am i a modern glamourised yogi?

hello, today i half-emerged from the daze that i was dwelling in, after finishing the book 'sivananda buried yoga'. it is a yogi's personal account of his search for 'the' guru all over india and touches on the true meaning of yoga. his comments on the 'glamourization' of yoga really got me thinking.

''within a decade of fashion and glamour, the yoga industry reached sky-high and under its weight, the humble and simple meditation of Yoga got buried.''
''the practice of yoga does not require any fashionable accessories like straps, shoes, chains, blocks, bars, Om painted bikinis, and that desire for them is more a hindrance than a support for the practice of yoga.''

when i read that, secretly i was kind of happy that my yoga gear is a set of cheapo tank top and pant. ok ok.. i do own 2 pairs lululemon pants. first 2 and last 2. : P

ok on a more serious note, it really got me thinking about my 19mth practice. when i first decided to do yoga, i remembered seeking for a more spiritual focused one than a physical one. but its tough to find one in hk and singapore and in the big studios.
however gradually, i realised that as i practise regularly in a nice studio, with people from a naturally very competitive city, who own countless sets of fancy lululemons, who are maybe looking to yoga only to reduce weight, and oh plus all the mirrors around. its easy to be lost within the crowd...... i am getting lost.. looking too much into the mirror, getting overly attached to the body, to appearances, to performing, to achieving, to trying too hard to perfect my jump back to chataranga from crow pose, to my ego 'she can do it, i want to do it too'....

''AH! I DUN WANT TO BECOME THAT KIND OF A YOGI'' my heart screamed.

i suddenly hear my teacher's voice 'why do you enjoy it? what makes you practise so often? what do you feel? love? bliss?'
i remembered him standing in front of me, asking these questions right into my eyes while i was trying to hold onto the eagle pose in grace (hehe). yah, why do i enjoy yoga? i enjoy yoga definitely NOT becos i can jump perfectly into chataranga from crow pose, NOT becos my headstand is as perfect as the girl next to me. OF COZ NOT! its not that at all. its deeper than that.

then 2 nites ago, i decide to pour all my inner thoughts into a really long email to my teacher, posing him the big question:
''how do you think i could proceed in my practise?'' in which he replied:

''Can you look in the mirror and only focus on the quality in your eyes?
Can you go so deep inside your body that there is no thought of time or your performance?
Can you connect to the sound of your breath so completely, that the music or the teachers voice is secondary?''