Today, you can practise yoga surrounded by goats or puppies, suspended in the air, or even with a glass of champagne in your hand. Yoga has become part of wellness events, celebrations and all kinds of experiences. New forms of yoga continue to emerge, seemingly limited only by imagination.
It is wonderful when a new kind of physical activity encourages people to move, laugh and spend time together. The joy of movement is valuable, and not every physical activity needs to be serious or goal-oriented.
But when it comes to yoga, there is a question that I believe should not be overlooked.
What happens when yoga asanas are separated from their original purpose?
And perhaps more importantly, what does this kind of practice actually do to the physical body, the energy body and the mind?
These questions cannot be examined from the perspective of physical exercise alone. In traditional Hatha Yoga, asanas are part of a much deeper practice.
So what exactly are goat yoga, champagne yoga, puppy yoga and aerial yoga? And how do they differ from traditional Hatha Yoga?
The Purpose of Yoga Is Not Simply to Move the Body
In contemporary yoga culture, yoga is often understood as stretching, physical conditioning or a form of exercise. Its physical benefits are indeed one of the main reasons many people begin practising.
However, the traditional purpose of yoga goes much deeper.
In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, yoga is defined as:
Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ.
Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind.
This brief definition reveals something essential about the direction of yoga practice.
The aim is not to continuously add new experiences, sensations and stimulation. Instead, the practice gradually cultivates mental stillness and the ability to direct awareness inward.
In traditional Hatha Yoga, the physical body plays an important role in this process, but it is not the only focus of practice.
Through asanas, pranayama, mudras and other techniques, the body and mind are prepared for deeper yogic practices.
To explore the broader meaning and foundations of yoga, you can also read What Is Yoga? (in Finnish).
And this brings us to an aspect of yoga that is often almost entirely overlooked in contemporary discussions.
Hatha Yoga Is Also a Precise Form of Energetic Practice
Hatha Yoga asanas are not simply different ways of stretching muscles or strengthening the body.
In traditional Hatha Yoga teachings, the practice works not only with the physical body but also with a subtler dimension commonly referred to as the energy body.
According to the yogic understanding of the human being, we exist on several interconnected levels.
Pranamaya kosha, the energy body, is associated with prana, or vital life energy, and its movement throughout the system.
Prana is traditionally described as flowing through nadis, the subtle energy channels. Hatha Yoga practices are intended to influence this flow, remove energetic obstacles and support balance.
Within this framework, asana, breathing and concentration each have a particular function.
The importance of breathing is explored further in the article Breathing in Yoga (in Finnish).
This is why the way a practice is performed matters.
From the perspective of the yoga tradition, practising an asana correctly is not simply about placing the physical body into the correct external position.
The breath, the direction of attention, the rhythm of practice and the practitioner’s internal state are also important.
In Hatha Yoga, we are not merely doing something with the body. We are also seeking to influence what happens within the body and on its subtler levels.
This dimension may remain completely unknown when yoga is understood only as a sequence of physical postures.
You can read more about the foundational role of Hatha Yoga in Yoga Styles and Why Hatha Yoga Is Their Foundation (in Finnish).
What Happens When Asanas Are Separated from Their Energetic Purpose?
In my view, this is one of the most important questions in modern yoga.
If asanas are practised without an understanding of their traditional purpose, the physical activity may still be beneficial.
It can improve strength, mobility and body awareness while providing enjoyment.
But is it still the same practice?
In traditional Hatha Yoga, practices are understood to influence the movement of prana. This is why correct execution and gradual progression are considered important.
Traditional yogic teachings also suggest that improperly performed practices may create imbalance rather than support harmony.
This consideration is especially emphasised in relation to intensive pranayama and other energetic practices.
It is important to recognise that the concept of the energy body belongs to the traditional yogic understanding of human existence.
It cannot be directly equated with the concepts of modern anatomy or physiology. However, this does not make it meaningless within the internal framework of yoga practice.
