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The True Goal of Yoga (Part 2): On or Off the Mat?

Practitioners commonly refer to Yoga as on or off the mat. But the Yoga mat is a relatively new creation, usually made of some sort of synthetic rubber or plastic material. Too many people today accept the false notion that using such a mat is suitable for all Yoga practice.

Since the use of a Yoga mat is primarily for asanas, its invention has led to further distortion of the nature of true Yoga. Through the mastery of asana, we lessen the natural tendency for restlessness. We are then increasingly able to meditate on the infinite. Facilitating mindfulness and focus helps us reach the greater goal of our physical practice – higher consciousness in the individual.

Off the yoga mat

In addition to the recent references to Yoga on the mat, there has also been subsequent references to Yoga off the mat. This suggests another form of Yoga, resulting in students now recognizing some other important Yoga practices. A Google search now reveals over 3,000,000 results for the keywords “Yoga off the mat.”

Too often the expression “Yoga off the mat” mistakenly implies that real Yoga is always on some sort of synthetic mat. Here the ancient tradition of authentic Yoga is set aside for the sake of promoting a modern and limited (mostly physical) form of Yoga. Sadly, many of the Yoga business channels and so-called Yoga communities share in this error.

Big business, big confusion

Most businesses currently using the name Yoga grow and become popular in short order. They prompt such great commercial success that the Yoga industry has even become a business category. Googling the keywords "Yoga industry" reveals over 316,000,000 results.

The latest survey (2016) conducted by Yoga Journal (USA) reports the following:

  • It is a $16.8 billion dollar per year industry
  • Over 37 million people in US are regular practitioners of Yoga
  • About 80 million more are interested in Yoga or likely to try it

Modern commercialized Yoga and the use of oxymorons for promotion frequently go hand-in hand. Whereas real Yoga is an inner experience of the union between the individual self and the Universal Self. Therefore "Yoga studio" and "Yoga class" fall into the category of an oxymoron.

Stay tuned, coming up next; “Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 3)”

Yoga – Is It a Religion? (Part 2)

Again – yoga means union! The word Yoga means union, and comes from "yuj" which means "to join," to bring together into union the various aspects of yourself that were never divided in the first place. From that comes the direct experience of yourself (Self) that is beyond the false identities stemming from the seemingly countless colorings of attraction and aversion. Another, more contemporary adaptation of this principle is the word holistic, meaning to become whole, or to realize your underlying wholeness.

Patanjali describes this in the Yoga Sutras (1.2) where he defines Yoga as the mastery or control (nirodha) of the modifications of the chitta (“stuff” of the mind or mind field), allowing the true Self to then come shining through (1.3). Patanjali also explains that the purpose of Yoga is discrimination (viveka) among the inner processes (Sutras 2.26-2.29). Similar processes of mastering and/or integrating the mind may be a part of some religions, but that does not mean that regulating your mind in this way is, in itself, a religion.

Yoga and religion both share many common virtues. As with many religions, yoga also recommends meditation on, and cultivation of lovingness, compassion, goodwill and acceptance, as well as non-violence, truthfulness, training the senses, non-possessiveness, and other such virtues (see Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras 1.33, 2.30-2.32). So although, religions and yoga both recommend cultivating such virtues, it is self evident that cultivating these ways of being or living are not themselves religion. When these are practiced in yoga, the subtler, finer, truer aspects of our being are revealed, and this may or may not be seen in the context of religion.

Yoga – Is It a Religion? (Part 2)

By definition, is yoga a religion?

1. According to Encarta World English Dictionary, religion posits that people's beliefs and opinions concern the existence, nature, and worship of a deity or deities, and divine involvement in the universe and in human life.

  • Yoga does not require the worship of any specific "deity or deities." The word divine is defined (in dictionaries) as coming from, or connected with God or gods. Yoga does not give specific instructions for the "existence, nature, [or] worship". Yet, yoga acknowledges that bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion is a valid aspect of yoga. Yoga does not tell you where to direct that devotion, or the specific methods by which you should do it. This “direction” of devotion is left to personal religious preferences.

2. Religion adheres to a particular institutionalized or personal system of beliefs and practices relating to the divine.

