I remember coming back to the US in 2012, after living in India for two years, going to a few yoga classes and thinking, “when did handstands become the norm for inversions?” Where I was in India, I didn’t see any handstands. I had just finished a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training with my teacher in traditional Hatha Yoga. My teacher was adamant that we learn, Yoga is more than a physical practice.

Over the past 9 years, I have watched Modern Yoga become more and more about the physical postures, the body, and new ways to do the postures all the rage.  The roots of Yoga are being diluted and lost. Yes, Asana (physical postures) have wonderful benefits for the health of the body, which is a great bonus and all good if that’s what you want to focus on. For those of you who would like to take Yoga off the mat and more into a lifestyle practice, I’d like to share a little bit about what Traditional Yoga is all about.

TRADITIONAL YOGA

Traditional Yoga, any path you take, has the goal of moksha or Self-realization, otherwise known as enlightenment, and to remove suffering. There are many different paths of Yoga that a person can take, though I personally have come to realize that these paths are connected rather than completely separate. 

• Hatha Yoga is the path of using the body to balance subtle energy. Traditionally, postures come from a number of different scriptures, including Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and many traditional poses are actually sitting postures. Other techniques are also used, including Pranayama, Mudra, and Bhandas.
• Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion. It is more than just singing and chanting. It is a deep devotion to the divine that incorporates every aspect of a devotee’s life. Chanting is used to connect spiritually to the divine.
• Karma Yoga is the path of action. Every action is taken in the name of the divine or True Nature. This practice is all about detaching from the fruits of the material world and every action being done to unite more with the spiritual plane.
• Raja Yoga is the path of the mind. Patanjali Yoga Sutra is a scripture of Raja Yoga, not Hatha Yoga. This path focuses on calming the fluctuations of the mind. As a mental health therapist, I feel this form of Yoga is the ancient form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The only physical posture that is mentioned is a seated posture for meditation.

There are many other Yoga paths. Remember, a Yoga path means the ultimate goal is moksha. So you can see, Yoga does not equal asana or physical posture.

OTHER COMMONALITITES OF TRADITIONAL YOGA PATHS

Some other traditions that have been a part of Yoga are:

• Teacher to student passing of knowledge. Yoga came into being before things were written down. Teachers would pass the knowledge onto their students orally. 
• Yogis would have a Guru. Guru means spiritual teacher or spiritual master. The Guru would help guide a student according to where they were on the spiritual path, helping the student with spiritual lessons. The Guru would play the role of both spiritual father and mother.
• A daily sadhana or spiritual practice is of utmost importance. There are two parts to practice. The first is a stand alone, daily practice that is done at the same time each day and many times given to a Yogis by their Guru. The second is incorporating practices throughout the day, in daily life, as life is also a Guru.
• Be a part of a Sangha or spiritual community of like-minded people. There are many distractions in daily life, including people who are not on a spiritual path. Having regular contact with others who are committed and have a regular sadhana helps stay focused, receive feedback, and be a part of a community.
• Self-study of Svadhaya. Yoga is about self-experience. It’s taking what is taught and exploring yourself to see what you discover. This is one thing I love about Yoga. It’s an inner-exploration to find your True Self.

From these points, you can see that Traditional Yoga is a spiritual lifestyle, not just a class one takes a couple times a week. 

GOING BEYOND THE MAT

What I’ve found with Modern Yoga is that even though it can be a benefit to “health, fitness and, wellbeing,” it misses the profound benefit of moving more and more towards Self-knowing, lasting peace of mind and contentment, and living more from love, rather than fear. In fact, some of the Modern Yoga practices I’ve seen can lead further into comparison, not feeling ‘good enough’, and competition. This is completely the opposite of what Yoga truly is all about.

I am grateful for Modern Yoga as it is a way for many of us, who come from a physically-based culture, to be introduced to Yoga postures and thus to Yoga. I would not be where I’m at or who I am today without this. To encourage those who are finding some benefit after a yoga class, like feeling more calm and centered, please, listen to yourself and get curious. Seek and learn more to find how to have more lasting benefits from Yoga as a lifestyle.

LEARN MORE!

If you are curious to start learning more, join my FREE, 10-Day Yamas and Niyamas Introduction Email challenge. The Yamas and Niyamas are ethical principles of Raja Yoga, named in Patanjali Yoga Sutras. Each day you’ll receive a 7-10 minute video on one of the ethical principles (there are ten).  Starts September 5th!!

NAMASTE.