In the campy 1980 comedy, Caddyshack, disheveled groundskeeper Carl Spackler (played by a brilliant Bill Murray) relates a story about caddying for the Dalai Lama. As Spackler tells it, the game ends and no traditional cash gratuity is forthcoming.

“Hey Lama,” Spackler recalls saying to the holy man. “How about a little something, you know, for the effort.” To which the Dalai Lama replies, “Oh, there won’t be any money. “But when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.”

Spackler smiles at the memory and says: “So I got that goin’ for me, which is nice.”

I can think of few scenes that better encapsulate the many ways our modern, materialist worldview has overlooked and ultimately missed out on profound spiritual wisdom and, yes, the many real-world, tangible benefits that come with it.

Consider yoga.

Spiritual – Not Abdominal – Core

Contrary to what many Western practitioners would have you believe, yoga first and foremost is about developing one’s inner spiritual core. Or as the Bhagavad Gita puts it: “Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.”

Postures and positions are all well and good, but they should be seen for what they are: pleasant side effects to authentic yoga practices.

“Yoga,” writes Deborah Adele, “is a sophisticated system that extends far beyond doing yoga postures; it is literally a way of living.”

Yog, from the Sanskrit yuj, means to unite or join together two or more things. At its core, yoga is a practice intended to reestablish the union between the individual and universal soul. The stronger that connection, the greater the sense of inner peace.

“True yoga is not about the shape of your body, but the shape of your life.” – Aadil Palkhivala

This can help to explain why so many of today’s yoga participants still struggle with anxiety, depression, and other mental health ailments. They may have rock-hard cores, improved stability, and perky yoga butts, but they’re still starved for inner growth.

So for the earnest seeker, how does one reintroduce a spiritual element into a modern yoga practice?

The Yamas and Niyamas

Steeped as it is in materialist concepts, the Western world has steadily played favorites with the more obvious physical elements of yoga. Social media is awash in gorgeous yoga poses struck by (mostly) gorgeous women in gorgeous locations.

Of course, it is entirely possible that each of these individuals is fully immersed in an authentic yogic practice. We’d never know, because inner development is, well, internal. All we’ve got to go on is the way yoga so often is marketed and spoken about.

“Yoga is not about touching your toes. It is what you learn on the way down.” – Jigar Gor

How, then, to bring yoga’s original inner focus toward your own practice, regardless of the studio’s or instructor’s approach?

Adele recommends a return to yoga’s roots through an understanding and practicing of the Yamas and Niyamas. “I often think of them as jewels,” she writes, “because they are the rare gems of wisdom that give direction to a well-lived and joyful life.”

So the next time you take up your yoga, perhaps begin with this progression of wisdom teaching.

The Yamas (Sanskrit: Restraints)

Nonviolence – Undergirds all others because, in essence, it requires that we treat others as we’d wish to be treated.

Truthfulness – In conjunction with nonviolence, it requires that our words (and hearts) be filled with truth that does not hurt others.

Non-Stealing – Not what you might think, has more to do with resisting the urge to look outside oneself for happiness, comfort, success.

Non-Excess – Occasionally associated with celibacy, it means to ‘walk with God’ and bring awareness in all our actions (as such, ‘enough’ becomes enough).

Non-Possessiveness – The practice of letting go of our need to possess and hold onto people and things.

The Niyamas (Sanskrit: Observances)

Purity – Cleansing our hearts, our minds, and our bodies; being in alignment with the world around us.

Contentment – Learning to be with what is and appreciate it for what it is.

Self-Discipline – Meaning ‘heat,’ this speaks to the degree to which we’re able and willing to ‘handle the heat’ that comes with change, some of it difficult or challenging.

Self-Study – Speaks to self-awareness and the need to investigate the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and the world around us.

Surrender – Learning to let go and recognize that existence, God, life knows the way far better than we ever could.