If the purpose of a practice is to balance the energy body, it makes sense to understand the principles through which this has traditionally been approached.
At the same time, we should consider the effects of practice on the mind.
Does it support concentration and inner stillness? Or does it keep the mind continuously occupied with external events?
These questions become particularly interesting when we examine today’s experience-based yoga trends.
Champagne Yoga: Does Alcohol Belong in Yoga Practice?
Champagne yoga combines yoga with sparkling wine, often as part of a social event.
Such an occasion may be an enjoyable way to spend time with friends.
But from the perspective of yoga philosophy, combining alcohol with yoga practice presents a contradiction.
Yogic philosophy describes three gunas: sattva, rajas and tamas.
Sattva is associated with clarity, balance and harmony.
Rajas represents activity, restlessness and movement.
Tamas is associated with heaviness, inertia and obscured awareness.
In many yogic interpretations of lifestyle and diet, alcohol is considered tamasic because it can diminish mental clarity.
Yoga practice seeks to cultivate the opposite qualities.
The intention is to develop presence, awareness and the ability to perceive subtle changes within the body and mind.
Alcohol, on the other hand, affects the central nervous system, attention, judgement and physical coordination.
Consuming alcohol before or during physical activity may also increase the risk of injury.
If the purpose of yoga is to cultivate clarity of awareness, why introduce something into the practice that may cloud it?
This is not about suggesting that people should never enjoy a glass of champagne with friends.
The question is why alcohol should become part of yoga practice itself.
Traditional Hatha Yoga also pays attention to food, the timing of practice and preparation.
In many teaching traditions, practitioners are advised to practise on a relatively empty stomach and avoid heavy meals for several hours beforehand. Recommendations concerning drinking vary between traditions.
Underlying these guidelines is the intention to create favourable conditions for practice.
Champagne yoga begins from a very different premise.
Goat Yoga: What Happens When Attention Is Constantly Directed Outward?
In goat yoga, participants perform yoga postures while goats move freely around them.
The goats may approach participants, walk across yoga mats or even climb onto people’s backs.
The experience can be amusing, surprising and full of laughter. Spending time with animals can also bring joy and positive emotions.
But what happens to concentration during the yoga practice?
In the eight-limbed path of yoga, Patanjali describes pratyahara, the withdrawal of the senses from external objects towards inner awareness.
Through practice, we gradually learn to direct attention away from the constant stream of external stimulation.
When goats are moving around us, attention naturally shifts towards their behaviour, sounds and unexpected actions.
The mind remains actively engaged with the surrounding environment.
Such an experience may be enjoyable, but it does not necessarily support the same inward concentration traditionally cultivated in yoga.
From the perspective of Hatha Yoga, the question extends beyond the mind.
When asanas are practised as part of energetic work, the conscious direction of breathing and attention is significant.
Constant interruptions can make this kind of practice more difficult.
Puppy Yoga and Dog Yoga: Joy or Constant Stimulation?
Puppy yoga and dog yoga follow a similar concept.
Dogs or puppies are present during the yoga session, and participants may interact with them throughout the experience.
The presence of animals can create feelings of affection, happiness and amusement.
For many people, this may be exactly the kind of experience they are looking for.
But when we consider the original objectives of yoga, the same question arises as with goat yoga.
Are we practising the stillness of the mind, or simply giving the mind more interesting things to focus on?
Modern life already surrounds us with constant stimulation.
Phones, messages, schedules and events compete continuously for our attention.
Yoga offers an opportunity to practise something different.
An opportunity to pause, listen to the breath and become aware of what is happening within the body and mind.
When we continuously introduce new stimulation into yoga practice, this opportunity may become secondary.
Animal welfare is another important consideration in animal-based yoga events.
Animals should always have the opportunity to withdraw from interaction, and their wellbeing must not be compromised for the sake of the participants’ experience.
Aerial Yoga: Can a Modern Prop Support Traditional Yoga Practice?
