Americanized Yoga: Is it Safe?

Yoga developed in India more than 5,000 years ago and today it's more popular than ever. In the past decade or so Yoga has been vigorously Americanized with more than 15 million people practicing in the U.S. alone -- up from 12 million in 1998.

For many newcomers to Yoga, purists feel that higher consciousness or peace is not the motive for practicing. They claim that many "new" or "novice" participants see Yoga as a form of exercise that will produce a hard-body -- something Americans call the "Yoga Body." Purists say that what many Americans don't understand is that Yoga alone won't give you that Madonna-esque body you're looking for. To achieve a long, lean body or a "Yoga Body," one would have to do Yoga for two or more hours a day, every day, for two years or so, while maintaining a healthy diet and also doing cardiovascular workouts. Having the right genes is a factor as well.

So the idea of a "Yoga Body" is among other things, "very misleading," according to world-renowned yogi, Rodney Yee. In today's society, people are constantly looking for a quick fix. Yoga is not a quick fix and it wasn't meant to be. Yoga is an exercise of the mind, body, and breath. It should leave you feeling balanced, relaxed, and focused. Yoga does sculpt, lengthen and tone muscles, but the journey to a "Yoga Body" is a long one. The cosmetic benefits are more of an added benefit to practicing Yoga than anything.

Many Yoga purist fear that the discovery of Yoga by millions of Americans is killing its' soul and distorting the purpose from pursuit of a better self. "When Yoga was in its womb in India, it was safe and protected from the harsh world, it is in danger if disintegrating," says Dr. Scott Gerson, a prominent alternative medicine expert and internist in New York who has practiced Yoga since the 1970s. Gerson refers to most Yoga classes as "debauchment." Hybrids such as Disco Yoga, in-flight Yoga, bed-top Yoga, and the wildly popular Hot Yoga, scare purists the most.

Hot Yoga or "Bikram Yoga" is being highly criticized by Yoga purists mainly because, "this newfangled Yoga represents the biggest threat the spiritual discipline has faced since people began practicing it more than 5,000 years ago." Bikram Yoga is making headlines in the medical field as well. Bikram is usually practiced in a studio heated anywhere from 105-110 Fahrenheit. Doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists are skeptical about Hot Yoga's benefits and safety, mainly because it brings in the most emergencies. Steven Katz, a San Francisco Bay area chiropractor has been dubbed the "Yoga doc" for his extensive work with the "yogically" challenged. According to Katz, "Heat loosens muscles so they can stretch beyond what they naturally should." Injury can result from movements as simple as toe-touches or as difficult as headstands, depending on a person's flexibility, strength, and balance.

Clarence Shields, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Los Angeles and president of the American Orthopedic Society of Sports Medicine, treats 5-10 Yoga blown backs per month. So why do people still practice these fusion forms of Yoga in spite of safety concerns and lack of support by Yoga purists? Some speculate that in order to meet the needs of an inquisitive public that has little time to take a variety of classes, gym owners have to get downright inventive. Because of this, the hybrid was born. People lose interest pretty quick when it comes to exercise classes. Simply put, people continue to choose hybrid classes to combat boredom and for some, Yoga is no exception. If it's fun and trendy, then all the better, some say.

There is another downside to the Americanized version. According purists and Yogi's alike, the current crop of Yoga instructor's is lacking in skills and experience. Because of the high demand for instructors, many teachers do not have sufficient training, according to world-renowned yogi, Rodney Yee. The current demand for teachers is so huge that diluted certification, as abbreviated as a few weeks or even just 15 hours, are pumping out new instructors faster than you can say Namaste. According to Dara Bosiljevic (Dara Moa), a Nepal-based Yogi, beginners should begin by taking classes at a Yoga center or a high-quality Yoga studio. This offers no guarantees, so do your research. Dara Moa says, "do your research and don't be afraid to ask questions." Also, talk to students and instructors. "Take responsibility for your own body and honor your instinct," she says. Anyone who wants to practice Yoga can. It's best to enter the experience with an open mind and be willing to open your heart. As for the argument, pure Yoga -vs- diluted Yoga -- it's up to the individual. The fact still remains, however, that Yoga "can't be modified to suit persons, because persons have various personalities and we can't change it according to each and every person," says Subodh Tiwari, administrator of the Yoga Institute in Lonavala, where leaders from different Yoga wings agreed to promote Yoga in its authentic form.

Although Data Moa doesn't fully support newer forms of Yoga, she doesn't condemn them either. She feels that it is, however, "important for pure forms to keep going." At the Chicago branch of Sivananda, one of the most traditional schools in the U.S., director Chandrashekara is reluctant to criticize the new Yoga classes as well. After all, he says, "being judgmental isn't good for our health."

He does, however, offer his opinion in an apt metaphor: "To call these classes Yoga . . . it's really a stretch."