What really IS yoga?

Today there are many different types of yoga for the modern consumer to try. There are the studio classics such as Hatha, Vinyasa, Restorative, Power, and Yin. There are yoga-fitness fusion options such as Yogalates, Core Yoga, Yoga Sculpt, Barre Yoga, and Yoga HIIT. There are new interpretations of so-called “traditional” mat-based yoga: Aerial Yoga, Acro Yoga, SUP-Yoga. Additionally “niche” yoga- which includes Partner Yoga, Mommy-and-me Yoga, Laughter Yoga, Dog Yoga (Doga), Equine Yoga, Goat Yoga, Naked Yoga, Cannibis-Infused Yoga, Beer Yoga, Yoga Rave, and probably a whole bunch more growing in popularity as I write.

So which of these is REALLY Yoga? Well- that is a tough question to answer without considering the origins of Yoga in India. The term “Yoga” (meaning: to “yoke” as animals to a cart or a person to the higher power) first appeared in the Vedas over 1500 BC. The Vedas mostly detailed mantras, hymns, and rituals. Roughly 1000 years later, yoga philosophy was developed by both the Hindu text Bhgavad Gita (origination of karma yoga or yoga of action) and by Indian and Tibetan Buddhists who developed a yoga practice (Yogachara) which detailed stages of awareness or consciousness and promoted meditation as the tool.

A lot of early yoga philosophy was poorly organized and difficult to understand until roughly 200 BC when Patanjali defined and organized the practice of yoga into an 8-limbed path in the Yoga Sutras. In the Yoga Sutras, there are brief mentions of asanas or postures, such as they should be both steady and comfortable in practice, but specific asanas are not detailed.

Yoga practice began to take a turn for the physical roughly 500 AD when Tantra Yoga evolved and began to explore the connection between the spiritual and the physical (Shiva and Shakti), leading ultimately to Hatha Yoga (or physical yoga practice AKA the postures). However the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, which was written in the 15th century, only listed a limited number of seated poses…none of the most commonly practiced postures we see today (downward dog, warrior poses, etc) existed.

The radical transformation of yoga into the asana-heavy practice we know today began in the late 1800s when Swami Vivekenanda introduced yoga philosophy to the Western world at large. But it was in the early 1900’s when Tirumalai Krishnamacharya introduced (and probably created) a detailed, carefully sequenced approach to yoga postures, that he promoted for therapeutic effects. Krishnamacharya taught many who have shaped modern yoga including yoga giants such as BKS Iyengar, who gave us the eponymous Iyengar Yoga, Pattabhi Jois, who gave us Ashtanga Yoga, and TKV Desikachar, who pioneered Viniyoga. For this reason Krishnamacharya, is accurately referred to as “the father of modern yoga”. Interestingly, as much as Krishnamacharya lead to the widespread popularity of yoga in the Western world, many of the asanas he introduced were influenced by British/Western gymnastics. So, in other words, gymnastic exercises became a tool to unite with the divine.

So we see that yoga over the centuries has been a fluid, evolving practice, but what is the essential component of the practice which makes it yoga in more than just name? It is tempting to label practices, practitioners, and teachers as authentic and inauthentic- and it is definitely valid to say that some are truly promoting and practicing yoga and others are promoting and practicing something which bears the name yoga, but shares none of the philosophy. But when we are quick to label and categorize, we sometimes miss the point.

The purpose of yoga is to unite with the spirit in all life- to our true Self and to that of those around us, and to the divine. In order to accomplish this, we must seek awareness, dissolve our identities, our attachments, and our aversions. What we have seen over the centuries, is that there are a myriad paths to accomplish this, and currently we are living in a world where all of the paths seem to be available and competing for our business at once! The reason for our plethora of options can be explained by both cynical and idealistic reasons. Cynically, we yoga teachers- due to TOO MANY YOGA TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMS which graduate anyone who can afford the “tuition” and are promoted by studio owners who are struggling to get and stay out of debt (Can I say that yoga is undervalued? But that is a whole other rant…)- are trapped in a viciously competitive market. In order to thrive financially we are encouraged to find a “niche”…and thus some of us have gotten quite creative! Idealistically, different approaches have resonated with different people, who then go on to share what they have experienced and learned with others.

Perhaps a fitness-oriented approach is the best way for some to get out of their head and into their body where they can begin to cultivate true awareness, and moments of mental stillness; perhaps a fitness-oriented approach leads others deeper down a path of attachment to the physical body and to the achievements of the physical body. Perhaps partner yoga, dog yoga, goat yoga etc. helps some realize that connection with another being is more important than connection to material wealth, status, substances etc.; however perhaps this type of yoga as used as a fix to get connection without the yogi having to actually change his/her values or learning to treat others with more kindness in daily life. In other words, what makes it “really yoga” is what is going on in the practitioners head. Someone practicing naked goat yoga on a paddleboard could be doing more to develop their awareness than a practitioner of “traditional” Ashtanga yoga who is comparing their outfit and asana practice with those around him/her (and thus is essentially performing a pseudospiritual gymnastics).

So ask yourself regularly and often why you practice the yoga you practice. As you practice, practice rather than perform or complete it like a task. Reflect on what you have learned from your practice. Notice if you are developing an unhealthy relationship with your practice- you are becoming dependent upon it, or you are dreading it. Don’t be afraid to shake things up, but be honest about your reasons for shaking things up. Little by little this approach will get you closer to the truth.