Recently, I spoke to a Yoga teacher intern about Yoga teacher training correspondence courses. He had six years of formal training with a master Yoga teacher (Guru), and currently, lives outside of North America. This interview will help to put some light on Yoga teacher training by correspondence.

Q: Will a Yoga teacher training correspondence package make me competent enough to teach Yoga? This is bearing in mind that, at this time, I do not have access to a local Yoga instructor, who can supervise my Yoga teacher training?

A: Yes, your past experience will help, but the Yoga teacher training course must be entirely complete, and if you wanted to send an early pre-exam video, or DVD, to monitor your progress the director of Yoga teacher training should review for free, or for a small fee.

A mirror, camera, and audio recorder also make great learning tools for monitoring your progress, while you prepare to become a Yoga teacher.

Do not judge yourself too harshly. This is a common reaction, when we record anything we do. When you can get by our own self-criticism; you will be on the path to become a Yoga teacher.

Within your Yoga teacher training course, there should be step-by-step instructions, numerous Yoga resources, and you should also be guided in the direction of additional Yoga teaching resources.

In fact, any time you have a question, you should be able to send an email and receive a timely reply. It is also good if you can get answers over the phone.

Q: On receipt of Yoga correspondence course material how do I proceed with my Yoga teacher training? What do I need to have in order to fully benefit from the Yoga instructor training material?

A: Upon receipt of your Yoga training course material, you should receive step-by-step instructions – however, let’s go over the highlights of a typical Yoga teacher certification course.

1) You would want to focus on your written exam first. If you had a 900 page Yoga book to read, for the written exam; set a goal of reading a realistic amount of pages each day. For example: if you were to read 10 pages per day – within 3 months – you should have your written exam complete.

2) You should have developed a complete lesson plan for your Yoga class within the material of your written exam. As harsh as this may sound: Essay exams will teach you more.

Multiple choice or true / false exams are a “process of elimination,” and over the long-term, the facts you learn may be easily forgotten. A Yoga teacher written exam should be a measurement of what a Yoga teacher should know.

3) There might also be, at least, one essay. For example: You might pick a health topic to write about for your essay (3 pages – typed). It could be an overview of Yoga, and its relationship to health, or it could be Yoga and its relationship to a specific ailment.

4) Once you have your Yoga lesson plan template, you can start to refine it for your practical exam (video or DVD). As far as VCD’s, or DVD’s, make sure the examiner can read any format – from any part of the world.

5) In your Yoga course, there should also be a number of continuing education resources, for Yoga teachers.

You should not get side tracked by these during the Yoga certification process. Therefore, focus on your Yoga teacher written exam, the essay, and the practical exam first – and in that order.

Q: What Yoga teacher training level should I start from, and how do I proceed to the next Yoga teacher levels?

A: You should start with a Level 1, 200-hour minimum, Yoga teacher training course.

Q: Are there additional costs in correspondence Yoga teacher courses, which I need to be aware before I start the training, so that I can factor them in?

For International Yoga teacher interns, the only additional cost should be, shipping, and if customs charges an Import Fee, on educational materials. However, you should always ask about extra fees; just to be sure.

Q: I have developed a strong awareness of the benefits of Yoga. There are no Yoga teachers in my locality. Can my Yoga training develop my awareness into a life long career, as a Yoga instructor?

A: To be honest – Yoga teacher certification is only the first step in the journey of teaching Yoga. As you progress – you will either do independent research or take more Yoga courses.

This is the way it is for all Yoga teachers. Most of the time, we tend to focus on finding answers and helping our Yoga students, who have ailments. As a result, you will most likely research Yoga techniques for helping your students.

When it is possible to train with other Yoga teachers again; take advantage of the opportunity. You will much better off by networking with the nearest Yoga teachers, who teach a similar Yoga style.

You should also maintain contact with your Guru, even if the only method of contact is by post. Life is as short as an “eye blink” and your Guru would be proud to know you have chosen this path.

© Copyright 2006 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: “Yoga in Practice,” and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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The word yoga is often interpreted as “union” or a method of discipline from the Sanskrit word “yuj” (to yoke or bind). A male practitioner is called a yogi, a female practitioner, a yogini.

The Postures ….

