India, Sept. 4 -- Nobody told us that Yoga would one day become so interested in our six-pack.

Somewhere along the way, a practice that has existed for thousands of years acquired a rather modern job description. Yoga must make us flexible, strong, slim, toned, youthful and, preferably, photogenic. The more complicated the posture, the more impressive the photograph. If one can fold oneself into an improbable shape while standing on a mountain at sunrise, the internet is suitably impressed.

There is nothing wrong with being strong or flexible. There is certainly nothing wrong with looking after the body. But perhaps we have become so occupied with what the body can do that we have forgotten to ask what the body is trying to tell us.

An...