Yes! I believe in the possibility of a yoga "trickle-down" affect.

Besides... what does it matter who does yoga and how they live their lives - it is not for me to judge. Perhaps that yogi who makes $10 million on the stock market invests in wonderful community projects... who knows? And even if they don't, none of us is perfect, and we can't begin to understand another person's path.

Yoga is a powerful practice - time and time again I see students come to class for physical reasons and then discover that yoga is about far more than a work out.

So bring it on, lets get the whole world doing yoga, high rollers and all :)

A humble (and noble) hope I must say.

I am a scientist. We use to debae wether it is good or bad to publish new finding in science and let them loose on an aften brutal and wicked society out of control. Is it even sane? It can sparkle long debates, and I am not the one to come with clearcut answers to this dilemma. Remember the Atomic bomb? Is this a good invention? It is an interesting debate and very similar to this one. The fact is that yoga is here to stay, and it can be used by whoever might use it for good or for bad. Its a fact.

In old India yoga was very secretive because of fear it could not be understood propperly and because of the potential danger of its use in the wrong hands. The same with martial arts. Perhaps it was best like that? I dont know, I just know that the world ha changed and opened up. For good and for bad.

I am not sure that these folks can be called yogis if they are not, at the very least, interested living more in line with yogic principles.

Does an awesome Downward Dog, or a vigorous vinyasa make you a yogi? Maybe.

I think that if the techniques developed over the centuries by yogis are used by people to enhance their non-yogic lifestyle, then they are not yogis. And no, there will be no trickle down. They will, in general, accumulate more power and inflate their egos.

Yet, some high-powered folks have seen radical transformation in their lives due to exposure to yoga. Is it possible that when a good yogi is the teacher, anybody can be transformed, and when the teacher does not know yoga, calisthenics are performed?

Why is it that we have a problem with the idea that "wealthy" people cannot be spiritual? We must make room for the vibrational shifts that are happening, which means we need to realign our perspectives and allow for the changes that will occur - as a growing number of people are waking up. ALL kinds of people.

When I came on to the yoga scene back in the 70s, there was no Anusara, Bikram, Power, Viniyoga... yoga has "evolved" (for lack of a better word) and I realize now, it had to in order for MORE people (in the west) to find a place for it in their lives. If we don't accept this fact then all us self-proclaimed yogis better get back to the basics and return to the caves and loin cloths and wait for the Rishis. Otherwise, we're just a bunch of hypocrites.

I agree with Kara-Leah - bring it on! Yoga can be for anyone and everyone.