The contemporary western approach to yoga is not based on any particular belief or religion, however Yoga does has its roots in Hinduism and Brahmanism. Yoga was developed by seers or ascetics living primarily in the southern parts of India. The seers observed nature and lived as close as they could to the earth, studying the many aspects of nature, the animals and themselves. By observing and emulating the different postures and habits of the animal kingdom they were able to develop grace, strength and wisdom.

It was through these very disciplined lives that the practice of the yoga postures were developed. It was necessary to develop a series of postures to keep the body lithe and able to endure long periods of stillness when in meditation.

The Writings ….

Brahmanism dates back to containing sacred scriptures called “the Vedas”. These scriptures contained instructions and incantations. It was in the oldest text “Rg-Veda” from the scriptures that the word Yoga first appeared, this was nearly 5000 years ago. The fourth text called “Atharva-Veda” contains mainly spells for magical rites and health cures many of which use medicinal plants. This text provided the average person with the spells and incantations to use in their everyday life and this practice of “Veda” can still be seen in the streets of India today.

The Bhagavad-Gita, another ancient work on spiritual life describes itself as a yoga treatise, although it uses the word Yoga as a spiritual means. It was from this literature that Patanjali’s “eight limbs of yoga” were developed. Yoga Sutra’s are primarily concerned with developing the “nature of the mind” and I will explain more of this in the next section.

The Breadth ….

The vratyas, a group of fertility priests who worshipped Rudra, god of the wind would attempt to imitate the sound of the wind through their singing. They found that they could produce the sound through the control of their breath and through this practice of breath control was formed “Pranayama”. Pranayama is the practice of breath control in yoga.

The Paths ….

The Upanishads, which are the sacred revelations of ancient Hinduism developed the two disciplines of karma yoga, the path of action and jnana yoga, the path of knowledge. The paths were developed to help the student liberate from suffering and eventually gain enlightenment.

The teaching from the Upanishads differed from that of the Vedas. The Vedas demanded external offerings to the gods in order to have an abundant, happy life. The Upanishads through the practice of Karma yoga focused on the internal sacrifice of the ego in order to liberate from suffering. Instead of the sacrifice of crops and animals (external) it was the sacrifice of the inner ego that would become the basic philosophy, thus yoga became known as the path of renunciation.

Yoga shares some characteristics also with Buddhism that can be traced back through history. During the sixth century B.C., Buddhism also stresses the importance of Meditation and the practice of physical postures. Siddharta Gautama was the first Buddhist to actually study Yoga.

What is Yoga Sutra and how did the Philosophy of Yoga develop?

Yoga Sutra is a compilation of 195 statements which essentially provide an ethical guide for living a moral life and incorporating the science of yoga into it. An Indian sage called Patanjali was believed to have collated this over 2000 years ago and it has become the cornerstone for classical yoga philosophy.

The word sutra means literally “a thread” and is used to denote a particular form of written and oral communication. Because of the brusque style the sutras are written in the student must rely on a guru to interpret the philosophy contained within each one. The meaning within each of the sutras can be tailored to the student’s particular needs.

The Yoga Sutra is a system of yoga however there is not a single description of a posture or asana in it! Patanjali developed a guide for living the right life. The core of his teachings is the “eightfold path of yoga” or “the eight limbs of Patanjali” . These are Patanjali’s suggestions for living a better life through yoga.

Posture and breath control, the two fundamental practices of yoga are described as the third and fourth limbs in Patanjali’s eight-limbed path to self-realisation. The third practice of the postures make up today’s modern yoga. When you join a yoga class you may find that is all you need to suit your lifestyle.

The eight limbs of yoga

1. The yamas (restraints),

These are like “Morals” you live your life by: Your social conduct:

o Nonviolence (ahimsa) – To not hurt a living creature

o Truth and honesty (satya) – To not lie

o Nonstealing (asteya) – To not steal

o Nonlust (brahmacharya) – avoid meaningless sexual encounters – moderation in sex and all things.

o Nonpossessiveness or non-greed (aparigraha) – don’t hoard, free yourself from greed and material desires

2. niyamas (observances),

These are how we treat ourselves, our inner discipline:

o Purity (shauca). Achieving purity through the practice of the five Yamas. Treating your body as a temple and looking after it.

o Contentment (santosha). Find happiness in what you have and what you do. Take responsibility for where you are, seek happiness in the moment and choose to grow.

o Austerity (tapas): Develop self discipline. Show discipline in body, speech, and mind to aim for a higher spiritual purpose.

o Study of the sacred text (svadhyaya). Education. Study books relevant to you which inspire and teach you.

o Living with an awareness of the Divine (ishvara-pranidhana). Be devoted to whatever is your god or whatever you see as the divine.

