Traditional Yoga VS Modern Yoga

coming soon

Yoga has been co-opted, commercialized & somewhat dominated by a western colonial lens of fitness culture, medicine, physical therapy, psychotherapy, self help, life coaching & motivational speaking, new ageism, festival culture, pseudo spirituality & political ideologies - approached in new ways that contradict the original science & methods of the Sanskrit tradition and goal of yoga.   Modern yoga is mainly taught as a spiritually garnished and exotified workout or relaxation, culturally misappropriating the Sanskrit philosophies, practices, deities, rituals, etc, taking concepts out of context and disrespecting & misunderstanding the role of a guru & lineage.  Even though modern medicine, neuroscience, etc now acknowledges & has proven many of the benefits of yoga which can be expressed through western science, it limits and reduces yoga to the (western) physical domain of wellness and perpetuates the exploitation, dilution, commodification & repackaging.

Traditional yoga requires abhyasa, the consistent practice and effort within a bonafide system designed intelligently to create the stability of a still mind. Yoga is a profound system, not meant to be approached casually.   A sacred path of turning within for inner stillness & silence and ultimately liberation has now been reduced to endless new trends & styles, parties & raves, sweaty workouts, trance dances, social media performance, relaxation or nervous system reset classes, social gatherings & celebrations, emotional processing & grief circles, wellness hacks & quick fixes &  forced "activation" workshops for cathartic releases and fleeting feelings of bliss - all catering to the distractions of the mind and the need for entertainment, stimulation, novelty & instant gratification.  

The colonial dominated narrative worldwide makes yoga "anything you want it to be" without proper understanding of the philosophical backdrop or reverence for the true teachings, seemingly turning a blind eye for personal agenda and self gain. The commercialism & exploitations are perpetuated by easily obtained certifications through Yoga Alliance and teachers/studios that profit from it, the rise of narcissism and savior complexes via social media, branded styles, new trends, and the misinterpretations getting passed down within all of it.  

Modern yoga is the antithesis to the sanskrit-yoga philosophy based teachings - with  very outward & often surface level approaches, albeit candy coated with diluted sanskrit terms & dharmic word salads.  Modern yoga provides sensory rich ambiances & stimulating lights, playlists, DJs & live music (scatters the prana, distracting and evokes feelings - disrupts the energy & focus, making ekagrata & samapatti unattainable), continuous & dance inspired flows (not vinyasa, not yoga, not yogasana), heated rooms (too many reasons to note here - including pitta and rajasic imbalance, exhaustion, dehydration, cardiovascular stress, menstrual disturbances, overstretching, and exacerbating certain personality disorders & psychiatric conditions), fast movements & overexertion, and paired with wine tasting or beer (alcohol is an intoxicant & in the Sanskrit tradition it is tamasic and creates a dull mind - yoga is meant to bring balance & clarity, sattva - if one wants to use it, just don't pair it with a yoga class or event).  Yoga retreats full of leisure, socializing, luxury, tamasic & rajasic foods and spa pampering are very different than traditional retreats that require simplicity, sattvic food, silence, quiet contemplation & meditation.   

Most modern yoga fits industry demands using comfort, aesthetics, & soothing escapes over depth with ungrounded and magical thinking - piecemealed into class styles of random postures or "creative sequencing" practiced casually with distractions & playlists, often taking Sanskrit concepts/philosophy out of context and given new meanings. Modern yoga is an off shoot from yogic philosophy based methods of hatha & raja yoga, but often distorted and watered down, missing the essence, complete system and correct approach.   With the development of Certifications, Yoga Teacher Trainings & Yoga Alliance (only a registry not a governing body) anyone without experience can become a yoga teacher and anyone can offer a yoga training.  And most of the trainings being offered have no grounding or basis in authentic yogic tradition - the commercial exploitation and normalization of the modern trends are now worldwide, not just in the west.  

Yoga has been reduced to the only art, science and philosophy where one can become a teacher before they have become an adept or at least a competent student!  Some people taking YTT's are completely new to yoga & there are many teachers who do not have a personal discipline practice - what an upside down world we live in.  

The modern day "shopping around yoga" - style after style, workshop after workshop in "hodge podge" (as many Indian Masters call it) creates confusion.  Any traditional system requires discipline & consistency and it's best not to mix things up.   

Yoga is an inward path, approached with reverence, honoring those who have tread the path before us - of self mastery - purifying our body-mind, refining our senses, refining our character, balancing our energy, quieting and stilling the mind - aligning with the Divine truth. It is a gradual process (a dharmic tradition which includes lifestyle guidance and body/mind training) that requires patience, reducing our rajas (restlessness, anxiety, overexertion, body/mind disturbances), tamas (dullness, inactivity, lethargy, laziness, depression) and promoting sattva (purity, clarity, calmness, peace). 

Traditional yoga is an inner discipline requiring a quite humility, reverence, transcendence of our egotism & egoism, not social media aesthetics, performance and self aggrandizement.