What is the difference between contemporary Hatha-Yoga and traditional Hatha-Yoga?
Traditional Hatha-Yoga is a pronouncedly spiritual tradition, that is, it is concerned primarily with the goal of liberation, or enlightenment. The various physical practices all serve to create a healthy, vital body that can withstand the rigors of an ascetical approach to life involving the awakening of the “serpent power” ( kundalinî-shakti ). The contemporary schools of Western Hatha-Yoga, by contrast, are mostly geared toward physical fitness, strength, flexibility, or beauty.