3. asana (postures) -

These are the postures of yoga:

o To create a supple body in order to sit for a lengthy time and still the mind. If you can control the body you can also control the mind. Patanjali and other ancient yogis used asana to prepare the body for meditation.

Just the practice of the yoga postures can benefit one’s health. It can be started at any time and any age. As we grow older we stiffen, do you remember the last time you may have squatted down to pick something up and how you felt? Imagine as you age into your fifties, sixties, seventies and on being able to still touch your toes or balance on one leg. Did you know that the majority of injuries sustained by the elderly are from falls? We tend to lose our balance as we grow older and to practice something that will help this is surely a benefit.

The fourth limb, breath control is a good vehicle to use if you are interested in learning meditation and relaxation…….

4. pranayama (breathing) – the control of breath:

inhalation, retention of breath, and exhalation

o The practice of breathing makes it easier to concentrate and meditate. Prana is the energy that exists everywhere, it is the life force that flows through each of us through our breath.

5. pratyahara (withdrawal of senses),

o Pratyahara is a withdrawal of the senses. It occurs during meditation, breathing exercises, or the practice of yoga postures. When you master Pratyahara you will be able to focus and concentrate and not be distracted by outward sensory.

6. dharana (concentration), – teaching the mind to focus.

o When concentrating there is no sense of time. The aim is to still the mind e.g. fixing the mind on one object and pushing any thoughts. True dharana is when the mind can concentrate effortlessly.

7. Dhyani (meditation), – the state of meditation

o Concentration (dharana) leads to the state of meditation. In meditation, one has a heightened sense of awareness and is one with the universe. It is being unaware of any distractions.

8. samadhi (absorption), – absolute bliss

o Absolute bliss is the ultimate goal of meditation. This is a state of union with yourself and your god or the devine, this is when you and the universe are one.

All eight limbs work together: The first five are about the body and brain- yama, niyama asana, pranayama, and pratyahara – these are the foundations of yoga and provide a platform for a spiritual life. The last three are about reconditioning the mind. They were developed to help the practitioner to attain enlightenment or oneness with Spirit.

How do you choose the type of yoga right for you?

The type of yoga you choose to practice is entirely an individual preference and thus why we are looking into here to help you start. Some types hold the postures longer, some move through them quicker. Some styles focus on body alignment, others differ in the rhythm and selection of postures, meditation and spiritual realization. All are adaptable to the student’s physical situation.

You therefore need to determine what Yoga style by your individual psychological and physical needs. You may just want a vigorous workout, want to focus on developing your flexibility or balance. Do you want more focus on meditation or just the health aspects? Some schools teach relaxation, some focus on strength and agility, and others are more aerobic.

I suggest you try a few different classes in your area. I have noticed that even between teachers within a certain style, there can be differences in how the student enjoys the class. It is important to find a teacher that you feel comfortable with to truly enjoy and therefore create longevity in what you practice.

Once you start learning the postures and adapting them for your body you may feel comfortable to do practice at home as well! All yoga types have sequences that can be practiced to work different parts of your body. To A fifteen minute practice in the morning may be your start to the day. Your body will feel strong and lithe within no time and with knowledge, the choice is there for you to develop your own routines.

The Major Systems of Yoga

The two major systems of yoga are Hatha and Yoga Raja Yoga. Raja yoga is based on the “Eight Limbs of Yoga” developed by Pananjali in the Yoga Sutras. Raja is part of the classical Indian System of Hindu Philosophy.

Hatha yoga, also Hatha vidya is a particular system of Yoga founded by Swatmarama, a yogic sage of the 15th centry in India. Swatmarama compiled the “Hatha Yoga Pradipika”, which introduced the system of Hatha Yoga. Hatha yoga is derived from a number of different traditions. It comes from the traditions of Buddhism which include the Hinayana (narrow path) and Mahayana (great path). It also comes from the traditions of Tantra which include Sahajayana (spontaneous path) and Vajrayana (concerning matters of sexuality). Within Hatha yoga there are various branches or styles of yoga. This form of yoga works through the physical medium of the body using postures, breathing exercises and cleansing practices.

