The South Korean Beauty Care Renaissance and the Emergence of Yoga

Well-Being and Yoga There is a “well-being” boom occurring in South Korea, where consumers of all ages have found the time from their work to achieve spiritual and physical nirvana. This renaissance as it were, has become the new currency in Korean life, even within the corporate arena where if you don’t look good, you probably will not promote as good neither. This new obsession is resulting in mega consumption of anti-aging and skin care related products with almost no bounds it seems. Cosmetics, vitamins, proteins, and the new age-religion have all been sought out and businesses are cashing in big time even for the men’s skin care market. A few years back, wine was bought en masse by the female population because it was purported to be good for your skin. According to tv advertisements, “Rice should be substituted with barley and black beans added to milk in Korean breakfast menus. Everywhere you look and every aspect of healthcare from herbal and natural products to body, skin and hair, and spa produts are part of the shopping lists of beauty-centric Korean consumers. Even man’s best friend, yes, the poochies have their own line of products for their own care. Wait a minute, what does all of this have to do with Yoga? Well I am getting to that =) Yoga which has been popular activity in India for ages, is now permeating the popular mindset of fitness-conscious South Koreans. The concept which Yoga purveys- qualities like peace and serenity, give people a heavenly escape from the daily grind of cell phones, traffic jams, longer work hours, and the general craziness of it all. And what about yoga? You do Yoga. The body bends. It stretches. But can it really cure what ails you? People of India have done it for ages. As a path to enlightenment that has thousands of years in its history, yoga has suddenly taken off in Korea. In Korea, you had acupuncture _ a system of identifying centers in the body for flow of life force and energy, from pain to relief. It has commonalities with yoga except that it does not have the spiritual make up. Yoga is viewed as spiritual revival and holistic way to prevent complications with one’s body. However like anything else, you must be in it for the long haul if you want to reap the benefits. Don’t just ride the wave until it crashes.