That makes sense. Not everybody is interested in the spiritual side of things. I don’t see any harm in using physical exercises or basic meditations simply for health improvement though. Fitness and good health are positives for anybody even if that is all they want. That is their free will choice to set an arbitrary limit on their development.
Exactly. Doing hatha yoga exercises will not turn someone into a Hindu (not that that is a bad thing).
I avoid most all yoga videos/books because I loathe any New Agey stuff mixed in, which most all have, or a lot. I stick with the real classical kind. Most yoga I learned from the great Iyengar book, Light On Yoga. Actually I first did Hittelman’s, then found the Iyengar book. Many people can not learn directly from a book without a human teacher, but if you’re sensitive and pay attention to what your body is doing, it can be done. Aptitude helps.
I started practicing hatha yoga seriously when I was around 26 and did it until RA hit me when I was around 50. I am now well enough from diet and herbs to start it up again.