Śivasaṃhitā 5.207

The definition of the authentic yogi (yogī) as «free from desire» (vigataspṛha) inverts the seeker’s logic: one who practices to obtain something is not yet a yogi in the full sense. Practice without attachment to its fruits is the Bhagavad Gītā’s yoga applied to practice: perfect action without ego-agenda. Only from that inner freedom can haṭhayoga flourish.

Sādhayeta = should practice/accomplish, santata = constantly, vigata = that has departed, spṛhā = longing, intense desire. Gopya = must be kept secret, vīryavatī = powerful/vigorous (vīrya = potency, vatī = possessor of), nirvīryā = without power, weakened (nir = without). The opposition guptā/prakāśitā (secret/revealed) defines the transmission policy.

The claim that yoga «revealed loses its power» has a pragmatic interpretation: when techniques are transmitted without initiatory context, without personal relationship with the teacher and without adequate student preparation, they lose their transformative effect and become mere physical exercise. The history of yoga in the West during the 20th century could be read as an unwitting illustration of this principle.