  • The word divine is defined as relating to God or gods, and yoga itself does not set forth any designation to what or whom one should direct their worship, nor does yoga require it. Although yoga definitely acknowledges the value of bhakti yoga, it does not dictate which form that should take for an individual person. Also, yoga itself is not institutionalized as a religious system, although some of the principles are contained within many religions or other religious systems (examples: kindness to other people, taking care of one's body, regulating breathing, or quieting the mind).

3. Religions establish a set of strongly-held beliefs, values, and attitudes that somebody lives by.

  • Some may argue that yoga is a religion by the very definition of religion as being a set of strongly-held beliefs, values, and attitudes that one lives by. This is not necessarily true since this could also apply to many other things as well, including governmental, educational, psychological, social, cultural, or familial ways of living.

Fortunately, most people have a working, day-to-day, common language sense of the meaning of a religion, and it simply does not apply to yoga.

Coming next, part 3 of "Yoga – Is It a Religion?"

Rae Indigo is ERYT 500

Yoga – Is It a Religion? (Part 1)

Yoga is in Religion. Religion is not in Yoga … Swami J.

While Yoga may be found in many religions, the numerous yoga practices involving body, breath and mind, along with their transcendent goal of direct experience, are generally neither characteristic of any particular religion, nor typically practiced by the adherents of any religion.

Yoga means “union.” It is the joining together the aspects of ourselves which were never divided in the first place.

To say that the word yoga itself is a religion makes about as much sense as saying that the words “union” or “holistic” constitute a religion.

Yoga – Is It a Religion?

Keep in mind that there is not universal agreement on these points, or even the definition of yoga for that matter. Although there are many people who feel that yoga is not a religion, there are also those who feel that yoga is a religion.

So this begs the question; what's in religion that’s missing with Yoga? Here are a few things:

  • Yoga has no deity to worship.
  • Yoga has no worship services to attend.
  • Yoga has no rituals to perform.
  • Yoga has no sacred icons.
  • Yoga has no creed or formal statement of religious belief.
  • Yoga has no requirement for a confession of faith.
  • Yoga has no ordained clergy or priests to lead religious services.
  • Yoga has no institutional structure, leader or group of overseers.
  • Yoga has no membership procedure.
  • Yoga has no congregation of members or followers.
  • Yoga has no system of temples or churches.

To point out that Yoga is not religion (or that yoga is in religion, but religion not in yoga), is just stating facts, but these facts are not opposed to religion. Suggestion that one should or should not practice religion is not what is being described here. Religion can be extremely useful, and there are those who would say it’s absolutely essential. Nonetheless anyone can practice yoga, and do so either with or without religion being involved.

Practitioners of yoga tend to be very clear about yoga not conflicting with any religion. However, there are many thousands of denominations and sects within many diverse religions. Some of these groups have religious beliefs that might seem very different to another’s beliefs.

Some say that certain foods should be eaten for example, while others say that the same food item should not be eaten. Some suggest polygamy, while others require monogamy. Some agree with medical treatment, while others say that healing is solely God’s job, and that faith, not modern medical treatment should be employed. Some believe in social freedoms, while others believe more in strict religious discipline.

Then there are those basic practices like calming the autonomic nervous system through diaphragmatic breathing that some consider to be of a different religion, while others see this as a universal human process from which anyone can benefit. Some others consider making the body flexible to be a part of religion, while others see it is physical fitness, while still others see it as a part of systematic, non-sectarian meditation. So while some of the customs of various religions may seem odd to the others, these are the realities of the diversity of humanity.

Emphasizing this diversity in this article is not intended to resolve these issues, or to offer a solution. However, it seems useful to accept that, to some degree, there are people who consider yoga to be religion, even though we may feel certain that it is not. After all, it is always appropriate to respect (and honor) the choice of others.

Coming next, part 2 of "Yoga – Is It a Religion?"

Rae Indigo is ERYT 500

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 16)

When do you think the point comes that yoga should no longer be called yoga?

