Is Yoga Really the Path to Enlightenment?

Or just a spiritual gym membership?

A tongue in cheek (yet still sorta serious) recount of what happened when yoga out-yoked itself.

Yoga. The ancient practice of bending, breathing, and—if Instagram is to be believed—casually levitating in exotic locations while wearing overpriced recycled leggings.

We’ve been told for centuries that yoga is the ultimate path to enlightenment. That if we just practice enough asana, meditate religiously on our third eye, and chant Sanskrit mantras we only half understand let alone pronounce, we will transcend all worldly suffering, merge with the divine, and maybe even stop caring about gluten.

But let’s take a moment to ask a question that many yogis avoid like a deep squat after leg day: If yoga is truly a path to enlightenment, then where are all the enlightened yogis?

The Enlightenment Dilemma: Are We There Yet?

Think about it. There are yogis who have been practicing for 20, 30, even 50 years—following the Sutras, fasting, chanting Om until their neighbors file noise complaints—yet many are still as trapped in their egos as a squirrel in a bird feeder. If enlightenment is the natural result of devoted yoga practice, why isn’t the world overflowing with self-realized beings?

If anything, the modern yoga world seems more preoccupied with green juice cleanses, influencer sponsorships, and whether their studio is using ethically sourced incense, than actually transcending the matrix. And let’s not forget the contradictions—like self-proclaimed enlightened teachers snapping at students who ask too many questions, or secretly compete over who can hold a handstand the longest (whilst reciting The Bhagavad-Gita… in Sanskrit, of course).

Shouldn't long-term yoga practice lead to a state of peace beyond fear, beyond worldly narratives, beyond the illusions of control? And yet, when the world hit next level turbulence in 2020, where were the fearless yogis who saw through the synthetic narratives, who walked in absolute harmony with nature? Instead, we saw many of them masked up, socially distanced, and buying into the same fear-based systems they claim to eclipse. If yoga truly connects us to truth, shouldn’t that truth be self-evident?

What Happened to the Yamas and Niyamas?

Here’s another inconvenient truth: Many so-called yoga “masters” haven’t even mastered the basics. The Yamas (ethical restraints) and Niyamas (self-discipline) are the foundation of yoga—essentially the moral and spiritual guidelines that should be practiced before you even think about twisting yourself into a pretzel. But how many yogis truly live by them?

Let’s be real—many (granted, not all) yogis pick and choose from these principles like a spiritual buffet. They might practice Ahimsa (non-violence) by going vegan, but then gossip about a fellow yogi like they’re still in high school. They might embrace Saucha (purity) with daily green smoothies and matching bliss balls, but have zero Saucha in their thoughts or energy field. They claim to live by Satya (truthfulness), yet naively accept whatever narrative they’re fed, never questioning the reality (or lack of social integrity) flying around them. And Brahmacharya (control over desires)? Best we don’t even go there—unless you want to count the “spiritual” dating scene, where tantra workshops often become glorified hook-up festivals. I experienced this firsthand as a newbie student back in 2002, and can tell you, it’s still going on in 2025.

Many yogis love the physical postures, the aesthetics of spirituality, and the identity of being “a yogi,” but the deeper self-work? The raw, uncomfortable truths? The full commitment to rising above ego? That part often gets left behind, conveniently replaced with a new Mala bead necklace and the latest hashtag about “self-love.”

Is the "spiritual cleanliness" of yoga, all an illusion?

Yoga markets itself as a spiritually pure practice, a direct path to divine knowledge. However, if you’ve been paying any attention over the past few years especially, you’ll already know spirituality can be just as full of dogma and conditioning as any religious institution. Yoga is no exception. Many yogis still believe in the external authorities of the modern world rather than trusting their own direct connection to spirit and nature. If they were truly awake, truly in tune with the deeper rhythms of the universe, wouldn’t they have seen through the synthetic (covid) charade of fear-based programming?

The irony is that the same yogis who preach about prana (life force), natural immunity, and the inherent wisdom of the body, were often the first to line up for “those shots”. Whatever the mainstream narrative was that authorities presented to them on the day, they swallowed it, hook, line, and saintlike sinker.

Can you really claim to believe in the body's innate intelligence while simultaneously distrusting it enough to need constant external intervention? Somewhere along the way, methinks the mind-body-spirit connection got a little... disconnected.

