Classical yoga (when it includes physical postures) does so as a means to prepare for meditation, self-discipline, and spiritual insight. On the other hand, Modern Postural yoga (MPY) embraces bodily experience as a path to meaning and presence, integrating mindfulness, breathwork, and body awareness. By fostering resilience and stamina in the body-mind connection, MPY also supports well-being and vitality, treating the embodied experience as both transformative and inherently rewarding.
MPY acknowledges that the things people call yoga fall into a complex knowledge domain.
From both an academic and a practical standpoint, modern postural yoga is a complex knowledge domain that integrates diverse principles from ancient Indian philosophies, physical practices, applied kinesiology, mindfulness, and much more. As such, it emphasizes presence and awareness within the physical journey and addresses the practical needs of contemporary bodies, such as mobility, resilience, and overall well-being. By drawing from multiple disciplines, MPY supports both functional movement and the cultivation of embodied insight, making the practice as versatile as it is transformative.
If there is one, the goal of MPY is humanistic. It is to live the full range of human experiences. In most cases, this means developing awareness of the habit structures that, over time, decrease the range of experience available to the self. In the body, this is experienced through qualities like heaviness, rigidity, and lack of vitality. These same qualities are also found in the habit structures of the mind. The complex knowledge domain of modern postural yoga requires deep inquiry into the totality of these aspects. It is not about one thing or another. the mind, body, spirit, and culture.