Some notes on yoga

There is an interesting article in The Guardian recently on the popularity of Yoga and how it has become one of the fastest growing exercise activities in the western world. In the process something has been lost though, which is the "spiritual" part. In Yoga the physical benefits are not really an end to itself, but more steps on the path to enlightenment. So is Sports yoga not really yoga? Well, classical yoga it aint. It may borrow postures and stretching, but it works differently. If yoga shall have the deepening effect, that feeling of getting closer to that area where the body and the mind comes together, it needs to be done with cold muscles, slowly, with focus on the breath and the attention resting in the stretch.
Then there is the debate about what "enlightenment" means in this context. Personally I find that an alienating word, which really does not describe why I practice yoga. I do it because after going through the asanas and the breathing excersises some restlessness, some tiredness of the body, this stored muscular stress has been relieved. And in the process I also somehow get closer to how my everyday life is internalised in my body, how the stress shows up as tighened muscles. And bealive it or not, that feels good.