While doing yoga outreach, how can we ensure that our bhakti focus doesn’t get diluted?

Podcast:

Question: How can we ensure that the introduction of yoga and other practices doesn’t dilute the teachings of Srila Prabhupada?

Answer: This is an important question. However, we need to be precise about what “dilution” actually means in this context. How would yoga, per se, dilute Srila Prabhupada’s teachings? Would it involve altering initiation vows, perhaps replacing the chanting of 16 rounds with two hours of yoga asanas? No one is doing that, nor would anyone seriously consider such a change. So, where exactly is the dilution occurring?

For individuals interested in yoga, some devotees are indeed teaching it. But how does this constitute dilution? Are we now discussing only yoga in Bhagavatam classes instead of Krishna? Are Prabhupada’s books no longer being distributed? Are courses on devotional scriptures no longer being conducted or studied?

The mere initiation of a new area of outreach doesn’t inherently dilute the overall practice of bhakti. If, from tomorrow, all devotees currently teaching Bhagavad-gita and Bhagavatam were instructed to stop and exclusively become yoga teachers, then we could reasonably claim dilution.

Often, fear, when amorphous and ill-defined, can lead to constant paranoia. It’s like fearing a house is haunted; we live in perpetual dread. Instead, it’s more productive to identify specific, tangible threats. For example, if we fear rats or snakes in the neighborhood, we can take concrete steps to address those specific concerns. Similarly, rather than a vague fear of “dilution, dilution, dilution,” we should pinpoint how dilution might specifically happen.

One major possibility, as mentioned, would be if we stopped speaking about Krishna directly. But that is clearly not happening. We have numerous courses directly focused on Krishna. There are ongoing Bhagavad-gita programs, such as the one in the village, and many other initiatives where direct scriptural teachings are imparted.

While reaching out to a yoga audience might involve a specific communication approach, this is not applied universally to everyone. People who are directly interested in Krishna are still being taught about Krishna, not primarily about yoga.

Therefore, while the danger of dilution always exists in any outreach effort, it’s far more effective to identify specific areas where it could occur and then implement measures to prevent it, rather than engaging in broad fear-mongering. From what I observe, significant dilution, as you’ve defined it, is not currently occurring.