hatha yoga, the medieval practice which used asanas (yoga postures) and other practices such as shatkarmas (purifications) to gain moksha, spiritual liberation, was despised and in decline by the start of the 20th century. western gymnastics such as niels bukh's "primary gymnastics" became popular in india, partly as a result of hindu nationalism which sought to show indian men as strong. at the same time, yoga in various forms was being popularised in the west by advocates such as vivekananda (without asanas), yogananda, and yogendra.