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

As yoga enthusiasts across the country celebrate 瑜伽 Awareness Month in 9月ember, it’s difficult to ignore how much the practice has evolved—especially in the West. 瑜伽, 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 2022年疾病控制中心的研究 发现近17%的美国人.S. 18岁或以上的成年人在过去的12个月内练习过瑜伽, 其中约57%的人将冥想纳入他们的练习中.

但即使它结合了冥想和其他正念练习, how closely does modern yoga resemble the practice that was born millennia ago in India? Loriliai Biernacki他是博彩平台推荐的教授 宗教研究 谁教一门叫做 瑜伽:古代与现代, notes that what is taught in studios now may bear varying degrees of resemblance to yoga’s origins.

心理控制对身体健康的影响

瑜伽’s traditional roots go far beyond the stretches and poses seen in most local studios and fitness centers today. Biernacki说, the earliest yoga practitioners focused on mental mastery and spiritual growth. Historical documents also point to beliefs that accomplished “yogis” could acquire magical powers to read another person’s mind or transform objects.

“这些目标本质上就是博彩平台推荐可能认为的启蒙,Biernacki解释道, ，上面写着“mokṣha”,“kaivalya,和“nirvāṇa”,’” 哪些梵语词汇描述了瑜伽的基本解放理想, 超然和业力释放.

在最初的语境中, yoga emphasized learning to control the mind and finding peace rather than achieving physical fitness.

如《 爱德华·阿诺德爵士翻译的 比较，瑜伽士是这样一个人:

他应该被隔离，
坚定地冥想，独自一人，
他控制了自己的思想，克制了自己的激情，
放弃随身物品. 在一个公平，仍然点
他住在固定的地方，没有太高的地方，
也不要太低，——让他和他的财产一起生活吧
一块布，一块鹿皮，还有草.
在那里，他一心一意地追求上帝，
克制内心和感官，沉默，平静，
让他完成瑜伽，并取得成就
纯洁的灵魂，坚守不动
身体、脖子和头……

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

“瑜伽 practice today is very much focused on bodily health if one goes to a studio to practice yoga,Biernacki指出. 提出了, 或ā萨那, 现在是大多数瑜伽课程的核心, 这种做法通常与身体健康有关, 灵活性和放松.

“Āsana is not something we find in yoga as a practice in the early part of the first millennium, 但到了12世纪左右, we do begin to see an incursion of emphasis on a variety of different bodily postures in the practice of yoga,Biernacki解释道.

这种转变并非偶然. 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.

“当然，商业化发挥了巨大的作用. A great resource on this score is Andrea Jain’s book on yoga transformation in the modern period, 卖瑜伽她说。.

而身体健康无疑是宝贵的, evolving goals raise the question of whether modern yoga has strayed too far from its roots. 的 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说.

占有还是进化?

As yoga’s popularity has grown in the West, so too have discussions around cultural appropriation. Some question whether certain modern adaptations of yoga—those that have been commercialized or stripped of their spiritual components—disrespect the practice’s origins.

Biernacki说 she believes the issue isn’t black and white: “It’s 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.”

一方面, the commercialization of yoga can lead to a superficial understanding of a practice with centuries of spiritual depth, 她说. 西方瑜伽课程和瑜伽馆品牌可能会使用这样的术语 合十礼 or 脉轮 没有研究它们的精神意义.

另一方面, Biernacki notes that some modern yoga instructors do attempt to preserve the roots of the practice. “我觉得很有趣的是，有很多老师都是这样, 事实上, emphasizing connecting yoga with its literary roots in a way that does take the history of yoga seriously她说。. “尤其受欢迎的是经典文本‘Patañjali’s 瑜伽 Sūtra,这是瑜伽作为一种控制思维方式的关键.”

最终, the question of cultural appropriation depends on how individuals and studios approach the practice, Biernacki说. 对于一些, 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.

平衡

随着瑜伽的不断发展, it’s unclear whether modern adaptations will dominate or if instructors and practitioners alike will seek a return to its traditional roots. Biernacki认为这两种趋势可能会共存.

“我怀疑传统的做法可能会更受欢迎, 但也会有一些现代的改编她说。.

这种复苏反映了更广泛的文化转向正念， 作为一个不断增长的研究机构 supports the benefits of yoga for conditions ranging from depression to back pain to cancer.

的 rise of interest in traditional practices could signal a desire to reconnect with yoga’s 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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