The Hatha Yoga of Swatmarama differs from the Raja Yoga of Patanjali in that it focuses on Shatkarma, “the purification of the physical” as a path leading to “purification of the mind” and “vital energy”. Patanjali begins with “purification of the mind and spirit” and then “the body” through postures and breath.

The Major Schools of Yoga

There are approximately forty-four major schools of Yoga and many others which also lay claim to being Yogic. Some of the major schools are Raja Yoga and Hatha Yoga (as mentioned above). There are also Pranayama Yoga and Kundalini Yoga which stem from Hatha. Jnana, Karma, Bhakti, Astanga and Iyengar stem from Raja.

The Yoga Styles that stem from Hatha include:

Pranayama Yoga

The word pranayama means prana, energy and ayama, stretch. Breath regulation, prolongation, expansion, length, stretch and control describes the action of pranayama yoga. Some Pranayama breath controls are included in the Hatha Yoga practices of a general nature (to correct breathing difficulties).

This school of yoga is entirely built around the concept of Prana (life’s energy). There are about 99 different postures of which a lot of these are based around or similar to physical breathing exercises.

Pranayama also denotes cosmic power, or the power of the entire universe which manifests itself as conscious living being in us through the phenomenon of breathing.

Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini yoga is in the tradition of Yogi Bhajan who brought the style to the west in 1969. It is a highly spiritual approach to hatha yoga involving chanting, meditation, breathing techniques all used to raise the kundalini energy which is located at the base of the spine.

The Yoga Styles that stem from Raja include:

Raja Yoga/Ashtanga Yoga

Raja means royal or kingly. It is based on directing one’s life force to bring the mind and emotions into balance. By doing so the attention can then be focused on the object of the meditation, namely the Devine. Raja Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga is one of the four major Yogic paths of Hinduism. The others are Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. Raja or Ashtanga are derived from the “eight limbs of Yoga” philosophy composed by Patanjali.

Power Yoga

Power Yoga has been devised through the teachings of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, a renowned Sanskrit scholar who inspired Western Yogis with his Ashtanga Yoga Style and philosophies. It is therefore often referred to as the western version of India’s Ashtanga yoga.

Power yoga is vigorous and athletic and is therefore very popular with men. It works with the student’s mental attitude and perspective and incorporates the eight limbs of yoga into practice.

Jnana Yoga

Jnana (sometimes spelled “Gnana”) means wisdom and a Jnani is a wise man. Sometimes referred to as the” yogi of discernment”.

This form of yoga focuses on studying inner life and adhyatmic subjects, the practice of certain relaxations and contemplative, meditative kriyas. The main purpose of jnana meditation is to withdraw the mind and emotions from perceiving life and oneself in a deluded way so that one may behold and live in attunement with reality or spirit. This form of yoga focuses on meditation to work

towards transformation and enlightenment.

Karma Yoga

Karma means “action”. Karma yoga is based around the discipline of action based on the teachings of Bhagavad Gita, a holy scripture of Hinduism. This yoga of selfless service focuses on the adherence to duty (dharma) while remaining detached from the reward. Karma is the sum total of our acts, both in the present life and in the preceding births.

Bhakti Yoga

Bhaki yoga has many phases to it’s practice. Bhaki means “devotion” and Guna Bhaki is to worship according to your nature. A practitioner of Bhakta Yoga is not limited to any one culture or religious denomination, the approach is more to the inner life rather than the wholly devotional. The self within worships the self of the universal nature.

Bhaki yoga is the state of being in contact with our existence and being and the existence and being of all things. It doesn’t matter if you believe in something or you don’t the only quality is the openness to the mind and heart, unexpected and unknown.

Those who have read about Quantum physics where each and every atom in the universe is connected to the underlying reality will be able to liken this to the philosophy behind Bhaki yoga.

Iyengar Yoga

Iyengar Yoga was developed in India by B.K.S Iyengar, born 14th December, 1918. At the age of 16, he was introduced to yoga by his Guru Sri T. Krishnamacharya. Iyengar Yoga is now one of the most popular styles practiced in the west.

