On Wednesday I took a class at Yoga Nine with a male instructor. Right from the beginning, I felt comfortable and had a feeling I was going to have a great class. I really enjoyed it and remained engaged the whole time, mainly because it was very physically demanding.  Also, there were only three people who took the class, so the instructor really focused on proper positioning and adjusting. We practiced inversions and a few postures that called for intense focus, like headstands, crow and a few others that I have never tried before.

It is evident that yoga in the West has become a "pop culture" because it is part of the work out fad that is happening today. People want skinny and toned bodies, so they take hot yoga or other types, in hopes to lose weight and "look fit." This physical marketing of yoga can be due to the many uncertified instructors and studios there are nowadays who take any physical practice and call it yoga. Most of them don't even understand the meaning or origin of it, which is why the West has turned the traditional religion of yoga into a pop culture movement.