I remember one well-known Sydney studio owner penning an article about how taking an “experimental vaccine” was an act of Ahimsa. Remember that the overarching theme of Yama is non-violence, to self and others. Not only that, but any yogi who didn’t roll up their kaftan to take the shots as instructed by GovCorp, was in direct violation of the sacred teachings, and therefore labelled a heretic. A danger to society; not just grandma. It was astounding to say the least.

Unfortunately, there were many yogis around the world advocating in a similar way—too many in my humble opinion—and they all banded together in what could only be described as a toxic global posse. All that was missing from this woke pop-up group, was a Calvin Klein photo shoot complete with matching bamboo props.

I have no doubt Gandhi and Buddha were back bending in their graves; and probably still are.

So, how do you identify an authentic yoga teacher and avoid the fakes?

If you’re a novice yoga student searching for a teacher, it is difficult to know how to separate the authentic from the performative. Here are a few red flags (and green lights) to look for:

🚩 They only focus on the physical postures. If your yoga teacher talks more about abs than awareness, you’re basically in a glorified gymnastics class.
🚩 They seem obsessed with status. If they’re constantly dropping their “guru’s” name, pushing their latest yoga retreat in Bali, or acting like they’re above questioning, that’s ego—not enlightenment.
🚩 They don’t embody the Yamas and Niyamas. If they preach non-attachment but can’t let go of their phone for a single class or teach about truth but buy into every mainstream narrative without critical thought, they might not be as “spiritually clean” as they claim.
🚩 They can’t handle questions or dissent. A true teacher welcomes discussion and inquiry. A fake one gets defensive when you question their teachings and may even subtly exclude you and pay more attention to those students who blindly hang on every word they say.
🚩 They push products or expensive certifications. If their main goal is to up-sell you on overpriced yoga mats, essential oils, or the next level of their teacher training… you’re in a business, not a spiritual practice.

The “green lights” include:

✅ They prioritize inner work over outer performance. True yogis focus on breath, awareness, and self-inquiry, not just how deep you can stretch.
✅ They live by example. You can feel their wisdom through their energy, not just their words. They walk their talk—calm in chaos, humble in knowledge, fearless in truth.
✅ They are willing to say, “I don’t know.” An enlightened teacher isn’t afraid to admit they’re still learning. Or to share their journey, warts and all, to help others.
✅ They encourage self-inquiry. Instead of just preaching doctrine, they ask questions that make you think deeply about yourself, your beliefs, and the nature of reality.
✅ They help you detach from illusion. If a teacher truly embodies yoga, they will guide you toward seeing through illusions—including societal conditioning, false narratives, and the traps of the ego. They will nourish the warrior within you, without any strings or ulterior motives attached.

In a nutshell, the authentic yoga teacher will not hesitate in stepping away from their peers or an inverted status quo they don’t align with anymore, to hold strong to their own truth. And isn’t that the purpose of yoga anyway, to make us so strong, connected, and confident in ourselves as sacred beings, that we will never sacrifice our spiritual integrity?

You may be wondering now: is yoga a lie?

Not necessarily. Yoga can be a powerful tool—it can help clear the mind, release trauma, and bring a sense of inner stillness. But it is not, in and of itself, a guaranteed ticket to enlightenment. Just like lifting weights won’t automatically make you Arnold Schwarzenegger, rolling out a yoga mat won’t necessarily make you Buddha. You can’t “breathe” yourself into a relationship with God, as is often claimed, but you can enhance your life and health journey by applying these tools—the Eight Limbs of Yoga as they are called—and then consciously surrendering to whatever that path reveals itself to be for you, when you do.

True enlightenment requires radical self-inquiry, brutal honesty, and the courage to challenge not only external illusions but also the comforting spiritual stories we wrap ourselves up in like glorified sushi sometimes. It’s not just about mastering handstands or reciting Sutras at 4am—it’s about genuinely waking up.

If you’ve been waiting for a guru, a teacher, or even yoga itself to make you enlightened, it might be time to take a deeper look. Maybe enlightenment isn’t found in Downward Dog—but in questioning everything. Including the very practice that claims to lead you there.

What do you think? Is yoga a genuine path to self-realization, or just another spiritual treadmill keeping us busy?

Is there a ninth limb waiting for us to co-create it?

Nama-fcking-sté