Instructors are very knowledgeable about the anatomy and precise body place for each posture. There is less focus on pranayama or breathing techniques and mediation and thus why the practice is popular in the west.

Iyengar Yoga emphasizes more on the correct placement of the feet to ensure the spine and the hips are in alignment. Iyengar has developed many different props and techniques to cater for individuals in their practice.

Other Styles

Integral Yoga or Purna Yoga

Integral yoga is a yoga of synthesis, harmonizing the paths of karma, jnana and bhakti yogas. It was developed by Swami Satchidananda.

It is also considered a synthesis between Vedanta (Indian system of philosophy) and Tantra (Asian beliefs and practices using the principle that the divine energy creates and maintains the universe, channelling the energy within the human microcosm). It also been explained as a synthesis between Eastern and Western approaches to spirituality.

Postures are gentler than other forms of yoga and classes normally end with extended periods of deep relaxation, breathing and meditation. Integral Yoga is an all round approach to hatha yoga.

Sivananda Yoga

Sivananda yoga offers a gentle approach. It includes meditation, chanting and deep relaxation in each session. Students are encouraged to be healthy which includes being vegetarian.

Bikrams Yoga

Bikrams yoga was founded by Bikram Choudhury who was taught by Bishni Ghosh the brother of Paramahansa Yogananda. Bikrams Yoga is taught generally in a room the temperature set between 95 and 105 degrees.

The heat helps soften the muscles and ligaments. There are approximately 26 postures and this yoga produces a real workout because of the heat is quite intense. This yoga therefore places more emphasis on the physical performance of the postures, not the sides of relaxation and meditation.

Some of the Great Teachers…

All styles share a common lineage. The founders of two of the major styles of yoga Raja/Ashtanga and Avenger were all students of the same great teacher named Krishnamacharya.

Shri T. Krishnamacharya,was born in the village of Muchukunte, Karnataka State, in 1888. His formal Education, largely in Sanskrit, included Degrees from several universities in North India. He studied for seven years under a distinguished yogi in western Tibet: Rama Mohana Brahmachari who instructed him the therapeutic use of asanas & pranayama. Then he returned to South India and established a school of yoga in the palace of the Maharajah of Mysore. He passed away at the age of 101 years in 1988.

Integral Yoga and Sivananda Yoga were also founded by students of another great teacher named Sivananda. Swami Sivananda Saraswati was born Kuppuswamy in Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu, India. A Hindu by birth, he is a well-known proponent of yoga and vedanta (a principal branch of Hindu philosophy).

He is reputed to have written over 300 books, on these and related subjects, during his life. In 1936 he founded the new religious movement “The Divine Life Society” on the bank of the holy Ganges River. He died on the 14th July, 1963.

So which type is right for you?

These are not all the types of yoga available, however you can see from the short explanations of each that Yoga practice can differ dramatically. Each one makes use of the physical postures and breathing to strengthen the body for meditation, an inherent part of yoga practice.

This is where it is important for the student to understand what they want out of their yoga practice and choose a style which will cater for this. If you try one and don’t think it is physical enough, try another as it will be totally different. If you start one that is too demanding than again switch around until you find the practice for you.

Some of us want to just work on body and some want more focus on a method of searching for self realisation, whatever the reason I am sure there are enough styles out their and more developing each day to cater for our needs.

You are never too old to start yoga, I have met people in their seventies starting for the first time and experiencing life changing affects. If you’ve ever sat and watched your cat or dog awake in the morning what is the first thing they do? stretch. If we stop for just a moment and watch what we can learn from nature and the animal kingdom we will realize that just the simple act of stretching has been lost somewhere through our evolution.

The table below shows the rating between 1 and 10 I have given to explain the degree of Physical and degree of Meditation/Relaxation in each Yoga practice (10 being the highest)

Name of Yoga Physical Rating Meditation & Relaxation Rating

Pranayama Yoga 4 8

Kundalini Yoga 6 8

Raja Yoga/Ashtanga Yoga 10 6

Power Yoga 10 2

Jnana Yoga 6 8

Karma Yoga 6 8

Bhakti Yoga 6 8

Iyengar Yoga 8 4

Integral Yoga or Purna Yoga 6 8

Sivananda Yoga 6 8

Bikrams Yoga 10 (due to the heat) 2

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I have my own personal answers to the above questions and are they are within this article.