A good analogy here would be to consider a car that has missing parts. Visualize a car and a friend asking, “What is that?” You say, "It's a car." Now imagine that this car is missing its wheels, an engine, and the doors and seats are gone and your friend asks you the same question. Still, you repeat, "It's a car.” Or you might say something like, "it’s junk." Although it may be hard to determine the exact point of change, but somewhere along the way, in removing the parts, you'd naturally have to stop calling it “a car.”

Now apply this to yoga – stripped of its higher goals, can it still be called yoga?

Imagine yoga with missing parts. At what point, and after how much adjustment and conformity to modern culture, does yoga cease to be yoga? When yoga is stripped of its higher goals and methods, can it still be called yoga?

Imagine holding a window, and saying to someone, "This is a house!" To demonstrate asanas (postures) saying, "This is yoga!" makes as much sense as saying that a single window is a complete house. Both are confusing a minor, although useful part with the whole.

Some of the most common comments used to justify the modern devolutions of yoga are saying things like, "But it's useful!” or, “It helped me!" When the true nature of yoga is pointed out to them they tend to feel that authentic yoga is somehow in opposition to doing other activities that are of benefit to human beings. Just because people more become flexible and less stressed, it doesn’t mean that the methods they use are necessarily called yoga.

The fact that physical postures (or modern revisions) are effective is not in question. Doing asanas is beneficial, but calling them yoga is a different matter. Almost any physical exercise, such as walking calisthenics or playing tennis is useful, but that does not make it yoga. Aerobics, jazzercise, Zumba, and kickboxing, etc. may also be useful, but that does not make them yoga. Massage therapy, physical therapy, and respiratory therapy are also useful, but that does not make them yoga. Psychotherapy and counseling are useful, but that does not make them yoga.

Some modern Yoga teachers are often found arguing that the yoga they are teaching is only a physical program supported by physicians and the medical community, and they place little or no emphasis or acknowledgement on the authentic spiritual goals of Yoga. Thus, we have a situation where modern Yoga teachers are usually ignoring or minimizing the spiritual goal of yoga.

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 16)

If you are a sincere student and are seeking authentic yoga it will be necessary to recognize the authentic vs. the adaptations: There are many challenges faced by those who are seeking authentic yoga as the path to Enlightenment or Self-realization, the path that it is intended to be. As with many endeavors in life, progress begins with understanding. Understanding the current situation within the modern Yoga community will help tremendously in sharpening one's ability to recognize the difference between modern adaptations and the authentic, traditional yoga of the ancients.

Once one sees the difference between the adaptations and the authentic, it then requires determination to be in a minority and to not just get caught up in the flow of the latest fad. That determination, followed by proper action will lead the sincere student of authentic Yoga to an authentic path.

It is good to keep in mind that it is said, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” It is also said that the ideal teacher will come for each student, depending on the aspirations the seeker holds in their heart.

This ends this series on the “Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga”

Rae Indigo is ERYT 500

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 15)

With all the names and modern styles of yoga the question arises: What kind of Yoga do you do?

All the recent “inventions” just confuse matters more. The essential, authentic nature of yoga is even further confused in the public eye by the way the methods are presented and promoted. By reviewing almost any list of the best known dozen or so modern yoga "styles," it will quickly become evident that almost all of these contemporary styles have been invented in the last few decades. Very few yoga teachers today will simply teach "Hatha Yoga," the physical yoga system of the past (that actually had spiritual goals), let alone the “whole” true spiritual yoga. Remember that even Hatha Yoga (asana + pranayama) is part of the eight limbs of Raja Yoga and Raja Yoga is only one of the four traditional schools of yoga.

In addition, many, if not most of the modern "styles" of yoga have the surname of a currently living man in front of the word yoga, as if that man, himself, has invented yoga. This is not to say that these teachers aren’t competent or even superb in their physical abilities. They may do a very good job within the limited scope of their “personalized” teachings.

Oftentimes this “personalization” takes the liberty of distorting Sanskrit terms. Several modern systems have taken an ancient Sanskrit word or phrase that has a specific spiritual meaning, and then adapted that terminology to some set of postures or practices that were apart from the original intent.

