitioners who lack the training or philosophical grounding necessary to convey yoga’s full depth. Without a comprehensive understanding of the tradition, even well-meaning instructors risk perpetuating its fragmentation.

Similar patterns emerge in the treatment of other traditions. Smudging, a sacred act of purification within Indigenous cultures, is now marketed as a simple energy-clearing tool, stripped of its communal and ceremonial significance. Peruvian ayahuasca ceremonies, rooted in shamanic practices and spiritual transformation, are repackaged as therapeutic retreats, often without the preparation or integration necessary for safe and meaningful experiences.

The Emotional Toll of Misrepresentation

For individuals whose cultural, spiritual, or medical traditions are at the heart of these practices, the way they are often appropriated and misrepresented can feel profoundly diminishing. To see traditions reimagined in ways that strip them of their meaning is not only disheartening but can also evoke a sense of erasure. These practices, passed down through generations and deeply interwoven with identity and heritage, are frequently reduced to superficial offerings designed for quick consumption.

This erasure can feel akin to a denial of the value and richness of the originating culture itself. Misrepresentation, whether intentional or not, perpetuates stereotypes and often overlooks the wisdom embedded in these systems, reducing them to commodities. For many, this is not merely a matter of cultural insensitivity—it is a form of systemic disrespect that perpetuates inequities and undermines the dignity of the traditions being drawn upon.

Domestication and Sterilization: The Mechanisms of Erasure

The erosion of holistic traditions often begins with domestication. Practices are simplified to fit Western preferences, with unfamiliar or challenging elements—such as communal rituals, moral teachings, or spiritual frameworks—removed. This process smooths over the complexities that make these traditions transformative, reshaping them into easily digestible offerings.

Sterilization takes this erasure further. Cultural and spiritual specificities are stripped away to create products that are neutral, palatable, and marketable. The result is a hollowing-out of traditions, where their ethical and philosophical dimensions are replaced by superficial techniques designed for quick consumption.

These processes are not merely reductive—they perpetuate a kind of epistemic violence, erasing the systems of knowledge that underpin these practices. Traditions that once addressed the interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit are reduced to isolated interventions, leaving participants with an experience that is disconnected and incomplete.

Examples of Thoughtful Adaptation

Despite these challenges, there are instances where wellness spaces and practitioners approach these traditions with respect, depth, and an awareness of their origins. Understanding the historical and cultural context of these practices is essential to preserving their transformative potential. For instance:

• Some yoga studios incorporate philosophy, breathwork, and meditation into their classes, offering a more holistic experience that reflects the discipline’s ancient origins as a path to self-realization and spiritual growth—not just physical fitness.
• Certain acupuncture clinics provide treatments framed within the full context of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), combining dietary advice, herbal remedies, and lifestyle guidance with needlework. This honors TCM’s holistic framework, which balances qi and addresses the interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit.
• Collaborative programs with Indigenous communities have created smudging workshops that preserve the ritual’s sacred significance. These programs actively educate participants about the practice’s cultural roots, fostering respect and reciprocity rather than appropriation.

These examples demonstrate that it is possible to adapt traditions thoughtfully while honoring the depth and cultural specificity that give them meaning. By grounding adaptations in their historical and philosophical frameworks, practitioners ensure these practices remain transformative rather than transactional, offering participants a connection to something greater than themselves.

Principles for Ethical Engagement

To address the challenges of commodification and fragmentation, the wellness industry could benefit from adopting principles that prioritise authenticity and respect. These include:

• Contextual Integrity: Practices are more meaningful when presented within their cultural and philosophical frameworks, preserving their coherence and intent.
• Comprehensive Training: Practitioners benefit greatly from rigorous education, gaining not only technical skills but also an understanding of the ethical and spiritual dimensions of the traditions they represent.
• Reciprocity: Wellness spaces can support the communities that sustain these traditions by offering financial contributions, collaborations, or advocacy efforts, fostering a sense of mutual respect and benefit.
• Transparency: Acknowledging the origins and adaptations of practices builds trust and ensures that they are not misrepresented or stripped of their cultural significance.
• Collaboration with Knowledge Holders: Partnering with cultural stewards or community leaders can ensure that adaptations are informed, respectful, and preserve the integrity of the traditions.

Authenticity as a Pathway to Transformation

Authenticity in wellness is not about rigidly adhering to tradition but about engaging deeply with the principles, values, and intentions that define these practices. Approached with care and respect, these traditions retain their transformative power—not only for individuals but also for the societies they touch.

During a visit to Bhaktapur, an ancient city in Nepal, I purchased a Tibetan singing bowl from a local seller. As he demonstrated its use, he struck the bowl gently with a mallet, producing a clear, resonant tone. He then leaned forward, offering the bowl to me so I could listen. I appreciated the sound but noticed the seller’s expression shift—his demeanor conveyed that there was more he wanted me to understand.

He struck the bowl again, this time holding it close to his own ear. His focus was unwavering, listening with an intensity and care that extended far beyond the tone itself. He listened far into the silence behind it, after the audible sound had faded away. It was not just the sound he was hearing but something more—perhaps the vibrations, the fading resonance, or the silence that followed. The gravity of his actions was unmistakable, and in that moment, I realized how much depth and meaning he attributed to the act.

This exchange stayed with me, not because it was unexpected, but because it demonstrated how traditional practices like these carry layers of significance that are easily overlooked. The singing bowl was not merely an object or a tool; it was part of a practice steeped in intentionality and respect, inviting a level of engagement that demands more than passive observation.

This experience served as a reminder of the care and humility these traditions deserve. When their integrity is preserved, they offer not just tools or techniques but opportunities for profound connection, inviting us to engage deeply with the complexities they hold.

By preserving the depth and integrity of these systems, the wellness industry can create spaces where healing transcends commodification. In such spaces, healing becomes a shared act of connection, care, and growth. For those seeking more than surface-level experiences, this represents a return to the essence of these traditions: profound engagement with the transformative power they were always meant to hold.