However you are here on this page because you may be searching for yoga instruction or searching for help with your stress relief, pain, anxiety or unhappiness. Or maybe the title perked your interest? So why not keep reading? Maybe you will learn something about you never knew before. I could go into yoga history here, but that’s a whole other page, for now just read on to learn the basics or foundation every aspiring yoga student should be aware of.

There are many different styles or types of yoga in the world, each one unique yes, yet each connected fully in the fabric of mind and body awareness.
As you read, you may find a style of yoga you connect with, you may even connect with more than one yoga style. The styles of yoga are as varied and unique as flowers in a garden, yet each holds a beauty and wisdom.

Searching for yoga poses for beginners? I offer this to you, be mindful as you read that the yoga poses aka yoga asanas are similar in all yoga styles. What differs in them is the creative organization and philosophies. So the difference being different yoga practices, meditation, chants and or science behind structuring certain yoga poses together. Bikram Yoga is a great example. He has a certain design to his yoga asanas and yoga classes that many people love. He is a master at what he has learned and what he teaches. You are master too, you just have not become aware of that inside of yourself. Yet.

My answer to the question of why practice yoga? Where else can you have deeply divine relationship with your own mind and body? My answer to that is in every moment, and thus my yoga path of life as a meditation in mind body awareness. My favorite type of pathway is a yin yoga…which in my experience is a slower meditative practice of being profoundly present in my body. When I slow down and become more still, I can unwind myself from the inside first..and then those inner unwindings ripple outward into my muscles, tissues, tendons, heart. This yin yoga is based in the principles of hatha yoga. This type of yoga can be practiced all the time, whether you are standing in line at the store, or sitting in lotus pose in a yoga class. It is a form of yoga meditation in the moment.

As I learned to develop a deeper loving relationship with myself through yoga and meditation, I learned that instruction comes from within in every moment. It’s simply our level of inner awareness or inner consciousness that can bring us into the moment to be present in ourselves. It’s also how yoga teachers direct their students into being in their bodies and observing their thoughts. Yoga takes practice just like everything else. Therefore, yoga, no matter what style, is always a practice to be more aware, to be more present. How does my body feel in this moment, how much further do I want to go in this stretching of my tight hamstrings. How relaxed can I stay while sitting in this traffic jam. The more I listened deeper inside myself the more quiet and relaxed I became. Then my pain, anxiety and unhappiness transformed into vibrancy, peace and ease in myself.

The place to begin yoga is within you. It always has been and it always will be. Even when you are in a class watching a teacher and trying to get into and figure out the perfect yoga poses. Are you truly aware in the moment, inside of yourself as to what your body is feeling and experiencing? Or are you outside of yourself trying to get somewhere else or to be someones else yoga pose? Are you able to stay focused and present in your body at work, at the gym, hanging out with friends? Yoga practice is not simply doing yoga poses for 1 hour. It’s a life path. And the benefits are amazingly available for everyone.

The slower meditative yoga may not inspire everyone. Everyone can do yoga yes, but which yoga instruction you connect with is up to you.
Listen to your heart as you read the different yoga styles and feel which one makes your heart feel light and at ease, that’s how you will know which yoga instruction you are drawn to.

Some people love the more physical, athletic types of yoga, (ashtanga yoga) some people love the yoga of chanting (japa yoga), or the yoga of service(karma yoga). Some people love the yoga of love (Bhakti yoga). If you read about styles of yoga more you can come to see the common thread in all them The Unity of mind-body-Spirit-which is the definition of yoga in Sanskrit.

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It’s easy to understand why John Friend highly recommends the book Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Yoga “for all sincere students of yoga.” Because, Mark Singleton’s thesis is a well researched expose of how modern hatha yoga, or “posture practice,” as he terms it, has changed within and after the practice left India.

But the book is mainly about how yoga transformed in India itself in the last 150 years. How yoga’s main, modern proponents-T. Krishnamacharya and his students, K. Patttabhi Jois and B. K. S. Iyengar-mixed their homegrown hatha yoga practices with European gymnastics.

