Why is it important to learn about yoga philosophy and spirituality? Well, much of what we are exposed to as yoga here in the West has been a watered-down version of the yogic practice in its entirety. Unfortunately, yoga can be added to the long list of practices that have been colonized, repackaged, and sold for consumption as something it is not.

Here, we see yoga labeled as a fitness activity or thought of as an exercise, when it was never intended to be. It was reduced to that by those from whom yoga did not originate. Ironically, yoga is much less a practice of doing as it is of being. That’s why you will always hear me say, “yoga is not something you do.”

The fact is, body posturing is just one small aspect of the practice of yoga. To learn how to do the poses without understanding the real reason why you are doing them would be like discovering a gold mine and only claiming 1/8 of its treasures. Not only would you be missing out on a rich context and culture but on many spiritual benefits of yoga that can further enrich this beautiful yet fleeting human experience.