Sunday, June 29, 2008

Yoga - The Theraputic Exercise

In today's modern world, discussing an age-old concept such as yoga can be rather challenging. The real meaning of this ancient concept has been inundated by the quick-fix approach mentality of the modern day globalization. It is amazing to see the whole philosophy fueling yoga's methodology being reduced to a simple concept, justified by the need to make it easy for the layperson to understand. The intricacies of this practice may not be easily understood by the western civilization. In order to be viewed as a person of wisdom, some people who have been exposed to this ancient art have invested their time to learn a little more, only to gain a superficial understanding of the real essence of yoga and then proceed to talk about it as though they are the recognized experts. It becomes a distorted view when westerners perceive yoga as a physical activity. Yoga has been reduced to a physical activity that focuses merely on achieving internal balance and meditation.

It is one of the six schools of Hindu thoughts has roots deep within the pages of the Hindu Holy Scriptures. Any Indian would assure you that it is a spiritual experience that is manifested through a series of complicated physical practice. Viewing yoga as a physical activity is definitely a mistake. The hidden intricacies of this mysterious practice with its strange looking symbols may be successful in making the average westerner aware that there are more to yoga than physical moves alone, but nevertheless they are often misunderstood. Ironically, it is practiced as a popular form of sports. Nevertheless many have been attracted to yoga as a form of practice to achieve inner peace and balance. Additionally, people who desire inner tranquility would often find this practice to be beneficial.

Disciples of yoga are often fascinated by the claims made by their yoga instructors. There is plenty of evidence to show that yoga has been wrongly implemented in the West. These errors were caused by each racial group's internal culture and form. It appears that the west is not prepared to pay the price necessary to gain a deeper understanding of this philosophy. Most Americans do not possess the time to spend moments in meaningful sessions of quiet meditation, which is essential for success when embracing this practice. The Hindus have a different set of value system that is very different from the west, and places low importance in the mere accumulation of physical wealth. Therefore, it is believed that the westerners will never reach the pinnacles of true wisdom dictated by the parameters of the Hindu religion. To gain maximum benefits from each meditation session, one needs to spare time and exercise tremendous patience in carrying out each essential part of the practice. The westerners do not place a high degree of importance in the attainment of philosophical wisdom, as it does for the accumulation of massive wealth and gaining power.

Yoga has been accepted as a fashion There is a lot of information going out promoting yoga as a form of sports; in fact you can grab any of those and start practicing yoga anywhere you want to. During the early years of yoga practice in the US, a lot of yoga “gurus” have emerged, claiming to be experts of this discipline. Yet they gradually dwindled into what they actually are, merely fake gurus and yet they still have real support from their disciples. The growing influence of this unhealthy philosophy is attributed to the disciples who are loyal in spreading the word about the advantages of adopting this crooked form of yogic philosophy.

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