120 Spirituality Studies 1 Introduction In contemporary societies, yoga has become a globally widespread practice that encompasses a broad spectrum of meanings, ranging from a spiritual discipline rooted in Indian philosophical traditions to a predominantly physical or fitness-oriented activity. This transformation has been accompanied by the emergence of numerous contemporary yoga styles that often depart from traditional philosophical and spiritual frameworks, giving rise to practices such as beer yoga, naked yoga, or goat yoga, which are frequently perceived as controversial from the perspective of traditional yoga (Gander 2017). The growing diversification and reinterpretation of yoga is particularly significant given its global reach, with nearly 300 million people worldwide currently attending yoga classes (Gavriusova 2025). In the Czech Republic, where yoga instructor education is formalized through requalification courses but remains largely unregulated in regards to spiritual and ethical competencies, these developments raise questions about how yoga is understood, taught, and legitimized in practice. The present study examines how certified yoga instructors negotiate the relationship between traditional yoga and contemporary yoga practices, focusing on their interpretations of yoga styles, professional competencies, and the role of spirituality within modern yoga instruction. The incorporation of foreign influences into yoga is by no means a novel phenomenon. In the late nineteenth century, several authors already presented yoga in ways that reflected their own views on the world and human well-being, despite these interpretations having little grounding in classical yogic sources. In the early twentieth century, William Walker Atkinson – writing under the pseudonyms Yogi Ramacharaka and Swami Bhakta Vishita – published works that introduced techniques not attested in traditional yoga texts. Among these was the concept of Full Yogic Breath, which is today often regarded as a traditional breathing technique (Ramacharaka 1903, 31–32). In the Czech Republic, similar tendencies were evident in the work of Otokar Griese (known as Hermes), whose book Tajemství indické jogy included instructions for developing abilities such as clairvoyance and divination (Hermes [Griese] 1908, 58–61). As a result of such reinterpretations, yoga became associated with occultism and supernatural abilities for several decades. From the 1970s onward, however, the association of yoga with occultism was gradually supplanted by a growing emphasis on physical fitness. Influenced by broader cultural trends and the growing presence of Eastern teachers in the West, yoga came to be associated with bodily discipline, strength, and aesthetic performance. The emergence of dynamic styles such as power yoga, along with the popularization of yogic postures through celebrity culture in the 1990s, contributed to the rapid expansion of āsana-based practice. During this period, formal yoga instructor training programs were established, marking the beginnings of yoga’s institutionalization within the global fitness industry (Dostal 2019, 21:35–23:17). Nevertheless, 1990s research already demonstrated that yoga is not particularly effective as a weight-loss intervention and that improper instruction may entail a risk of injury, especially when taught by inexperienced instructors (Russell et al. 2016, 284–290). The modern diversification of yoga practices has been accompanied by growing inconsistencies in the interpretation and application of yogic concepts across different styles and training systems. While complete unity across the entire system of yoga may no longer be achievable, a degree of internal coherence within individual yoga styles remains essential, particularly in the context of instructor education. Discrepancies in the interpretation of fundamental yogic techniques illustrate the extent of this issue. For example, modern approaches such as Aṣṭāṅga Vinyāsa Yoga and Power Yoga describe the yogic technique uḍḍiyānabandha as a light contraction of the transverse abdominal muscle (Maehle 2011, 17). By contrast, in more traditionally oriented systems, including Haṭha Yoga and Yoga in Daily Life, it is defined as raising the diaphragm and drawing in the abdominal wall (Mahéšvaránanda 2006, 254). Krejčík and Kučera (2009, 46) further emphasize that uḍḍiyānabandha is not a muscular contraction at all, but rather a technique involving diaphragmatic suction. These divergent interpretations demonstrate that even core elements of yogic practice may be taught in fundamentally different ways, depending on stylistic affiliation and instructor background. Such variability places increased demands on training systems for yoga instructors, particularly in contexts where no overarching authority exists to regulate content or ensure consistency. In the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (hereafter MŠMT) formalizes yoga instructor education by accrediting specific requalification courses. However, these programs do not guarantee unified interpretations of yogic techniques or shared standards regarding instructor competencies. As a result, instructors may complete formal training while holding markedly differ-
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