Yoga is religious practice

[tommybricks]

I started reading about yoga in elementary school and have remained interested since then. Although I usually keep my mouth shut, I feel a little sick every time I hear people treating yoga as excercise, or talking about new LA style of Hatha yoga.

 

I don't have any problem with people using Hatha yoga for physical benefit, but I feel like the people on this forum are probably more openminded than most people, so I'd liekt o share my understanding of yoga.

 

Yoga is a sanksrit word meaning "yoke" (like oxen on a plow) or union. Yoga is not an activity you do, it is a way of life. It is a method of spritual growth for the sole purpose of unifying your individual soul with the universal soul. The physical practice of hatha yoga is one aspect of yogic practice. Practicing poses in a gym should not properly be called yoga, if any thing it could be referred to as "asana practice", but I would only call it that if your are really a hatha yogi, other wise I'd call it "stretching".

[brahmanya devi]

yeah, tommy, that's exactly what i used to say!

hatha yoga is only exercise to keep the physical body healthy FOR spiritual practice. ok, and you can reach effects on chakras, mind and so on.

 

that's why i don't say "i did yoga" when i practiced hatha yoga. i say "i practiced yoga asanas". that's much more correct i think.

 

apart from this, i love the spiritual side of yoga much more. i read a lot about it, especially the books of srila prabhupada (bhaktivedanta book trust). the bhagavad-gita was the first one and is the most important book in the world i want to say. i think bhakti yoga is the top of yoga, yoga in its perfection related to god. it all makes sense.

[VeggaMuscle]

Bhakti Yoga the best of all

 

 

 

 

yeah, tommy, that's exactly what i used to say!

hatha yoga is only exercise to keep the physical body healthy FOR spiritual practice. ok, and you can reach effects on chakras, mind and so on.

 

that's why i don't say "i did yoga" when i practiced hatha yoga. i say "i practiced yoga asanas". that's much more correct i think.

 

apart from this, i love the spiritual side of yoga much more. i read a lot about it, especially the books of srila prabhupada (bhaktivedanta book trust). the bhagavad-gita was the first one and is the most important book in the world i want to say. i think bhakti yoga is the top of yoga, yoga in its perfection related to god. it all makes sense.

[Gyre]

Surya Yoga contains all forms of yoga. The same is said of martial arts except martial arts is most often considered a sport. If you consider life a sport I would tend to agree with that statement. Surya Yoga is Sun Yoga essentially. You live like the sun and love like the sun. I should make a whole new topic on Sun gazing.