Spirituality Studies 131 Lucie Chocholová ification course. As P1 described: “When you have a codified style, there may be a guarantee that it has some rhyme and reason. When you have a free-style thing, and at the instructor training, they tell you what a class should consist of, and then you don’t do it, then you don’t do it. But then it may turn out that there really is no rhyme or reason to the class.” However, not even a trademark guarantees that a qualified instructor will teach the style. In the survey, all instructors involved in the discussion confirmed that they had taught a trademarked yoga style at some point but did not list having the corresponding certificate. Such a discrepancy reflects a common practice: most instructors remain unaware of or choose to ignore international trademark registrations. The lack of legal awareness was also apparent from P1’s statement: “Yeah, today I would add more talking bits to it [a power yoga class]. It would still be dynamic, based on the sun salutation, and there would be warriors. But I would also sing Om and say something from yogic philosophy.” P2 then added, “But in the yoga center, I did power yoga and included whatever I felt like, even some things on the gentler side.” 5.2 Experiencing the Relationship Between Tradition and Contemporary Practice Regarding RQ2, participants reflected on their experiences and interpretations of the relationship between traditional and contemporary yoga practices. Their accounts reflect a complex negotiation within the philosophical-traditional dimension of the analysis, and revealed a perceived tension between yoga as a historically grounded spiritual discipline and yoga as a predominantly physical or fitness-oriented activity in contemporary contexts. According to the participants, some clients would never attend a traditional yoga class. Styles of yoga that have a more experiential character or are appealing in different ways can therefore serve as an important intermediary in attracting those interested in more traditional yoga. P2 described a meeting with a former client of hers: “And then I met her again, and she told me that my classes were like a fitness gym to her and it was great, but that she does normal yoga now.” In the words of the participants, traditional yoga, practiced by yogis, is founded on contentment, modesty, humility, a conscious way of living, and strict adherence to the path of yoga as described in the Yoga Sūtras. None of the participants mentioned that being a yogi would mean exercising regularly or in a specific way. P1 described it as follows: “That you are happy with what you have… That you are living in the moment and doing the best you can with the resources that you have at that moment, and you filter out things that you cannot do anything about, that would be beyond your scope – and you’re content with it.” In P2’s opinion: “A yogi is someone who follows that path [the eightfold path of yoga]. Only that path.” Finally, P2 added: “The goal of a yogi will mainly be to become this conscious being… That you are conscious of the internal motives for your actions. Why do you do what you do? Why do you say what you say? That you are conscious of not just wanting to say something, but also why you want to say it.” In contrast, most instructors do not view modern yoga with this mindset, including P2: “This [traditional] approach to yoga is not really close to my heart, all that Sanskrit terminology… I would be a hypocrite if I went around claiming I’m a genuine yogi and live in purity and all [other tenets]. No, I just use āsanas and breath techniques and things that I find interesting.” P1 had more to say: “When you say power yoga, I just imagine sun salutations and warriors. Maybe also some breathing, but I don’t really see the presence of mind there. There is no reciting Om; I don’t think they do prāṇāyāma techniques; and there’s no chance of also talking about [something on top of] it. I’d say it is the most austere physical practice, which took something from āsanas and developed them in its way.” Interestingly, a move toward the experiential-reflective dimension was evident in the personal practices of participants. While their public teaching might be focused on physicality, their private practice often tends towards gentleness and intuition. P3 noted that “when I’m exercising for myself, it changes a lot. I just lie down on the mat and relax. I give the body what I feel it needs. It sort of composes itself that way. There aren’t even any poses. I feel that I need to nurture and nourish myself a little through some gentle movements, rather than a great physical practice.” In their own individual practices, the instructors described several traditional yogic elements, such as internalization, establishing contact with their own bodies, and cultivating the ability to listen to it. P2’s yogic practice is, in her own words, “usually short, rarely more than 30 minutes. I let myself be led through poses. I usually have some prāṇāyāma technique there, like kapalabhati or switching nostrils. I sing Om and also have a mantra that I can sing… I stand on the mat. Sometimes I start slowly, sometimes fast. Whatever the body needs at that moment.” P2 was the only one who talked about her
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