What does authentic yoga actually look like? Aru shares her personal checklist for examining the depth, roots, and transmission of your yoga practice and teaching. From lineage and Hinduism to pranic experience, sadhana, primary sources, and knowing what you don’t know, this episode explores why sincerity alone isn’t enough—and how we can move closer to authenticity.

Episode Highlights:

Feeling authentic versus being authentic
Westernization and cultural drift
Authenticity beyond Indian identity
Hinduism and yoga literacy
Origin versus transmission
Social media as a red flag
Platform size versus teaching depth
Reach versus depth in yoga
The content creator economy
When content becomes teaching
Churn in yoga offerings
Social media versus real knowledge
Adhikara and authentic transmission
Knowing and tracing your lineage
Guru Shishya Parampara and transmission
Lineage versus compiled yoga
Hinduism as working yoga literacy
Sanatana Dharma and yoga roots
Yoga texts and traditions
Experiencing the pranic body
Prana versus nervous system knowledge
Pranayama and pranic understanding
The pranic body in Hatha Yoga
Deep study with teachers
Having primary yoga teachers
Sadhana beyond asana
Personal practice beyond physical yoga
Yoga practice versus transactional teaching
Marketing culture and yoga communities
Learning from primary sources
Long-form study and contemplation
Knowing the limits of knowledge
Honesty about what you know
Relationship with the sacred
Non-instrumental spiritual practice
Sincerity versus authenticity
Closing the gap through practice
Earning the right to transmit
Self-reflection and authentic yoga

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What Exactly Is Authentic Yoga? Here’s A Checklist

Let's Talk Yoga

What Exactly Is Authentic Yoga? Here’s A Checklist