"I bow to the divine in you."
Yoga is considered to be both a religious practice as well as a form of exercise to strengthen and enhance spirit, mind and body. It incorporates the manipulation of both breath and posture to achieve its rather remarkable goals, that being a sound, balanced mind and a vibrant, moving spirit life.
In the present-day West, droves of people are flocking to local gyms to practice "power yoga," a rather taxing yogic permutation which allows the practitioner to both lose weight and tone the body. Though this is undoubtedly a healthful perspective and practice, yoga was in fact created for much more than the simple enhancing of a person's physical appearance. To many, yoga is the primary facet and expression of a strong and working faith life. In fact, on the extreme end of this spectrum you will find many holy men and women who spend literal hours upon hours in simple, in-depth meditation and yogic breathing. The result of this time investment is an aligning of the chakra system (both major and minor ), an accentuated communion with our Creator and a powerful attunement of body with spirit. Yoga teaches us to operate at our optimum while in our physicality, yet still in full connection and current with our God.
As in most things, the majority of people land somewhere in the middle of the yogic spectrum, using the practice as a tool to enhance their physical health in addition to making more vibrant an already existent faith life. Suffice it to say, yoga can and does serve a plethora of purposes. The West has at long last begun to recognize the powerful benefits of yoga, and many formerly-traditional medical practitioners are finally prescribing yogic breathing and postures as a form of calming, rejuvenation and rehabilitation.
Yoga should be incorporated into everyone's life, and in a daily fashion. When practiced, it can make optimum every facet of our lives, be it spiritual, mental, physical or emotional. To learn more about the various yoga styles, teachers and resources, please select from the topics to the side.
How to Know You've Found the Right Teacher
Logical Model and Proof of the Philosophy of Yoga