This was how many Indian yogis coped with modernity: Rather than remaining in the caves of the Himalayas, they moved to the city and embraced the oncoming European cultural trends. They especially embraced its more “esoteric forms of gymnastics,” including the influential Swedish techniques of Ling (1766-1839).

Singleton uses the word yoga as a homonym to explain the main goal of his thesis. That is, he emphasizes that the word yoga has multiple meanings, depending on who uses the term.

This emphasis is in itself a worthy enterprise for students of everything yoga; to comprehend and accept that your yoga may not be the same kind of yoga as my yoga. Simply, that there are many paths of yoga.

In that regard, John Friend is absolutely right: this is by far the most comprehensive study of the culture and history of the influential yoga lineage that runs from T. Krishnamacharya’s humid and hot palace studio in Mysore to Bikram’s artificially heated studio in Hollywood.

Singleton’s study on “postural yoga” makes up the bulk of the book. But he also devotes some pages to outline the history of “traditional” yoga, from Patanjali to the Shaiva Tantrics who, based on much earlier yoga traditions, compiled the hatha yoga tradition in the middle ages and penned the famous yoga text books the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Geranda Samhita.

It is while doing these examinations that Singleton gets into water much hotter than a Bikram sweat. Thus I hesitate in giving Singleton a straight A for his otherwise excellent dissertation.

Singleton claims his project is solely the study of modern posture yoga. If he had stuck to that project alone, his book would have been great and received only accolades. But unfortunately, he commits the same blunder so many modern hatha yogis do.

All yoga styles are fine, these hatha yogis say. All homonyms are equally good and valid, they claim. Except that homonym, which the cultural relativist hatha yogis perceive as an arrogant version of yoga. Why? Because its adherents, the traditionalists, claim it is a deeper, more spiritual and traditional from of yoga.

This kind of ranking, thinks Singleton, is counterproductive and a waste of time.

Georg Feuerstein disagrees. Undoubtedly the most prolific and well-respected yoga scholar outside India today, he is one of those traditionalists who holds yoga to be an integral practice-a body, mind, spirit practice. So how does Feuerstein’s integral yoga homonym differ from the non-integral modern posture yoga homonym presented to us by Singleton?

Simply put, Feuerstein’s remarkable writings on yoga have focused on the holistic practice of yoga. On the whole shebang of practices that traditional yoga developed over the past 5000 plus years: asanas, pranayama (breathing exercises), chakra (subtle energy centers), kundalini (spiritual energy), bandhas (advanced body locks), mantras, mudras (hand gestures), etc.

Hence, while posture yoga primarily focuses on the physical body, on doing postures, integral yoga includes both the physical and the subtle body and involves a whole plethora of physical, mental and spiritual practices hardly ever practiced in any of today’s modern yoga studios.

I would not have bothered to bring all this up had it not been for the fact that Singleton mentioned Feuerstein in a critical light in his book’s “Concluding Reflections.” In other words, it is strategically important for Singleton to critique Feuerstein’s interpretation of yoga, a form of yoga which happens to pretty much coincide with my own.

Singleton writes: “For some, such as best-selling yoga scholar Georg Feuerstein, the modern fascination with postural yoga can only be a perversion of the authentic yoga of tradition.” Then Singleton quotes Feuerstein, who writes that when yoga reached Western shores it “was gradually stripped of its spiritual orientation and remodeled into fitness training.”

Singleton then correctly points out that yoga had already started this fitness change in India. He also correctly points out that fitness yoga is not apposed to any “spiritual” enterprise of yoga. But that is not exactly Feuerstein’s point: he simply points out how the physical exercise part of modern yoga lacks a deep “spiritual orientation.” And that is a crucial difference.

Then Singleton exclaims that Feuerstein’s assertions misses the “deeply spiritual orientation of some modern bodybuilding and women’s fitness training in the harmonial gymnastics tradition.”

While I think I am quite clear about what Feuerstein means by “deeply spiritual,” I am still not sure what Singleton means by it from just reading Yoga Body. And that makes an intelligent comparison difficult. Hence why did Singleton bring this up in his concluding arguments in a book devoted to physical postures? Surely to make a point.

Since he did make a point about it, I would like to respond.

According to Feuerstein, the goal of yoga is enlightenment (Samadhi), not physical fitness, not even spiritual physical fitness. Not a better, slimmer physique, but a better chance at spiritual liberation.