Even worse, some of these modern teachers have then trademarked these ancient, traditional names, further misleading an unsuspecting public. This leaves the would-be students with the impression that the current day founder of this “brand name” system is somehow linked to the original teachings associated with that word or phrase. It may further lead people to believe that these new teachers also have some expertise or familiarity with the traditional practice or level of attainment authentically associated with that word or phrase.

Most of the modern "styles" of Yoga did not exist a few decades ago, while yoga itself is thousands of years old.

These modern styles are very suspect as they should be. If you turned back the clock a hundred years, or maybe fifty, or twenty, or even less, very few (if any at all) of these current styles, systems, or methods of yoga would have yet existed. Most of the founders of these modern, so-called yoga styles were not even born. Therefore, these modern styles are, by their very nature, suspect. Especially when, at the same time, it is claimed that yoga is thousands of years old. This is not a mere call to go back in time to some theoretically more pristine era of yoga. It really is a case of throwing away the baby with the bath water.

To repeat the question at the beginning of this article: What kind of yoga do you do?

Traditionally, there are four schools of Yoga. If asked, "What kind of Yoga do you do?" the answer would be one of these four, or a combination of them. Briefly, the four schools of Yoga are:

  • Karma Yoga: The yoga of action, doing the practices while fulfilling one's duties in the external world.
  • Jnana Yoga: The yoga of knowledge or self-enquiry, knowing oneself at all levels through a process of contemplation and introspection.
  • Bhakti Yoga: The yoga of devotion, of surrender to the divine force or God, practiced in ways consistent with one's own religion.
  • Raja Yoga: The meditative school of yoga, such as systematized by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 15)

Additionally, it is important to note that yoga itself has been classically considered to be one of "six schools of Indian philosophy."

A true Yogi, one who sincerely practices authentic Yoga, may do just yoga, meaning some combination of Karma, Jnana, Bhakti, and Raja Yoga, in the context of the six systems of Indian philosophy and practice.

Paramahansa Yogananda, the well-known author of Autobiography of a Yogi, responds to the question "What is Yoga?" in the text The Essence of Self-Realization: "Yoga means union.” Yoga is loosely translated as the English word “yoke.” Yoga means union with God, or, union of the little, ego-self with the divine Self, the infinite Spirit. Most people in the West, and sadly many in India, confuse yoga with Hatha Yoga, the system of physical practice.

Stay tuned, this series will continue – coming up next, the final installment in this series; “Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 16).” This next blog article will include some final thoughts and tips.

Rae Indigo is ERYT 500

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 14)

Teacher Training (TT) programs often avoid the spiritual aspect of yoga. Just a brief review of some of these schools and seminar offerings will reveal that in many modern yoga teacher training programs, only a small percentage of the curriculum deals with the spiritual aspects of Yoga, and these spiritual aspects are to be the true focus of yoga. Here again we see this modern focus leaning heavily toward the physical aspects of yoga and so limited compared to the authentic yoga of the ancients.

In many of these TT programs one can become a "certified" yoga teacher without having spent a single minute engaging the face-to-face instruction of a teacher studying the traditional yoga texts.

Do you really want to become certified with no face-to-face teaching of authentic yoga? The Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Yoga Sutras are two of the most authoritative texts in Yoga. Sadly, as a common example of the current state of modern yoga teacher training, the most well known agency in America (that claims certifying authority for yoga schools) has structured its standards with such a focus on the physical that it is possible for a student to become a certified yoga teacher without having spent a single minute in the face-to-face instruction of a teacher who is well versed in these texts or any of the other traditional Yoga texts.

About yoga in the US: Georg Feurstein, a well recognized scholar and teacher says: "It's a mess"

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 14) 

As if the state of yoga and yoga teacher training here in the west were not already bad enough, there’s an online company that has started to offer a $49.99 online yoga teacher training program. All you have to do is purchase their program via credit card, read their material, and take a written online exam, which consists of multiple choice questions. You can become a "Certified Yoga Instructor" and will also receive an online transcript that mentions your score, which can be used "to prove your certified credentials". Interestingly, their promotional material even explains that the certificate that you will receive does not even mention the word “online.”