Aerial yoga differs from champagne yoga and animal-based yoga because it introduces a physical support rather than additional external stimulation.
Aerial yoga uses fabric suspended from the ceiling to support the body, assist with postures and enable different movements.
The fabric can be used to develop mobility, body control and balance.
For some practitioners, it may also make certain movements or positions more accessible.
For this reason, it would not be reasonable to evaluate aerial yoga according to exactly the same criteria as champagne yoga.
Different kinds of props have also been incorporated into other modern yoga methods.
The essential question is how the prop is used.
Does it support breathing, conscious awareness and the intention of practice?
Or does the practice become primarily an acrobatic performance, with attention directed towards impressive-looking postures?
From the perspective of traditional Hatha Yoga, it is also important to remember that a new prop does not automatically preserve every quality of the original asana.
When body position, gravitational forces, muscular activity and breathing conditions change, the physical practice changes as well.
Its energetic effects cannot simply be assumed to remain the same because the posture carries a familiar yoga name.
Aerial yoga can therefore be a meaningful form of physical activity and, in some approaches, may also support yogic concentration.
However, this does not automatically make it equivalent to traditional Hatha Yoga asana practice.
Why Do Practice Conditions Matter in Traditional Hatha Yoga?
Traditional Hatha Yoga has long emphasised the importance of the practice environment and preparation.
Classical Hatha Yoga texts discuss suitable practice locations, diet, moderation and the importance of minimising disturbances.
These are not merely external rules.
They reflect an understanding that the body, breath, mind and prana are interconnected.
If a practitioner has just eaten a heavy meal, consumed alcohol or is constantly responding to external events, the conditions of practice may differ considerably from those of a calm and consciously prepared session.
Hatha Yoga gradually develops sensitivity to increasingly subtle changes.
This is why silence, concentration and the appropriate execution of practice are not insignificant details.
They are part of the practice itself.
How Do Modern Yoga Trends Affect the Body, Energy Body and Mind?
There is no single answer to this question.
Different yoga formats, teaching approaches and individual experiences vary considerably.
Physically, experience-based yoga may provide movement, improve body control and create a sense of wellbeing.
Shared activities and laughter can also have a positive influence on mood.
However, it is important to distinguish these benefits from the deeper objectives of traditional yoga practice.
The Physical Body
The physical effects of practice depend on how movements are performed, the level of physical effort, breathing and safety.
Alcohol, for example, may impair coordination, while constant interruptions can make precise body control more difficult.
The Energy Body
According to traditional Hatha Yoga teachings, practice influences the flow of prana.
For this reason, the correct execution and sequence of asanas, breathing techniques and concentration practices are considered important.
Within this traditional framework, inappropriate practice is also believed to have the potential to disturb the energetic balance that the practice seeks to cultivate.
This should not, however, be interpreted as evidence that every goat yoga session causes harm to the energy body.
The energy body is a concept within yogic philosophy rather than a structure established by modern anatomical science.
The Mind
A practice may strengthen our ability to pause, concentrate and turn inward.
Alternatively, it may keep attention continuously occupied with external events.
Of course, attending an enjoyable animal-based yoga event does not prevent anyone from practising yoga more deeply elsewhere.
It may simply serve a different purpose.
From the perspective of yoga, the question is therefore not only whether a practice feels pleasant.
We should also ask where the practice is taking us.
Does This Mean Every New Form of Yoga Is a Bad Thing?
No.
The yoga tradition has never remained completely unchanged, and new methods do not need to be rejected simply because they are new.
Modern yoga has also developed approaches that can help people discover and explore practice from their own starting points.
Novelty itself is not the problem.
What matters more is understanding what we are doing and why.
If the purpose of an event is to enjoy the company of animals, spend time with friends or try a new form of movement, there is nothing inherently wrong with that.
But such an experience does not need to be presented as equivalent to traditional Hatha Yoga practice.
