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Ichabod!

03 September 2003 11:23

from the yoga email discussion list:

I'm sorry that you had disappointments following your religious path. Perhaps now that you have given up the religious affiliations you speak of with such disdain, yoga will help heal you. Yoga was an invaluable tool in my recovery from damage stemming from a Christian upbringing, so I have little doubt that such changes actually do occur.

this and the discussions previous to this have helped me put a few words to a thought thats been swimming around in my head for a long time, especially during my yoga practice this summer. the idea is that yoga is not a religion, but a supplement to religions or a spiritual life. and as a supplement, not necessarily hindu or vedic, but applicable to even catholicism. the author of the above statement even suggested thinking of the rosary as a set of mantras, which is indeed something i had tried a bit this summer.

so if yoga is not a religion, but more than a fitness regime, what is it? what does it say about human nature? as a supplement to a spiritual life it is a tool, a means to an end. what is that end? is it different than other religious or spiritual ends? surely it is that mind body connection, because even if you practice yoga but have no focus to follow your breath, you wont make much progress in terms of physical balance, strength, and flexbility. but if you add the focus on the breath and meditation, you can acheive also mental or spiritual balance, strength, and flexibility.

and so by that, is yoga or can yoga be a form of prayer? well, whats prayer? supposing that humans are transcendent beings, it might be a stretching of mind towards that infinite horizon beyond ourselves. and whether you do that on your knees before the host, or through a sun salutation, the end is the same.

even if i never post to the yoga email list, this has made it worth it to join.