When asked by LA Yoga Magazine, “How would you describe Yoga in the US today?” Georg Feurstein elaborates:

“It’s a mess. And you can quote me on that. Anything that comes to America or the West in general, immediately gets individualized and commercialized. There has always been great diversity in traditional Yoga, and this diversity was based on the experience of masters. Today even beginning teachers feel qualified to innovate and create their own trademarked Yoga system.

"So, looking at the Yoga movement today, part of me feels very saddened by it, but then I also see that it contains the seeds of something better. Also, amazingly, Yoga can be beneficial even when it is reduced down to posture practice. But people shortchange themselves when they strip Yoga of its spiritual side."

It’s distressing that there are Asana teachers who say that they do understand the authentic goals of yoga, and would like to share these higher teachings with their students. However, some of them who teach at well known "Yoga Studios" around the country (USA) have privately confided that they have been directly told by studio owners to not teach this, and that if they do, they will no longer be allowed to teach there. This puts these teachers in an awkward position. Even though they understand and seek authentic yoga in their personal lives they’re discouraged (sometimes forbidden) from sharing this with students out of fear for losing students and their payments for classes.

Be positive, there’s a good chance the pendulum will swing back. Although modern yoga teaching may have gone far off track in recent years, there is some movement towards providing training that focuses on the authentic and every yoga teacher should be encouraged to head in that direction. It seems that the pendulum has swung so far away that it might slowly be starting to swing back to the real goals of authentic and traditional yoga.

Stay tuned, this series will continue – coming up next; “Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 15).” This next blog article will illustrate some modern styles of yoga, their names and how they differ from the four traditional schools of yoga.

Rae Indigo is ERYT 500

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 13)

There are those who turn away from yoga as spiritual pursuit and seek elsewhere for meditation instruction and techniques. Even among some of the teachers, scholars, authors, and publishers who profess to be experts in yoga, more than a few turn away from traditional yoga meditation to “customize” practices of meditation and contemplation and call them their own. It’s almost unbelievable, but it’s not uncommon for so-called yoga teachers to recommend that their students practice yoga solely for the physical body, and instruct them it’s not always necessary to follow practices such as introspection, contemplation and meditation to learn yoga.

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 13)

As a result yoga in the West has only scratched the surface of authentic yoga.

It is true that yoga as a means for spiritual unfoldment is quite compatible with any religious orientation. It is common for people who have pursued the authentic spiritual practices of yoga to report that they become even closer to own their religious roots. Thus there should be absolutely no conflict. Although, the reverse is not necessarily true, not all religions bring their followers closer to the goals of proper yoga practice. 

It would be hard to imagine people walking into a restaurant and ordering a bottle of “Christian Communion” with their meal? Of course not, instead they order a bottle of wine. Otherwise, it would be taken as a joke. Similarly, we wouldn’t call eating bread with your meal “Christian Communion,” we’d simply call it eating bread? But people will walk into a health spa, gym or recreational center and call some of the physical practices people do there “yoga,” completely disregarding its true and full meaning?

Also, it is sad but true that some other teachers of yoga (both from the East and the West), teach in a way that worships teachers,deities, rituals and/or dogmas that are not known to their students, and this even further confuses the issue of what yoga is truly about. This is not to say that teachers should necessarily be forbidden to present their religion. Rather, the point is that by not clearly acknowledging the difference between their religion and authentic yoga, they are setting the stage for confusion about the true nature of yoga.

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 13)

So, is Yoga a religion? Answer: NO!

Yoga is contained within religions. Religions are not contained within yoga. Yoga means union. It is the joining together the aspects of ourselves which (in reality) were never divided in the first place.

Too many teachers and students are being deprived. There are modern yoga teachers who are missing out on authentic, traditional yoga because of their misunderstanding, and as a result, the higher yogic practices are not even followed by them. In other words, they cannot teach or learn the more authentic perspectives of yoga if they do not know about them and they remain deprived of much of the wisdom of the ancient sages.

David Frawley, is quoted in “Yoga Journal” as saying:

Yoga in the West "has only scratched the surface of the greater Yoga tradition," he says. "The Yoga community in the West is currently at a crossroads. Its recent commercial success can be used to build the foundation for a more profound teaching, aimed at changing the consciousness of humanity. Or it can reduce Yoga to a mere business that has lost connection with its spiritual heart. The choice that Yoga teachers make today will determine this future."

