Yoga is better when you make it a spiritual practice

TheGoblinRoad

I personally don't care if someone's Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or anything else: I appreciate all religions. I also don't feel anyone "must" be religious, so don't interpret this post as me trying to convert anyone to anything.

That said, I just wanted to share:

I've done yoga purely for exercise, to get healthier and fitter.

That's enjoyable, but even more enjoyable for me is making it my spiritual practice. I pray before I do the yoga, and the yoga itself is a prayer as well. Yoga, the word, translates roughly as "union." That was it's primary intent: unifying body, mind, and god. I see it rather as reminding ourselves of the union that already exists, in my belief anyway, and paying homage to that with worshipful action.

This has made my regular practice something I enjoy even more, because then it never feels like an exercise taking up my time, but rather as a spiritual devotion that enriches me.

Just wanted to share. Those of you that have a faith based in any religion or even one that isn't based in religion, consider making yoga more than just physical moves. Every asana pose a prayer in itself, an act of gratitude.

For those of you that aren't religious at all, you could still make it something similar, perhaps just a general feeling of gratitude toward every person that ever helped you, like your family members.

iamvillanueva

I like the idea of praying before a class. I've always felt that each pose was a mini prayer to my body, thanking it for all it does do keep me healthy. And I spend savasana thinking of all the things I'm thankful for including the the instructor and classmates. I'm not sure if that helps or hurts the relaxation pose, but I don't think I could ever totally relax into savasana in a classroom setting.