I humbly request the contributors of this forum to share their views on the question “What are myths and misconceptions about Yoga worldwide”? And let the common man know them though …and …thus… understand Yoga in its better sense. Thanking you in Advance.
This journey you must take your self. Different people have different opinions which is right and wrong. Also it would not be good backstabbing other branches than your own as this would be done by the ego only. And yoga is about getting rid of your ego. Understand that all different branches have their part in the universal wheel. Even following the “wrong” path if there is one will lead you to the correct path that suits you.
Good luck in you journey.
the most annoying misconceptions i’ve encountered are:
- out of body experiences through yoga
- “third eye” prophesy qualities
- cholesterol free healthy nutrition vegan diet with cambucha drink…
oh ! look here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMC1_RH_b3k
Off the top of my head…
• That asana is synonymous with yoga.
• That Samadhi is a final stage, the end, or the desired result.
• That leaving the physical body somehow attends to Earth’s ills.
• That stilling the mind IS meditation rather than a prerequisite for it.
• That asana is only about suppleness of body with no attention to stability or alignment.
• That there is one “right” answer.
Well in meditation the english language would be the problem. As in sanskrit there is dharan dhyan and then samadhi. In english we only say meditation or am i wrong?
And the reason people think it is the end is because of ashtanga and it is the last step so of course there would be confusion for people. In buddhism it is nirvana and in yoga moksha ,ending the cycles of birth and rebirth.
I’ll respond only with a quote and let it land on each as it may:
“Beware the man of one book.”
[I]St. Thomas Aquinas[/I]
We grew up in India where yoga philosophy was partially ingrained in ordinary life. The flip side I see now in the East is that “good” behavior is by itself taken as a substitute for the rigors of yoga. So, we have many who talk more than walk.
On the contrary, here tangible reality has so much premium and any celebrity has so many followers that yoga is imprisoned into variations of hatha-yoga and the parapharnalia from the yoga celebrities’ looks to the mats & clothes is super important than the rigors of yoga. So, here we have walkers preparing to walk a marathon without stopping to think why.
I have struggled with these misconceptions myself:
- Sitting cross-legged, closing the eyes and humming/ belowing Om launches a meditative state,
- Spiritual aspects of yoga are superior and physical are trivial
- There is a ‘right’ answer and (only) I have it
- When I close my eyes I am meditating; others go to sleep when they close theirs
- Knowing Sanskrit (and not experincing) is a key to yogic knowledge
(InnerAthlete, ‘one book’ written or read or both? :))
“of”, as in ascribing to.
The most common misconception that I frequently encounter is that asana is merely physical, completely detached from spirituality.
Or… ehm, can it really be merely physical? I don’t think so, but that is my experience…
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;78312]I’ll respond only with a quote and let it land on each as it may:
“Beware the man of one book.”
[I]St. Thomas Aquinas[/I][/QUOTE]
I use this quote very often 
fakeyogi
It seem that you have either misunderstood the reasons and essense behind question and request or you have taken out your own version of interpretation out of question and request. Please read the questionagain and as it is. The question is regarding ‘Yoga’ as totality, not as different braches etc. However, the contributors are free, as some of them as already started responding to the same question, to present myths or misconceptions regarding various types of Yoga as traditional and modern types (Yoga styles) and also; regarding various tanets of Yoga.
I never meant to belittle you or any branch of Yoga.
I don’t feel to challenge what you felt, thought and the words that you responded with because that may be a fact in your case momentarily or permanently. But, Remember, whatever questions or post are made at this forum are not read by those who are either member or familiar with this forum but also read by layman searching Yoga related material through all the search engines e.g. ‘google’ or ‘yahoo’
[QUOTE=fakeyogis;78239]This journey you must take your self. Different people have different opinions which is right and wrong. Also it would not be good backstabbing other branches than your own as this would be done by the ego only. And yoga is about getting rid of your ego. Understand that all different branches have their part in the universal wheel. Even following the “wrong” path if there is one will lead you to the correct path that suits you.
Good luck in you journey.[/QUOTE]
Thanks InnerAthlet, CityMonk, Suhas Tambe, FexPenguin and Aura B for understanding and responding to the question and request.
I feel, whoever want to contribute to this, can not only express his/her views and opinions on myths or misconcepptions regrdiing Yoga as Yoga in its total sense but also regarding various traditional types, modern types (Yoga styles) and; even various methods and techniques of Yoga.
In terms of philosophy, a common misconception is that yoga is synonymous with Advaita Vedanta. This creates a lot of misunderstanding and misinterpretation. For example, in the yoga sutras, you will not find any mention of Brahman, the central principle of Advaita Vedanta. There is no mention of maya, or the world as illusion, and the popular system of chakras is mentioned only indirectly and only once or twice. Kundalini is also significant by its absence.
It’s also common for people to think of Indian philosophy as one homogenous whole. People need to understand that there are many different traditions within Indian philosophy. If one can sort out the differences, then some of the contradictions become understandable.
I see warnings about beware of the man of one book. In the case of yoga philosophy, the yoga sutras is the only book that is recognized as authoritative. That doesn’t mean that one can learn everything there is to know about yoga from reading the yoga sutras, but it is a solid reference point.
That celibacy is an option. It is not an option for spirit yoga.
Vulgar celibacys only use is to keep one from spilling semen.
spirit celibacy is key to all yoga. This is not an option. It is the key to spirit.
Analogy. If you have a cup filled halfway with water. you can do all kinds of things with this water. all sorts of things. Yet. unless you have the key to spirit. you will never have anymore water than you have now. your spirit will never literally increase. refine, become subtle,vibrant, yes. But not literally increase.
I read your question and i can see you dont understand my message but 1 qustions like this is like discussing politics it will derail 2nd you will only get peoples idea about myths and misconception that is their opinion and not the final truth. But of course some things they say would be correct and some not. And some will not agree to things said even though it is the truth. People have eyes and still they cannot see.
But with your answer to me i understand as you want to benefit the ordinary people that is ignorant i do respect you.
So you didnt belittle me i just told you before hand how discussions like this would derail people not agreeing with others creting negative vibrating energy. Lets just say this is kali yuga which means most yoga is not yoga anymore.
But if you feel ot can benefit anyone do it and if it does not work put it behind you ,if it works though keep it up.
[QUOTE=hisyoga;78374]fakeyogi
It seem that you have either misunderstood the reasons and essense behind question and request or you have taken out your own version of interpretation out of question and request. Please read the questionagain and as it is. The question is regarding ‘Yoga’ as totality, not as different braches etc. However, the contributors are free, as some of them as already started responding to the same question, to present myths or misconceptions regarding various types of Yoga as traditional and modern types (Yoga styles) and also; regarding various tanets of Yoga.
I never meant to belittle you or any branch of Yoga.
I don’t feel to challenge what you felt, thought and the words that you responded with because that may be a fact in your case momentarily or permanently. But, Remember, whatever questions or post are made at this forum are not read by those who are either member or familiar with this forum but also read by layman searching Yoga related material through all the search engines e.g. ‘google’ or ‘yahoo’[/QUOTE]