ashtanga yoga meditation, religion, guru,.....................

June 15, 2003

But can you "make" it without a guru or

without the spiritual side (Hinduism) of it??????????

Lili

Great question! first of all its important for you to understand that yoga is

not a religion. It is a living science/philosophy for the practitioner to join

or yoke (form yoga with) god. This can be any form of god you choose to worship

ie the catholic god, wiccan gods/goddesses....the list goes on and on. One thing

that happens alot with yoga is the practitioner begins to see the oneness that

all beings have, meaning while organized religion teaches us how Jews are

separate from Muslims yoga will teach us that we are all in this

together....more so that together we are all this (the universe)

Hindi gods and goddess are used in the yoga tradition simply due to the fact

that yoga was formed in that culture. what better way for a Indian guru to teach

his Indian student about god than using the form of god that the student is most

familiar with!

The role of a guru is one that many westerners have a hard time accepting. A

guru can be anyone really, anyone who leads you to your true self, anyone who

leads you to peace, and eventually gives you the tools to experience

enlightenment. Lets say for example your a catholic who practice yoga, and you

have a strong relationship with your priest who leads you to god, in this case

he is your guru. Or lets say you are a baptist who loves Jesus with all your

heart and you read his teachings and they bring you closer to god, in this case

Jesus is your Guru.........maybe you have a guru in your life and dont know it!

so begin looking at your life, you might be missing him/her! Hope this helps.

with love

Chris

ashtanga yoga

The New Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.

June 16, 2003

Lili

Why would you want to "make it" without the spiritual

side? If there is too much of a Hindu slant in your

class, seek out another teacher. Or take up power

yoga, which is taught in many gyms.

JS

--- electrolil <electrolil wrote:

> Hi there!!!!!!!!!!!!

> I have started with Ashtanga recently, but I have

> been practicing

> hatha yoga for about five years now-sivananda

> style-Sivananda Vedanta

> yoga Center in London U.K.

> I was wondering if anyone could tell me how

> important the religion(if

> at all) is in your practice??? Meditation and

> pranayama help with the

> asanas, as well as mantras. But can you "make" it

> without a guru or

> without the spiritual side (hinduism) of

> it??????????

> Thanx. Lili from Barcelona.

>

SBC DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!

http://sbc.

June 16, 2003

Yoga is not a religion. The science and art of yoga which includes meditation is

not something that can be made. It happens without the "you" that wanted it in

the first place. It is a process, a wonderous, beautiful, challenging,

confronting process that one steps out of the way for. Like watching and totally

enjoying a sunrise without an expectation of what the day will bring. Before

your question can be answered you need to ask yourself what is it that you want

to "make" with or without a guru. Also in regards to that sweet email someone

else sent. We have many teachers, but only one guru. That "person" appears only

when one is ready. You might want to check out Autobiography of a Yogi by

Yogananda. Gorgeous book. May answer some of your questions. Keep asking your

questions until you come to a place inside yourself where all questions

disappear.

electrolil <electrolil wrote:Hi there!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have started with Ashtanga recently, but I have been practicing

hatha yoga for about five years now-sivananda style-Sivananda Vedanta

yoga Center in London U.K.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me how important the religion(if

at all) is in your practice??? Meditation and pranayama help with the

asanas, as well as mantras. But can you "make" it without a guru or

without the spiritual side (hinduism) of it??????????

Thanx. Lili from Barcelona.

ashtanga yoga

SBC DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!

June 16, 2003

Chris Smith <jivamuktiguy wrote: