Balancing yoga traditions with modern wellness requires flexibility

As yoga enthusiasts across the country celebrate Yoga Awareness Month this September, it’s hard to ignore how much the practice has evolved, especially in the West. Born as a spiritual and meditative practice rooted in ancient Indian traditions, yoga has become a global phenomenon that often focuses on physical health and wellness.

A 2022 survey by the Centers for Disease Control found that nearly 17% of American adults aged 18 or older had practiced yoga in the previous twelve months, and that about 57% of those who did included meditation in their practice recorded.

But even if it includes meditation and other mindfulness practices, how similar is modern yoga to the practice born in India millennia ago?

Loriliai Biernacki, a professor of religious studies at the University of Colorado Boulder who teaches a course called Yoga: Ancient and Modern, notes that what is now taught in studios may bear varying degrees of similarity to yoga’s origins.

Mental mastery to physical well-being

The traditional roots of yoga go far beyond the stretches and poses seen in most local studios and fitness centers today. According to Biernacki, the first yoga practitioners focused on mental mastery and spiritual growth. Historical documents also point to beliefs that skilled “yogis” could acquire magical powers to read another person’s thoughts or transform objects.

“The goals are essentially what we might think of as enlightenment,” Biernacki explains, “with the terms ‘mokṣha,’ ‘kaivalya,’ and ‘nirvāṇa,’ which are Sanskrit words that represent yoga’s basic ideals of liberation, detachment, and karmic behavior to describe. edition.

In its original context, yoga emphasized mastering the mind and finding peace rather than achieving physical fitness.

As described in Sir Edward Arnold’s translation of the Bhagavad Gita, the yogi is one who:

Separated as he would sit,
Steadfast meditation, lonely,
His thoughts controlled, his passions subdued,
Get rid of possessions. In an honest, quiet place
Because he has his permanent residence, not much education,
Not too low yet, let him stay, his goods
A cloth, a deerskin and the Kusa grass.
There, as he focused his thoughts on the One,
Controlling the heart and senses, silent, calm,
Let him perform and achieve yoga
Purity of soul, motionless
Body and neck and head…

However, modern yoga, especially as practiced in the West, has shifted its priorities.

“Yoga practice today is very focused on physical health when you go to a studio to practice yoga,” notes Biernacki. Postures, or āsanas, are now central to most yoga classes, and the practice is often associated with physical well-being, flexibility and relaxation.

“Āsana is not something we encounter in yoga practice at the turn of the first millennium, but around the 12th century or so we begin to see an increasing emphasis on a variety of different body postures in the practice of yoga. yoga,” Biernacki explains.

This shift is no coincidence. Commercialization has played a major role in transforming yoga from a spiritual journey to a global wellness trend. Biernacki points to the influence of marketing and the rise of yoga as a booming industry as key factors driving this shift.

“Of course, commercialization has played an outsized role. A great resource in this area is Andrea Jain’s book on yoga transformation in the modern age, Selling Yoga,” she says.

While physical health is undoubtedly valuable, evolving goals raise the question of whether modern yoga has strayed too far from its roots. The answer may lie in the way individuals practice yoga and whether there is room to reconnect with its original mental and spiritual aspects, Biernacki says.

Appropriation or evolution?

As the popularity of yoga has increased in the West, so have discussions about cultural appropriation. Some wonder whether certain modern adaptations of yoga—which have been commercialized or stripped of their spiritual components—disrespect the origins of the practice.

Biernacki says she believes the issue isn’t black and white: “It’s probably a mix of cultural appropriation and some degree of tribute to the insight and wisdom we find in these yoga traditions.”

On the one hand, the commercialization of yoga can lead to a superficial understanding of a practice with centuries of spiritual depth, she says. Western yoga classes and studio branding may use terms like namaste or chakra without studying their spiritual meaning.

On the other hand, Biernacki notes that some modern yoga instructors are trying to preserve the practice’s roots. “I find it interesting that there are a number of teachers who emphasize connecting yoga to its literary roots in a way that takes the history of yoga seriously,” she says. “Especially popular is the classic text ‘Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra,’ which has been incorporated into yoga as a way to control the mind.”

Ultimately, the issue of cultural appropriation depends on how individuals and studios approach the practice, Biernacki says. For some, yoga can be a conscious celebration that embraces historical context while adapting to modern needs. For others, yoga may simply be a brand or lifestyle with a beautiful aesthetic.

Balancing act

As yoga continues to evolve, it is unclear whether modern adaptations will dominate or whether instructors and practitioners alike will strive for a return to its traditional roots. Biernacki suggests that both trends are likely to coexist.

“I suspect traditional practices will probably be more popular, but there will be some modern adaptations,” she says.

This resurgence reflects a broader cultural shift toward mindfulness, as an ever-expanding research body supports the benefits of yoga for conditions ranging from depression to back pain and cancer.

The increasing interest in traditional practices could indicate a desire to reconnect with yoga’s deeper spiritual roots. Biernacki points out that many instructors already strive to bring these philosophies into their practice and remind students that yoga is more than just physical postures.