Comments on: Yoga is a Religion? Right? http://www.joellehann.com/yoganation/2010/01/25/yoga-is-a-religion-right/ Yoga in America Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:09:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: admin http://www.joellehann.com/yoganation/2010/01/25/yoga-is-a-religion-right/comment-page-1/#comment-4994 admin Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:03:51 +0000 http://www.joellehann.com/yoganation/?p=578#comment-4994 Joe Nuts (facebook friend of YN) says: Just read this a week ago in Tablet: A New Read on Jewish Life: "Is Yoga Kosher? How a Modern Orthodox Jew struggled to reconcile her yogic practice with her Judaism" http://www.tabletmag.com/life-and-religion/23099/is-yoga-kosher/ Joe Nuts (facebook friend of YN) says: Just read this a week ago in Tablet: A New Read on Jewish Life: “Is Yoga Kosher? How a Modern Orthodox Jew struggled to reconcile her yogic practice with her Judaism”

http://www.tabletmag.com/life-and-religion/23099/is-yoga-kosher/

]]> By: EcoYogini http://www.joellehann.com/yoganation/2010/01/25/yoga-is-a-religion-right/comment-page-1/#comment-4993 EcoYogini Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:56:48 +0000 http://www.joellehann.com/yoganation/?p=578#comment-4993 I agree with Dr. Jay. For many, yoga isn't about the physical, it's about the spiritual. There are sacred texts that are a must read (Gita, Upanishads), ritual that is important to follow (meditation, asana, diet) and ritual that is followed during practice (ohms, repeating namaste at the end, chanting specific lines at the beginning or end- Anusara and Ashtanga practices have this). However, i think the defining moment when I began to see that many consider Yoga a "religion" and not a sport... was when the regulation for yoga movenment began. Although many would decry that yoga wasn't a religion, they also claimed that regulating yoga as other health professions have been was a violation to their right to practice spirituality. I think Dr. Jay summed it up perfectly- "It depends who you talk to." I agree with Dr. Jay. For many, yoga isn’t about the physical, it’s about the spiritual. There are sacred texts that are a must read (Gita, Upanishads), ritual that is important to follow (meditation, asana, diet) and ritual that is followed during practice (ohms, repeating namaste at the end, chanting specific lines at the beginning or end- Anusara and Ashtanga practices have this).

However, i think the defining moment when I began to see that many consider Yoga a “religion” and not a sport… was when the regulation for yoga movenment began. Although many would decry that yoga wasn’t a religion, they also claimed that regulating yoga as other health professions have been was a violation to their right to practice spirituality.

I think Dr. Jay summed it up perfectly- “It depends who you talk to.”

]]> By: YogaforCynics http://www.joellehann.com/yoganation/2010/01/25/yoga-is-a-religion-right/comment-page-1/#comment-4992 YogaforCynics Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:47:21 +0000 http://www.joellehann.com/yoganation/?p=578#comment-4992 It seems to me that, for some people, it very clearly is a religion, or at least, a practice closely tied to a religion or religious beliefs (though which religion and which beliefs that is can vary--while Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and New Age mish-mashes seem to be most popular, and most clearly tied to various forms of yoga, there's also a thriving Christian yoga community), while for others it very clearly isn't (either because they're atheistic/agnostic, or simply because what they don't see what they do on their yoga mats as having anything to do with what they do in church). So basically, as with practically any question that begins "is yoga...?" I'd say the answer is "depends on who you talk to." It seems to me that, for some people, it very clearly is a religion, or at least, a practice closely tied to a religion or religious beliefs (though which religion and which beliefs that is can vary–while Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and New Age mish-mashes seem to be most popular, and most clearly tied to various forms of yoga, there’s also a thriving Christian yoga community), while for others it very clearly isn’t (either because they’re atheistic/agnostic, or simply because what they don’t see what they do on their yoga mats as having anything to do with what they do in church). So basically, as with practically any question that begins “is yoga…?” I’d say the answer is “depends on who you talk to.”

]]> By: don http://www.joellehann.com/yoganation/2010/01/25/yoga-is-a-religion-right/comment-page-1/#comment-4991 don Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:42:07 +0000 http://www.joellehann.com/yoganation/?p=578#comment-4991 NO, it is not a religion. don fromnowtozen.com NO, it is not a religion.

don
fromnowtozen.com

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