Huffing Yoga

State officials recently notified the centers that they are liable for sales tax, which applies to places of “amusement, entertainment or recreation, games and athletic events.”

However, yoga instructors bristle at the state’s determination that yoga is a form of recreation or entertainment. Says Cathleen Williams, owner of Urban Breath Yoga in St. Louis, “Whoever categorized it doesn’t understand what yoga is.”

State officials say religious organizations are exempt from the sales tax, noting that the revenue letters were only sent out to yoga and Pilates businesses, not Hindu temples.