“Yoga Is Whatever You Want It to Be” vs. Śāstra-Pramāṇa
Why Authentic Yoga Must Be Rooted in Scripture
Freedom or Confusion?
Modern yoga culture loves to promote freedom. Scroll through social media or walk into a trendy studio and you’ll hear the mantra:
“Yoga is whatever you want it to be.”
At first, it sounds inclusive. Empowering. Limitless. It encourages mixing yoga with personal goals, body positivity, manifestation rituals, or therapeutic trends. But something vital gets lost.
When everyone defines yoga however they please, the essence of yoga fades. Structure disappears. Sacred meaning gets replaced by personal taste.
Instead of aligning with timeless truth, modern yoga often bends to comfort, ego, and entertainment. That’s why śāstra-pramāṇa — the authority of sacred scripture — matters more than ever.
What Is Śāstra-Pramāṇa — And Why Does It Matter?
To understand why traditional yoga emphasizes śāstra, we must look at the meaning behind the term śāstra-pramāṇa. The word śāstra refers to authoritative texts such as the Bhagavad Gītā, the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, and the Upaniṣads. Meanwhile, pramāṇa means a valid source of knowledge — a standard by which truth is tested.
Put together, śāstra-pramāṇa means that we don’t define yoga according to individual opinion or social trends. Rather, we receive yoga from the sages who realized it — those who practiced, attained, and transmitted it through paramparā, or lineage.
Unlike modern wellness models that prioritize personal feeling over philosophical grounding, yoga draws strength from being rooted in something higher than the ego.
When Yoga Becomes a Brand, It Loses Its Power
“Make it your own” sounds appealing. But it often turns yoga into a personal brand — shaped by emotion, not understanding. One teacher calls yoga therapy. Another calls it a movement practice. Another claims it’s about manifestation and abundance.
Each version pulls the tradition further from its center.
Although these approaches may serve some immediate needs, they often lack alignment with yoga’s true aim. The Yoga Sūtras offer a precise definition:
Yoga Sūtra 1.2
“Yogaḥ citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ”
“Yoga is the stilling of the movements of the mind.”
Patañjali didn’t leave the goal up for debate. Yoga involves ethics, self-discipline, breath, posture, mantra, and meditation — all aiming toward liberation. Without structure, we drift. Without śāstra, we invent.
Once yoga becomes a canvas for personal expression without scriptural alignment, its depth begins to erode. At that point, it’s no longer yoga — it’s something else wearing yoga’s name.
Yoga Requires a Map — Not Just a Mood
Imagine climbing a sacred mountain. You wouldn’t say, “The path is whatever I want it to be.” You’d follow maps. You’d seek guidance. You’d stay alert to each step.
Yoga works the same way. Śāstra offers that map. It keeps us moving toward the true goal — freedom from suffering, not just momentary peace.
Śrī T. Kr̥ṣṇamācārya taught with precision. He drew from śāstra. He adapted to the student — but never compromised the root. His method wasn’t casual. It was exact, devotional, and anchored in scripture.
Structure Doesn’t Restrict — It Refines
Many practitioners resist structure. They worry that rules will limit their expression. But yoga doesn’t block creativity — it channels it.
When you follow a true path, you stop wasting energy. You focus. You deepen. You grow with purpose instead of guessing what works. Freedom doesn’t come from making it all up. It comes from aligning with something greater than yourself.
Tradition refines your practice. It points you inward. It helps you drop what doesn’t serve. That’s real freedom.
Without Scripture, Confusion Takes Over
Let’s be honest. Yoga without śāstra isn’t yoga. It’s just movement with spiritual packaging. And the industry proves it.
We see goat yoga. Beer yoga. Naked yoga. We see teachers mixing astrology, tarot, or manifestation into what they call “yoga.”
Meanwhile, students searching for depth walk away disillusioned. They don’t find clarity. They find confusion. And worse — they start thinking that’s all yoga has to offer.
When yoga becomes a tool for content creation or emotional release, its power to transform the soul fades fast.
Śāstra Keeps Yoga Sacred
Scripture isn’t restrictive. It’s protective. It preserves truth. It keeps yoga from being consumed by trends, ego, or distortion.
Bhagavad Gītā 16.24:
“Let śāstra guide your actions. It shows what to do and what to avoid.”
Yoga rooted in śāstra connects you to divine knowledge. It doesn’t ask you to believe — it invites you to experience. Not for five minutes of peace, but for permanent clarity.
The Role of the Guru: A Living Transmission
A true teacher doesn’t rebrand yoga. A true teacher embodies and transmits it — alive, intact, adapted with intelligence.
Kr̥ṣṇamācārya never compromised śāstra. He respected the individual, yes. But he stayed loyal to the source. This is yukta-upāya — skillful means rooted in eternal principles.
A teacher aligned with śāstra won’t confuse you. They won’t flatter your preferences. They’ll lead you inward with care, precision, and truth.
Yoga Isn’t Whatever You Want — It’s What You Need
“Yoga is whatever you want” might sound progressive. But real yoga doesn’t stroke the ego. It exposes it. It doesn’t amplify identity. It dismantles it.
Yoga guides you to the unchanging Self — beyond your stories, your moods, your brand. That path needs structure. That path needs scripture. That path needs humility.
When you embrace śāstra-pramāṇa, you don’t lose your freedom. You unlock it.
At Yadu Yoga, we teach from this living tradition. We honor śāstra. We serve lineage. And we offer yoga not as a product — but as a sacred process of remembrance, surrender, and truth.
🙏 A Dedication to Teachers, Practitioners, and Seekers
This blog is humbly offered to all sincere yoga teachers, dedicated practitioners, and spiritual seekers who desire to uphold the integrity of yoga. May you find clarity, courage, and inspiration in walking the path of authentic devotion, guided by the living light of Kr̥ṣṇamācārya’s wisdom and the timeless voice of the śāstra.
Namaskar 🙏
(@didieryoga)