Balancing yoga traditions with modern wellness requires flexibility
ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø scholar Loriliai Biernacki reflects on the differences between ancient yoga and yoga as it’s practiced today during Yoga Awareness Month
As yoga enthusiasts across the country celebrate Yoga Awareness Month in September, it’s difficult to ignore how much the practice has evolved—especially in the West. Yoga, 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 found that almost 17% of U.S. adults 18 or older had practiced yoga in the preceding 12 months, and about 57% of those who did incorporated meditation into their practice.
But even when it incorporates meditation and other mindfulness practices, how closely does modern yoga resemble the practice that was born millennia ago in India? Loriliai Biernacki, a ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø professor of religious studies who teaches a course called Yoga: Ancient and Modern, notes that what is taught in studios now may bear varying degrees of resemblance to yoga’s origins.