Stay tuned, this series will continue – coming up next; “Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 14).” This next blog article will look at how some yoga teacher training programs are missing the point of true yoga.

Rae Indigo is ERYT 500

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 12)

Yoga as a spiritual tool – For a student longing for spiritual attainment, the path of traditional, authentic yoga may be a perfect fit, including all of the many aspects that it may encompass. However, when an authentic seeker of spiritual truths starts to explore the landscape of paths, yoga is commonly not pursued as a spiritual tool because "everybody knows" (actually they assume – and incorrectly) that yoga is merely a physical exercise program.

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 12)

Of course it’s not true that yoga is a merely physical fitness program, although it appears that way to the majority of people who are reminded of the postures (asanas). Because of these erroneous appearances, many sincere seekers are not finding authentic yoga, which embodies some of the highest teachings and practices known to humanity.

Yoga focuses on the spiritual, right from the very beginning.

By following the path of authentic yoga the student/aspirant not only approaches the attainment of spiritual realization, but also benefits from a host of side-effects which might include physical health, the elimination or reduction of some diseases, and/or promotion of a state of health and well-being. The intent of yoga is to focus on the spiritual, right from the very beginning of practice. By engaging such an authentic orientation of yoga, many fruits will come, including the physical benefits.

The sincere student needs to re-affirm the true nature of authentic yoga. This is not a matter of changing the path of those who practice various “adaptations” of yoga, or small, isolated parts of yoga. They have a perfect right to do as they wish. However, by clearly re-affirming the true nature of authentic yoga and making this available to all true seekers, in a wide array of venues, people are more likely to be attracted. It is fortunate that at least a small percentage of teachers are trying to do this.

The journey of yoga to yoga is a Sacred Pilgrimage.

Imagine taking a sacred pilgrimage (Yatra) to a sacred place high in the Himalayas. During your journey you might fly on an airplane, ride in a car, and do lots of walking. The entire journey is one of a pilgrimage as long as you maintain a heartfelt conviction for the destination you are seeking.

The key that makes all the aspects of your journey; the airplane, the car, and the walking a Yatra is the intentionality in your heart for the destination being sought. It is this intentionality for the goal called yoga that makes the process leading there also called yoga, not merely the actions themselves.

The fact that you move your body this way or that, or do some breathing practices, doesn’t unto itself, constitute yoga. Yoga is the journey (Yatra) towards yoga, which is the union being sought.

If you are not working with relationships in the external world, with your personality, with your body, with your breath, or the levels of your mind with this intentionality towards the destination called yoga, then the process along the way is simply not yoga.

It is not hard to find practitioners and workshop leaders who provide breath training for health reasons, and do so without using the word yoga or making any mention of attaining or realizing the higher union that is at the core of yoga. These trainers are to be admired for not calling their work yoga, even though breath training is a part of yoga. This is as it should be.

So we must call into question those others who teach work with body, breath and mind and call their practices yoga, while completely ignoring the goal or destination of authentic yoga?

The destination of yoga is yoga, period. Any other use of the practices is simply not yoga.

Stay tuned, this series will continue – coming up next; “Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 13).” This next blog article will continue this discussion about yoga and its use (and/or abuse) as a spiritual tool.

Rae Indigo is ERYT 500

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 11)

In this article we’ll address yoga and the variety of fitness programs available today.

It easy to see there has been a commingling of methods here. As mentioned in previous blogs the word yoga has really come into popularity lately. There are many other styles of exercise, ranging from aerobics to calisthenics to jazzercise to kick boxing and quite a few of these have come to be associated with yoga (As odd as it may seem, somebody has even come up with yoga for dogs!).

There are two main results that have come from this commingling of methods:

  • Participants come to believe that these other forms of exercise are a part of yoga, which they are not.
  • Because of this authentic yoga is left even further out of view and true yoga practice is becoming unavailable in some circumstances.

