Yoga has risen in popularity over these recent years as a helpful stretching exercise. Perhaps it was triggered by a relatively more sedentary lifestyle compared to a generation ago, as more an more people are sitting in front of computers for at least eight hours a day. Although yoga has been practiced not only recently but in fact for centuries, more people who are not even spiritually connected to the principles that yoga teaches are interested in it as a physical activity.
But real followers of yoga believe that it is not just a way to improve one’s flexibility, but instead, it is a spiritual discipline. The word yoga can be translated to mean “union,” which in many cases can indicate the proper union between a person’s body, mind, and spirit. Spirituality in this case refers to being able to use one’s mind to control one’s body, such as getting rid of all manifestations of anger or other negative emotions.
Below are some of the basic beliefs of practitioners of yoga, with some basic comparison to other belief systems:
1. Spirituality is defined as having satisfaction in a well-developed overall physical well-being, matched with mental acumen and emotional balance, which may eventually bring about material prosperity. This may be an acceptable view to most people, although some religions, such as Christianity, tend to question this perception because they believe that spirituality does not reside in one person alone, and instead relies on a relationship with the Divine Being.
2. They believe that spiritual people do not feel any fanaticism or depression or even manifestations of negative emotions like anger or fear. In contrast, people who believe in a personal God would rather vent out those negative emotions in what they call prayer, or conversation with God, and find that it makes them feel human, certainly, but greatly loved.
3. The exercises help the person feel good and to feel the divine within by emptying one’s mind and relaxing the body. Since yoga is considered fit for any age or fitness level, they believe that it therefore passes the requirement for anything spiritual. Some religions challenge the idea of emptying one’s mind as being the key to true spirituality, as when one’s mind is empty, it actually gives room to evil thoughts instead of good ones, as human beings are naturally inclined to negative things based on their fallen state.
4. Yoga practice is not complete without the right breath work, as the breath is considered the life force, called “Prana.” As such, yoga exercises center around proper breath work in order to “awaken” invisible energy centers in the body so as to facilitate the movement of this breath to all cells, which apparently promotes health and vitality. This may work well with you if you like to believe that there are “energy centers” in your body; conversely, Christians believe that they do not need energy centers as they have the power of God Himself residing inside of them.
5. They believe that a healthy mind can only exist alongside a healthy body. In contrast, Christians and other believers of the Bible believe it to be the other way around, as a healthy mind is believed to result in a healthy body. As a man thinks, so is he, or so the philosopher says. Charles Spurgeon, a well-known preacher, also puts it in a similar light, saying that as a man believes correctly, his physical behavior and well-being will follow.
Perhaps these basic differences are the reason why many people are hesitant to practice yoga, as they believe it goes against what they fundamentally believe. After all, you may try the yoga exercises but unless you also believe what the yogis teach, you will most likely not experience the same level of “peace” that they claim, especially if you believe that there are other ways to achieve that rest and relaxation that you so desire. But in the end, it depends on you individually, if the exercises and its corresponding spiritual beliefs are believable and acceptable to you, or if you choose to find believing in a personal God who loves you as giving you true peace and rest instead of depending on your own efforts.
