Hot Yoga is Not Yoga

So, yoga became popular in the Western world very recently. Gwyneth Paltrow claims to have “invented” yoga. In India, they believe that Shiva, the Hindu god, discovered yoga. Notice how I said discovered, not invented. Yoga is self-discovery.

Yoga is the spiritual branch of ayurveda; ayurveda is the medicinal branch of yoga. These practises are some thousands of years old.

People in my country, Canada, often talk about yoga as a way to get fit, to do poses. Sure yoga is healthy, but it is also deeply spiritual.

Patanjali laid out the yogi lifestyle in his book, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. There is way more to it than poses, even more to it than breathing consciously. There are a lot of aspects to practising yoga in everyday life, without merely doing the downward dog, or child’s pose, or anything like that. It’s about respecting yourself and others, as well. There are many “limbs” of yoga.

Also, hot yoga was invented by a modern day western man. Yogis of ancient times went to the Himalayas where it would be cooler to practise. I know that a lot of India is very hot, but no, the yogis did not practise in the heat.

You might be wondering now, which type of yoga is more authentic? Hatha yoga and Kundalini yoga were both practised in ancient times. I like Kundalini yoga because it is the yoga of awakening, but hatha is generally the yoga type that beginners can do well practising.

I really like Yogi Emmanuelle on YouTube. He seems to practise really authentic Kundalini yoga, and YouTube is free. Kundalini yoga involves sound therapy, which often utilizes mantras to help you re-connect to your inner consciousness.

If you want to read more about yoga, but you don’t know a lot of ancient Sanskrit words, True Yoga by Jennie Lee is a wonderful book that explains the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali in a refreshingly modern and relatable way, without sacrificing any authenticity.

And of course, there are a lot of benefits for yoga. There are many articles on the benefits, so there’s no reason for me to write all of the benefits here. I got into yoga because my back hurts often (probably from working at my desk). My grandfather was a chiropractor for a long time, but he can’t adjust people’s spines anymore. Also, I was meditating, but I find it so difficult to sit still and be alone with my own thoughts. Yoga allows me to practise spirituality my own way.

I briefly touched on ayurveda above. It’s an ancient, personalized medicinal system. It’s the ‘science of life’. Basically, it’s more holistic and preventative than just, go to the doctor when you are already sick.

Ayurveda, typically, in the west, is presented as an exorbitantly expensive class that is one month long. No, authentic ayurvedic practitioners do not charge you to learn. They are so happy to teach. Also, it cannot be learned in one month. Take your money and run!

Ayurveda is seen as merely herbalism, a lot of the time, but it involves your daily routine. How and when to eat, how and when to sleep, what you eat, what you listen to (sound therapy is critical in ayurveda), and the relationships you have with people.

So, these concepts of yoga and ayurveda are for anyone, as well. You don’t have to be a vegetarian or even be a Hindu. I personally believe in Buddhism. I am vegetarian, since I am interested in seeking enlightenment, however, that is not everyone’s goal in ayurveda or yoga.