Yoga isn't a workout. The benefits of fitness, health, and mobility one experiences are lovely; however, those benefits are not what yoga is primarily about.
Yoga is a largely internal spiritual discipline leading the practitioner towards connection, unity, and oneness. It is a spiritual practice that *includes* physical activity.
The west has co-opted this practice and turned it into a fitness trend and fad with āsana - like moves and "workouts" that borrow heavily (and profit!) from Eastern traditions without giving back.
This is a philosophy, a spiritual discipline, and a sacred practice from South Asia, rooted in indigenous ways of being and knowing.
Our people have been doing these practices for thousands of years. It is not ok to devalue and change the meaning of yoga. I believe it is time to start valuing these traditions. Will you join me in this recognition?