If It Is Cardio, Why Call It Yoga?

Modern yoga classes often look like cardio workouts. Fast flows, sweat, playlists, and choreography are presented as if this were the essence of yoga. Movement has value. Cardio has value. There is nothing wrong with these things. Yet Haṭha Yoga has a different purpose.

The Aim of Haṭha Yoga

Haṭha Yoga is breath led. It works with prāṇa, apāna, and agni. The goal is not to raise the heart rate but to concentrate Prāṇa, kindle agni, and steady attention. Over time, this transforms how we feel, think, and act.

A class that leaves students sweaty may build fitness, but without a focus on breath and attention, it does not reach the deeper aims of yoga.

Why Use the Yoga Label?

If a class is essentially cardio, why call it yoga at all? The answer is simple. The word yoga sells. It promises what modern life craves: calm, focus, connection. Yet if the practice offered is only exercise, students who came seeking yoga are shortchanged.

Satya: Truthfulness in Teaching

The Yoga Sūtras list satya, truthfulness, as a foundation for practice. Truth is not only about speech, it is about action. For teachers, that includes being honest in how we describe our classes and in what we offer our students.

Labeling everything “yoga” does not make the practice inclusive. It makes the word meaningless. Respect for students begins with clarity.

Why This Matters

When yoga is reduced to a workout, we risk losing the tools that make it unique: breath ratios, sequencing for energetic effect, and the frameworks that touch every layer of the person. These are the methods that transform, not just condition.

Holding the line is not gatekeeping. It is respect for yoga and for the students who place their trust in it.

When you see yoga on a timetable, what do you expect it to mean?