an Introduction

Amidst the Chaos brought by the disclosure of the scandals in the world of orthodox Aṣṭāṅga Yoga and the re-enculturation of the Traditional 8 Limbs System of Patañjali as a postural, bodily-exercise gravitated practice, the need to re-evaluate the lost principles and ideas of Yogic Philosophy has arisen more than ever before. 

I do not want to go into detail here about the K P Jois sexual abuses and the re-invention of the Mysore style Aṣṭāṅga Vinyāsa Yoga by his grandson in the context of the "one" Guru. Many other authors, teachers and students have done quite a remarkable job pointing out the faults of both these narratives. 

In case you are still not familiar with these cases, I am providing links to some of the most important articles and interviews that frame the subject.

01. Karen Rain

02. Gregor Maehle and Monica Gauci

03. Guy Donahaye's Blog

This is crucial to develop an overall understanding of the history of events that have come to question  (1) the role of the Guru - whether that is even a legit term anymore - and (2) the misuse of spirituality [among others] along with its fundamental role in shaping human lives.

Evolution and the changes it brings have been consistently present in the history of this planet. Yoga had also been a fundamental part of the history of humanity and as such faced with the challenge of changes throughout the eras. The thematic I want to initiate here is not necessarily addressing the transformation of what we know as yoga, since, like many other things has come to evolve through multiple processes that have been taking place constantly for years. It is mostly set up as a discourse, a dialectic toward enabling people to integrate yoga into their lives mindfully as dictated by the current status of our planet and our very individual lives among the societies we have developed. 

I use the term yoga here to refer to the variety of elements the yogic philosophy encompasses i.e. the 8 Limbs or Auxiliaries as described in the Yogasūtra-s. I feel that now more than ever, it is time to re-evaluate the context of the text and thus make the necessary applications to our own personal lives in order to develop spiritually in regards to Earth itself and our fellow humans.