Rebel Yoga

I recently read an interesting article about "Rebel Yoga". And I think in the end I have to agree with the woman (Tara Stiles) teaching her own "brand" of Yoga that leaves out the entire philosophical and spiritual component. I agree with her question of "Who made these rules?"

For me Yoga is a lifestyle. I believe in the Eightfold Path of Yoga (or big "Y" Yoga as I call it). That is Yoga. That is the history of Yoga and what I choose to be connected to.

But Tara Stiles is far from the first person to bastardize Yoga. Yoga has become a product. There are some of us who choose to teach or practice Yoga that is closer to its roots. But there is a lot of commercialized Yoga out there and there appears to be a market for it.

Yoga products, Yoga branding, expensive Yoga classes. So choosing to teach a purely physical form of Yoga is nothing new. In fact, I'd guess that's been happening as long as Yoga has been in North America.

I choose to leave each to their own choices. For me, Yoga is spiritual, it's a way of life. I can't imagine my life without it and that's given me more than any stretching class could have.