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 11)

Let’s admire those who keep the names separate. Some providers of exercise programs have integrated yoga postures into their teachings, and have resisted using the word yoga. These people are to be admired for having the wisdom to not misrepresent yoga by presenting commingled or watered-down versions under the name yoga. By presenting their programs in this way, their students are getting some of the benefits of this small physical part of yoga, while at the same time not distorting authentic yoga in the eyes of their students.

Functional training is a good example of types of programs integrating yoga principles, but without hijacking the name yoga. Leaving its higher goals to qualified yoga teachers is the correct approach towards functional training or functional exercise. From this perspective, some of the postures of hatha yoga are understood as only a part of this broader physical fitness perspective. The increasing use of terms like “functional” is very good news for traditional, authentic yoga, in that it more accurately states what is actually being done, instead of deceptively (or by omission) calling the practices yoga.

Bikram Choudhury, when interviewed by CBS in 2005 said in regard to yoga being what the interviewer referred to as ‘meditative,’ Bikram responded, "No, that's the biggest problem in America. That's the Yoga introduced to America. Yoga means sit and close your eyes and you look at the lamp, or look at the crystal. Absolutely not; absolutely you are not ready for that kind of Yoga.

"You use the body as a medium to bring the mind back to the brain. Perfect marriage between body and mind. Then, you can reach and knock the door to the spirit.

"Yoga is free. It belongs to the earth. It's a god.

"The philosophy of human life: Who you are? Human. Why you came to this earth as a human? What ultimate destination of your life? To understand all these things you have to study Yoga."

Stay tuned, this series will continue – coming up next; “Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 12).” This next blog article will discuss yoga and its use (and/or abuse) as a spiritual tool.

Rae Indigo is ERYT 500

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 10)

Yoga and money – Is it wrong to use the subtle methods and powers of yoga as a money making technique?

We don’t have to look far to find a seminar about making money with Yoga. If calling yoga a fitness program, physical therapy or medical treatment isn’t already over the top, it has now also become common to promote yoga seminars and books in respect to yoga being a money making technique, especially here in the West. These so-called “yoga” promoters oftentimes don't openly proclaim their instructions as a means for making money, but instead, they commonly use the terms like prosperity, success, abundance or affluence. They insinuate that with their guidance the student or practitioner will attract those attributes to themselves.

This isn’t referring to teachers that charge money for training students and teaching classes. That is an entirely different matter. This is talking about intentionally using the subtle methods and powers of yoga to generate monetary wealth or to cause riches to come their way. The fruits of practicing yoga come naturally to sincere students as a byproduct of yoga. However, to conduct seminars on how to channel genuine convictions and practices into producing financial wealth is contrary to the ultimate goals of true yoga practice.

Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 10)

It has been said (Joseph Goebbels), “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”

Be careful what you choose to believe!

"Yoga is a moneymaking technique.”

It doesn't take a great amount of reflection to see that this statement is a reframing of attachment, hedonism and/or greed, which yoga would have us see as being obstacles to spiritual practice, rather than goals to be attained.

There is a commonly accepted assertion that teachers must meet students where they are. Proper instruction is the epitome of that process, while on the other hand; greedy teachers provide well packaged and marketed seminars to greedy students. They promote the use of “yoga” as a vehicle to make money. By doing this, the seekers are misled, receiving a form of pseudo-validation for their inner (or subconscious) longings for external pleasure. This is not to suggest that yoga should have absolutely nothing to do with any acceptable moneymaking propositions or that aspiring yogis should live in abject poverty. It is simply a result of confusing goals and methods.

Yoga is not a moneymaking technique, nor was it ever meant to be. Any use of yoga for such a purpose is a corruption of true yoga practice and devolution of authentic yoga.

Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, the head of the Himalayan Institute of the USA writes in an article entitled “Real Yoga” that:

"Yoga has become the health and fitness system of choice. This is odd because it is the mind – not the body – that is the main target of all genuine Yoga practices …. To regard Yoga primarily as a set of practices for increasing strength and flexibility while calming the nervous system is to mistake the husk for the kernel.”

Stay tuned, this series will continue – coming up next; “Approaches to the True Goal of Yoga (Part 11).” This next blog article will discuss the commingling of yoga and fitness programs and the resulting consequences.

Rae Indigo is ERYT 500