For him, yoga is primarily a spiritual practice involving deep postures, deep study and deep meditation. Even though postures are an integral part of traditional yoga, enlightenment is possible even without the practice of posture yoga, indisputably proven by such sages as Ananda Mai Ma, Ramana Maharishi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, and others.

The broader question about the goal of yoga, from the point of view of traditional yoga is this: is it possible to attain enlightenment through the practice of fitness yoga alone? The answer: Not very easy. Not even likely. Not even by practicing the kind of fitness yoga Singleton claims is “spiritual.”

According to integral yoga, the body is the first and outer layer of the mind. Enlightenment, however, takes place in and beyond the fifth and innermost layer of the subtle body, or kosa, not in the physical body. Hence, from this particular perspective of yoga, fitness yoga has certain limits, simply because it cannot alone deliver the desired results.

Similarily, Feuerstein and all us other traditionalists (oh, those darn labels!) are simply saying that if your goal is enlightenment, then fitness yoga probably won’t do the trick. You can stand on your head and do power yoga from dawn to midnight, but you still won’t be enlightened.

Hence, they designed sitting yoga postures (padmasana, siddhasana, viirasana, etc) for such particular purposes. Indeed, they spent more time sitting still in meditation over moving about doing postures, as it was the sitting practices which induced the desired trance states of enlightenment, or Samadhi.

In other words, you can be enlightened without ever practicing the varied hatha postures, but you probably won’t get enlightened by just practicing these postures alone, no matter how “spiritual” those postures are.

These are the kinds of layered insights and perspectives I sorely missed while reading Yoga Body. Hence his criticism of Feuerstein seems rather shallow and kneejerk.

Singleton’s sole focus on describing the physical practice and history of modern yoga is comprehensive, probably quite accurate, and rather impressive, but his insistence that there are “deeply spiritual” aspects of modern gymnastics and posture yoga misses an important point about yoga. Namely, that our bodies are only as spiritual as we are, from that space in our hearts, deep within and beyond the body.

Yoga Body thus misses a crucial point many of us have the right to claim, and without having to be criticized for being arrogant or mean-minded: that yoga is primarily a holistic practice, in which the physical body is seen as the first layer of a series of ascending and all-embracing layers of being-from body to mind to spirit. And that ultimately, even the body is the dwelling place of Spirit. In sum, the body is the sacred temple of Spirit.

And where does this yoga perspective hail from? According to Feuerstein, “It underlies the entire Tantric tradition, notably the schools of hatha yoga, which are an offshoot of Tantrism.”

In Tantra it is clearly understood that the human being is a three-tiered being-physical, mental and spiritual. Hence, the Tantrics very skillfully and carefully developed practices for all three levels of being.

From this ancient perspective, it is very gratifying to see how the more spiritual, all-embracing tantric and yogic practices such as hatha yoga, mantra meditation, breathing exercises, ayurveda, kirtan, and scriptural study are increasingly becoming integral features of many modern yoga studios.

So, to answer the question in the title of this article. Can we have both a limber physique and a sacred spirit while practicing yoga? Yes, of course we can. Yoga is not either/or. Yoga is yes/and. The more holistic our yoga practice becomes-that is, the more spiritual practice is added to our posture practice-the more these two seemingly opposite poles-the body and the spirit-will blend and unify. Unity was, after all, the goal of ancient Tantra.

Perhaps soon someone will write a book about this new, ever-growing homonym of global yoga? Mark Singleton’s Yoga Body is not such a book. But a book about this, shall we call it, neo-traditional, or holistic form of yoga would certainly be an interesting cultural exploration.

Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice, Mark Singleton, Oxford University Press, New York, 2010

This article was written by Ramesh Bjonnes, who has been practicing and researching tantric yoga and meditation for the past thirty years. He is now the marketing director at the Prama Institute just outside of Asheville, NC. http://pramainstitute.org/

Tags: subtle energy centers, word yoga, Hospitality Recreation, hatha yoga, yoga style, director the marketing, Ramesh Bjonnes, John Friend, Mark Singleton, Prama Institute, Mai Ma, Oxford University, spiritual energy, K. Patttabhi Jois, yoga studios, yoga postures, New York, Georg Feuerstein, yoga styles, yoga studio, yoga practices, Oxford University Press