While Yoga evolved as a spiritual practice, in the West it has grown popular as a form of purely physical exercise. Some Western practice has little or nothing to do with Hinduism or spirituality, but is simply a way of keeping fit and healthy. This differs from the traditional Eastern view of yoga.

Yoga was first introduced to American society in the late nineteenth century by Swami Vivekananda, the founder of the Vedanta Society. He believed that India has an abundance of spiritual wealth and that yoga is a method that could help those who were bound by the materialism of capitalist societies to achieve spiritual well-being.

Yoga, dating back to over 5,000 years ago, is a form of a spiritual practice in India. In the West, it has evolved from its founding philosophy. Globalization over the past decade has been opening new doors for many industries, and within the yoga industry it has resulted in commodification. Today, yoga is now a lucrative and growing business. About 16.5 million Americans now spend nearly $3 billion annually on classes and products, a February 2005 poll by Harris Interactive and Yoga Journal magazine revealed.

One argument against the globalization of yoga is that it is co-opting an ancient spiritual philosophy. [www.yogajournal.com] Because yoga invokes ideals of harmony, health and balance, it “fits” well in the environment of modernity. On one hand, the acculturation of Yoga in America and Europe can be viewed as a welcome celebration of multiculturalism, promoting more open and tolerant cultural dispositions. On the other hand, the processes of commercialization may be considered to have debased the sacred practice. [Tomlinson, John. "Globalization and Culture". Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999]

Yoga as exercise has evolved into numerous subdivisions and variations. Naked yoga, chair yoga, acro yoga and hip-hop yoga are some of the few variations emerging. There is much debate whether the term Hatha Yoga properly describes yoga as exercise, since the traditional Hatha Yoga system originated as, and still is, a spiritual path in its own right. [Strauss, Sarah. "Positioning Yoga: Balancing Acts Across Cultures". New York: Berg, 2005]