What is yoga?
There are so many beautiful yoga studios popping up left and right these days. Some promise happiness, fit bodies, relaxation, you name it! Tons of beautiful practitioners in yoga pants attempt to perfect their downward dog on their mats.
For many, this is yoga.
For some, it seems like a religion. People are afraid that if they do yoga, their faith will be affected. They think that people turn into Hindu’s if they do yoga. Two years ago the Indian government decided to add sun salutations in order to teach children something about it. Many communities said, no. They didn’t want their children to learn it.
Yoga isn’t a religion. It doesn’t have religious characteristics. In it’s essence, it’s a spiritual practice. There’s a difference between spirituality and religion. Spirituality is the backbone of any and every religion. It is also possible for someone to be spiritual and not religious.
Yoga doesn’t worship a God. You can worship any God you like when you practice yoga. It doesn’t have perfect book, no special rituals. It doesn’t try to convert anyone. If you become a yogi you did it for yourself. Real spiritual practices don’t care about numbers.
Yoga is also not a purely physical practice. Yes, the asanas do require one to break a sweat sometimes. But, in its essence, it’s not about the physical benefits. The physical benefits are just the cherry on top of the cake. Yoga says to be excellent in all actions. Yoga is also simply eliminating the patterns of the mind. It can be taught in any religious method.
If you learn yoga in India, you will learn it the Indian way; the mantras have no religion. Religion didn’t exist when yoga was created. Yoga is also a scientifically proven method that can improve your posture, health and promote mental and physical well-being.
So, what is yoga when you hit the mat? The poses you do are derived from Hatha yoga. It’s a physical practice used by yogis from the old days. When you practice yoga with me, the focus will be:
1. On breathing correctly: breathing techniques
2. Using poses (exercises) to improve strength
3. Improving the balance in your body
4. Improving flexibility: finding the limits of your body
5. Improving focus by creating a mind body connection
We should not put a label on things. Neither should we jump to conclusions about what something is without at least trying it once. Whether you are looking to improve your overall physical strength, get in shape, improve flexibility, or manage stress, time tested and scientifically viable yoga practices can help you. Let’s grab a mat and have some fun!