I LOVE yoga, but I’ve always done it as a means of gaining flexibility and relaxation. I’ve never really gotten into the whole spiritual side of it (some call it cynicism, but I owuld say it just my background: Im a personal trainer) but i do have an open mind.
How many of you do yoga strictly for spiritual reason, and how many do it purely for the fitness benefits?
The spiritual outweights the physical. I initally started out for physical reasons only but changed very soon after I started yoga to the spiritual aspects. Now the physical sort of follow, adjust and adapt to the spiritual and not vice versa.
As Bob Knight has said about basketball, “The mental is to the physical as 4 is to 1.”.
The larger answer is “both”. But these days I don’t DO yoga FOR a benefit. I just do it for whatever it may bring. I’ve taken more of a process-oriented or experience driven perspective instead of an accomplishment oriented one.
That may or may not have anything to do with spirit.
An interesting topic, but I find that if I want exercise alone I can go for a jog. I need a teacher that not only teaches me, but inspires me to be brighter and more open in my practice. I enjoy the spiritual side to the practice of yoga and the fact that there are so many things to learn about myself in each pose.
Nothing too deep but just an understanding that there is great joy to find in my practice.
It depends on the day, I think. Some are more spiritual than others.
To be true, (while knowing that it might be offending), yoga without spirituality cannot be called yoga at all. If it’s done for health and flexibility, it should be called, yoga-fitness, a wellness program with an exotic tint, and often with so superficial spirituality that even agnosticism, atheism, or raw materialism is better.
The above is generally true, but, and this is a BIG BUT: general truths are useless ! There are universal truths, but until they do not become personal realizations, they are just words, lifeless mental constructs.
The groundedness of your “yoga” is YOUR truth, Kelly, and this is important. I beleive in personal truths. The flow of one’s karma often takes directions what seem to lead in to opposite direction to what general truths are. It is important to answer the immediate questions of our lives honestly.
Your conclusion about some people being more spiritual is true … picture it like being a parent. Do you criticise every action of your children, trying to make them as skilled as you are, or let them learn their way, only providing the most necessary, but minimal help ? Spirituality can’t be given, it must be personally aquired, just as noone can spare you the effort of learning to write. It can be shown, explained, but you only are able to write when you have aquired the skill by your own efforts.
The main drawing force of the yoga system for westerners is it’s inner logic, reason, immediate results on physical and mental level, and it’s freedom from dogma. The latter is only apparence, as yoga can’t be separated from the culture, world-age, consciousness level of what’s expression it is. But it is not necessary … it might be interesting but it is nevertheless, the past. Every age has it’s needs. There is an evolution of consciusness. Leading personalities in american yoga are incarnations of evolved souls of ancient India. This happens because today, western civilization, culture, lead to a shift in consciousness what makes possible reaping real benefits of the wisdom of the east in a new form, and for a large part of the population. We are indeed at the morning of a spirituality oriented age … but we must not forget, that for any strenght to be developed, some resistance must be present. And there it is, and the greater the need for strenght, the greater is the resistance to be surpassed.
Mental comprehension, understanding of the spiritual worlds is made possible. Our cleverness, clear daytime consciusness, rational capacity is far greater than that of the time of the rishis. They were great sages, with great wisdom, and real spiritual sight, but in a way, less clever as we are. Than, initiation, spirituality was only available through close discipleship, and only for a few people.
Today, we have gained the strenght to understand, at first, mentally, the higher laws of the universe (not just the laws working in the physical world - for most of us there seem to be no other world, but believe me, there are), and now, we have the strenght that by the light of our reason, to drive us according to these laws. Today’s man is capable of understanding, and this understanding can be the foundation of a moral life what sees beyond matter, and works against the selfish nature of man. (some say there is no spirituality as they are blind to their own human nature - everything what is human culture is an expression of our spirituality - the agnosticist scientsis can still be an agreable, even selfless person, unrealizing the contradictions of his own mind) Selfishness based on the illusion that we are only limited flesh and bone, destructible beings is the cause of all our sufferings, and it is also clear that tradition in the form of various religions is not capable to deal with this nature of ours, at least not in the form they are now. The time of blind faith has passed. The time of fear from repressals, the time of commandments has passed ! The time of understanding, and the love, life, freedom it provides, has come.
[B]OM[/B] Groundedfitness…you have arrived!
Where did your love of yoga come from? Have you considered it might be because you’re already on a spiritual path?
Perhaps it’s only an image you associate with the “spiritual side,” or certain “spiritual” rituals or individuals you don’t identify with. So let them go. Find your own image. Be a personal trainer, or whatever. Honor the body and you honor the spirit. It already has your number. Like it or not.
Peace,
Emil
I initially came to Yoga in order to address physical problems.
Having enjoyed not only relief from physical issues (back ache etc) I also found a great sense of wellbeing.
I was naturally drawn to the spiritual side as though it?s a continuation of something I have practiced before ?
Now the spiritual side dominates.