Yoga today

Yoga was originally orally passed down from teacher to student. On and on, an unbroken cord or thread of knowledge on the beautiful union of mind, body with the Divine or Truth within you. I wonder what Patanjali who lived during the 5th century BC would think about the publishing, blogging, face booking, twittering, and marketing of yoga today? I knew there were a lot of yoga blogs out there but seriously, have you clicked around? There are hundreds, if not thousands now. Everything, including how we communicate, evolves with time. But, is Yoga really the same today? Is it so redefined or Westernized that it would be unrecognizable to the ancient gurus?

For something to take hold in your life, it has to become a part of you and speak to you in a way you can relate to. Teaching (and living) what I know and what is True (Satya or truth) grounds me. Still, I grew up a middle-class, white girl in the Texas Bible belt and continue to have a strong bent for saying y'all and use a mixture of western, kirtan, and instrumental music in my yoga classes. I'm a real mixture of opposing ideas of what yoga is or is not... depending on how you look at it. (Again, what would the yogis of the past say about playing Eric Clapton, Sting, Sean Johnson & the Wild Lotus band (New Orleans mantra sound), or even Reggae-like political activist yogi Michael Franti?)

I suppose they might say that we're not here to make opinions or judgments- do we look at someone and see their lack of yoga using our idea of what yoga is? I'm here to apply what yoga means to me. To me. What does yoga mean to you?

"We can't practice (yoga) without an awareness. Awareness creates an open mind and seeks to remove the obstacle of confusion (ignorance) and suffering. The yoga sutras help us examine how I am living. Looking at life from an "I" perspective. Not looking at how someone else is or not living it. Yoga is from an "I" point of view." - Anand