spirituality

The Study/Spirituality of Yoga

Yoga is a practice for all denominations, a practice that is universally accepting and welcoming. Yoga supports any religion or belief system; it is not a religion unto itself. Yoga is a way of life, a perspective, and an approach to the everyday. Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning, “to join” or “unite” – generally referring to the union between soul and body or finite self with infinite self.

Originating in India thousands of years ago, yoga was brought to the West in 1893, when Swami Vivekananda spoke at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago. His articulate, educated perspective on both Eastern and Western philosophies helped to shine the light on yoga for health reasons and started Westerners on the path toward practice.

However, yoga did not become a popular practice in the West until the 1980s, when it became more accessible in fitness centers and studios in many major cities. Today, you’ll find yoga studios everywhere, from big city to small town, and even in some people’s backyard barns. Its explosion into several forms – from hot sweaty yoga to devotional meditative yoga and everything in between – has allowed many more people to step into the world of yoga and experience it for themselves.

The physical practice of yoga, exploring various physical poses designed to purify the body and eliminate toxins, exists for the purpose of preparing people for meditation and spiritual enlightenment. There are six limbs of yoga: Hatha Yoga (physical), Bhakti Yoga (devotion), Gnana Yoga (mind), Karma Yoga (selfless service), Raja Yoga (self-control) and Tantra Yoga (rituals).

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