Yoga

: See Hatha Yoga for the yoga of mostly physical exercises popular in the West.

Yoga and religion

In the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions, the spiritual goals of yoga are seen as inseparable from the religions of which yoga forms a part. Some yogis make a subtle distinction between religion and yoga, seeing religion as more concerned with culture, values, beliefs and rituals; and yoga as more concerned with self-realization, i.e., direct perception of the ultimate truth. In this sense, religion and yoga are complementary. Sri Ramakrishna likened religion to the husk, and direct experience to the kernel. Both are needed, "but if one wants to get at the kernel itself, he must remove the husk of the grain."

Related Topics:
Culture - Values - Beliefs - Rituals - Self-realization - Sri Ramakrishna

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some forms of yoga come replete with a rich iconography, while others are more austere and minimalist. Hindu practitioners of yoga are proud of their religious traditions, while non-Hindu practitioners claim that yoga may be practiced sincerely by those who have not accepted the Hindu religion.

Related Topics:
Iconography - Minimalist

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

While the yoga tradition remains rooted in the Indian subcontinent, the fact that some modern yogis like Swami Vivekananda and Paramahansa Yogananda came to the West suggests that they saw hope the yoga tradition could also flourish there. Critics of yoga as practiced in the West charge that it is sometimes watered down, corrupted, or cut off from its spiritual roots (e.g. the popular myth that yoga is primarily physical exercises).

Related Topics:
Swami Vivekananda - Paramahansa Yogananda - The West

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~