Understanding the deeper objectives of yoga helps us recognise why the way we practise matters.
Especially when discussing the balance of the energy body and the stilling of the mind, we are no longer speaking only about physical exercise.
If you would like to explore different approaches to yoga, read more about Different Yoga Traditions and Styles (in Finnish).
What About Fascia Yoga, Somatic Yoga and Other Modern Yoga Trends?
Not all modern yoga trends are built around entertainment or unusual experiences.
In recent years, practices emphasising fascia, body awareness, breathing and nervous system regulation have also gained popularity.
These approaches raise another interesting question.
What is genuinely new, and what has already been part of traditional yoga practice for centuries?
I have explored these questions in more detail in the following articles:
- Fascia Yoga: Does Fascia Need Its Own Yoga Style? (in Finnish)
- Somatic Yoga: A New Trend or Something Yoga Has Always Practised? (in Finnish)
- Breathwork: A New Breathing Trend or Pranayama Under a Different Name? (in Finnish)
- Nervous System Yoga: What Does This Modern Yoga Trend Really Mean? (in Finnish)
These methods should not necessarily be evaluated according to the same criteria as champagne yoga or animal-based yoga.
They may offer useful perspectives and approaches to practice.
Nevertheless, it is valuable to recognise how they relate to yoga’s long history and traditional objectives.
Perhaps Yoga Does Not Need More Experiences
We live in a time when almost everything is expected to become more interesting, entertaining and stimulating.
Yoga has not escaped this development.
But perhaps this is precisely where we need to pause and reflect.
Yoga does not need to compete with the endless stimulation of the modern world.
It does not need to continuously surprise or entertain the practitioner.
Traditional yoga also involves learning to be still, encountering our own mind and developing the sensitivity to recognise subtle processes that are easily overlooked amid busyness and external distractions.
In Hatha Yoga, this work extends from the physical body to the breath, the energy body and the mind.
When we practise consciously and respect the principles of yoga, we are not simply moving the body into different positions.
We are also cultivating the ability to observe, balance and gradually become still.
Yoga is not only about what we do with our bodies, but also about what the practice does to us.
And perhaps the greatest value of yoga in the modern world is precisely that we do not need to add anything to it.
Sometimes, the most important thing is learning to do less.
Have you experienced any of these modern yoga trends? Or has this article raised questions about your own practice? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions About Modern Yoga Trends
Is champagne yoga real yoga?
Champagne yoga may include yoga postures, but combining alcohol with practice conflicts with many traditional yogic objectives. Yoga traditionally seeks to cultivate clarity of awareness, concentration and balance of body and mind.
What is the difference between goat yoga and traditional Hatha Yoga?
Goat yoga is generally an experience-based activity in which animals are part of the event. In traditional Hatha Yoga, asanas belong to a broader system of practice involving breathing, concentration and energetic work.
Can yoga be practised incorrectly?
Yes. Physical postures and breathing exercises can be performed in ways that are inappropriate or unsafe. Traditional Hatha Yoga also teaches that incorrectly performed practices may disturb the balance of prana. Particular care is recommended with intensive pranayama and energetic practices.
What is the energy body in yoga?
The energy body, or pranamaya kosha, is a subtle dimension described in yogic philosophy. It is associated with prana, the vital life energy. Traditional Hatha Yoga practices aim to influence the movement of prana and cultivate energetic balance. The concept belongs to the yogic tradition and is not directly equivalent to a scientifically established anatomical system.
Is aerial yoga the same as traditional Hatha Yoga?
Aerial yoga is a modern practice using suspended fabric to support the body. It may include familiar yoga postures and elements of concentration, but its techniques are not automatically equivalent to those of classical Hatha Yoga.
Minna | Wisdomyoga
I am the founder of Wisdomyoga and a yoga teacher. I write about yoga, breathing, recovery and body awareness, exploring how traditional yogic practices relate to contemporary conversations about health and wellbeing.