An article from the BBC, “Is yoga really about exercise?” (1 Oct 2014), discusses the pressure on yoga to define its purpose.  This follows from a previous article, “Does doing yoga make you a Hindu?” (21 Nov 2013), where the case for divorcing yoga from its spiritual heritage was made.  So what is the purpose of yoga?  Is it a form of physical exercise, or is there more to it than that?
 

Yoga is burgeoning in popularity.  Or, more precisely, HAṬHA yoga is.  This refers to the physical postures, the āsanas.  In many lessons, you will hear that these are being practiced to ‘stretch this’ or ‘strengthen the other’.  Exercise is defined as physical activity carried out to sustain or improve fitness.  And when practiced in this way, yoga is exercise.
 

But what about the tradition of yoga?
 

There are many branches to the yoga tree, with haṭha yoga being only one of these.  And the other branches have a much richer history.  Haṭha Yoga in its modern form dates back only to the 1800’s.  As Anne Cushman, former editor of Yoga Journal, says, “The modern emphasis on precision of alignment, physical fitness, and therapeutic effects are purely twentieth-century innovations.” (28 Aug 2007)
 

The tree of yoga provides a system of practices, the ‘purpose’ of which are to guide the practitioner towards enlightenment (inner peace and union with the divine). Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, a book of a beautiful collection of wisdoms from the yoga tradition, mentions no physical practice, but does discuss the physical benefits that may come to a practitioner of meditation.  It is warned that chasing after these physical benefits moves you further from the truth – enlightenment.  As stated in the BBC article, “Getting fit is a happy side effect.”
 

In his book, The Yoga Tradition of Mysore Palace, Norman Sjoman echoes my thoughts:
 

“What makes something yoga is not what is done, but how it is done.”

The time you spend on your yoga mat can be shared, but it is ultimately a personal experience.  Your intention for this time will shape your experience – yoga is what you make of it.
 

Image source: Tara Isha