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April 26, 2022

The Spirituality of Yoga

Photo by Marcus Aurelius on Pexels.

Yoga has become a favorite pastime of many. What began as a spiritual practice has evolved into a mainstream form of exercise and meditation, with some fully embracing the yogi lifestyle and others using it as a weekend hobby. When looking at its roots and its calming nature, the spirituality of yoga comes into full view. Despite its existent effects on one’s physical health and posture, yoga is inherently spiritual, as the poses themselves connect one’s mind and body with the forces around them. Connecting with this energy can deliver one’s mind into a new state of consciousness, something that modern science is digging further into.

One of yoga’s prime purposes is to prepare the body for meditation. Any individual who has practiced yoga or attended a group class can affirm this to be true. From the moment you step into the shared space, you are met with soothing music, dimmed lights, and a calming aura. Throughout the experience, there is a large emphasis on meditation and connecting with one’s mind on a deeper level. This introspection is a vital part of meditation and an inherent part of yoga. While one might not enter a meditative state as soon as they walk into a room full of yoga mats, engaging in these poses and taking intentional breaths soon breaks this barrier and allows the mind to enter this state.

Through these practices, the mind and body both begin to calm, subsequently allowing one’s consciousness to be focused inward on their soul. However, the ability to embrace the full spirituality of yoga relies heavily upon the individual’s comfortability and willingness to let go of all other thoughts. The mind can be a blockage to this state of consciousness, as loud thoughts might run rampant during yoga practices. The individual must have a desire to enter this state of being, thus allowing themselves to let these thoughts go.

If yoga is a preparation for meditation, then individuals have the choice to engage in meditation after practicing these poses. At this moment, one can walk away from the room, counting it as exercise, or they can lean into the meditative state that yoga brought them to, looking inwardly to embrace the spiritual moment they find themselves in. The former of these is how yoga found its roots. Its intended purpose is to deliver you into a spiritual state, but it is up to the individual to extract those benefits.

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