麻豆视频

CU Boulder scholar Loriliai Biernacki reflects on the differences between ancient yoga and yoga as it鈥檚 practiced today during Yoga Awareness Month

As yoga enthusiasts across the country celebrate Yoga Awareness Month in September, it鈥檚 difficult to ignore how much the practice has evolved鈥攅specially in the West. Yoga, born as a spiritual and meditative practice rooted in centuries-old Indian traditions, has become a global phenomenon often centered on physical health and wellness.

A found that almost 17% of U.S. adults 18 or older had practiced yoga in the preceding 12 months, and about 57% of those who did incorporated meditation into their practice.

But even when it incorporates meditation and other mindfulness practices, how closely does modern yoga resemble the practice that was born millennia ago in India? Loriliai Biernacki, a 麻豆视频 professor of religious studies who teaches a course called Yoga: Ancient and Modern, notes that what is taught in studios now may bear varying degrees of resemblance to yoga鈥檚 origins.

Mental mastery to physical wellness

Yoga鈥檚 traditional roots go far beyond the stretches and poses seen in most local studios and fitness centers today. According to Biernacki, the earliest yoga practitioners focused on mental mastery and spiritual growth. Historical documents also point to beliefs that accomplished 鈥測ogis鈥� could acquire magical powers to read another person鈥檚 mind or transform objects.

鈥淭he goals are essentially what we might think of as enlightenment,鈥� Biernacki explains, 鈥渨ith the terms 鈥榤ok峁�ha,鈥� 鈥榢aivalya,鈥� and 鈥榥irv膩峁嘺,鈥欌�� which are Sanskrit words that describe yoga鈥檚 founding ideals of liberation, detachment and karmic release.

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

As described in the , the yogi is one who:

Sequestered should he sit,
Steadfastly meditating, solitary,
His thoughts controlled, his passions laid away,
Quit of belongings. In a fair, still spot
Having his fixed abode,--not too much raised,
Nor yet too low,--let him abide, his goods
A cloth, a deerskin, and the Kusa-grass.
There, setting hard his mind upon The One,
Restraining heart and senses, silent, calm,
Let him accomplish Yoga, and achieve
Pureness of soul, holding immovable
Body and neck and head鈥�

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

鈥淵oga practice today is very much focused on bodily health if one goes to a studio to practice yoga,鈥� Biernacki notes. Poses, or 膩sanas, are now central to most yoga classes, and the practice is commonly associated with physical wellness, flexibility and relaxation.

鈥溎�sana is not something we find in yoga as a practice in the early part of the first millennium, but by about the 12th century or so, we do begin to see an incursion of emphasis on a variety of different bodily postures in the practice of yoga,鈥� Biernacki explains.

This shift is no accident. Commercialization has played a significant role in transforming yoga from a spiritual journey into 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.

鈥淥f course, commercialization has played an outsized role. A great resource on this score is Andrea Jain鈥檚 book on yoga transformation in the modern period, Selling Yoga,鈥� 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 how individuals choose to practice yoga and whether there is room to reconnect with its original mental and spiritual aspects, Biernacki says.

Appropriation or evolution?

As yoga鈥檚 popularity has grown in the West, so too have discussions around cultural appropriation. Some question whether certain modern adaptations of yoga鈥攖hose that have been commercialized or stripped of their spiritual components鈥攄isrespect the practice鈥檚 origins.

Biernacki says she believes the issue isn鈥檛 black and white: 鈥淚t鈥檚 probably a mix of cultural appropriation and some modicum of paying homage to the insight and wisdom that we find in these traditions of yoga.鈥�

On 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 significance.

On the other hand, Biernacki notes that some modern yoga instructors do attempt to preserve the roots of the practice. 鈥淚 do find it interesting that there are a number of teachers who are, in fact, emphasizing connecting yoga with its literary roots in a way that does take the history of yoga seriously,鈥� she says. 鈥淓specially popular is the classic text 鈥楶ata帽jali鈥檚 Yoga S奴tra,鈥� which is keyed into yoga as a way of mastering the mind.鈥�

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

Balancing act

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

鈥淚 suspect that traditional practices will probably be more popular, but there will be some modern adaptations,鈥� she says.

This resurgence echoes a broader cultural shift towards mindfulness, supports the benefits of yoga for conditions ranging from depression to back pain to cancer.

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

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