The art of yoga is a rather tough subject to discuss today. It is sad that the beauty of yoga has somehow lost its brilliant luster, tarnished by the fast paced lifestyles of today’s globalization. In an attempt to make things easier, people have reduced a whole philosophy into one simple concept. Westerners may find the contents to be complex and not easily understood. It is a very dangerous and unethical to merely dabble on the surface and then talks about this subject as an expert!
Westerners often view yoga as a physical activity. The once respected and revered philosophy has been reduced to a mere speech of attaining inner balance and peace.
It has its origins in the Hindu religion and is a physical manifestation representing one of the six schools of Hindu thought. Indians understand that is not a mere physical activity, but yoga is part of a spiritual development that is realized through a systematic and disciplined physical approach. It is unfortunate that the western world would approach yoga as a mere physical activity. Yoga with its strange looking symbols may seem mystical to the average Joe, is often enough to perk up a considerable level of interest in the hidden aspects of this ancient practice, but sadly, they are often misunderstood. This discipline is practiced as a popular sport. Nevertheless many have been attracted to yoga as a form of practice to achieve inner peace and balance.
This perception is often strengthened by the various claims made by the so called yoga masters. The numerous amount of fatal errors found in the practice of yoga outside of India shows that this art has been widely misunderstood at large.
A closer look revealed that these errors were caused by the cultural influence of each race. It appears that the west is not prepared to pay the price necessary to gain a deeper understanding of this philosophy. For instance, meditation is the crux of this philosophy but busy Americans do not possess the time to spend in a few hours of relative sessions every day. Westerners have different goals and priorities, and the insatiable desire to accumulate massive amounts of wealth certainly has no place in the system of values among the Hindus. Perhaps the western man shall never reach the peaks of wisdom according to the parameters set by the Hindu religion and culture. 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 consider spending time in meaningful meditations, contemplating about life and existence is an investment worthy to pursue.
Yoga becomes a stylish endeavor instead of a spiritual experience. There are plenty of materials promoting it as a form of sports; you can practice yoga anywhere and anytime you want. Even the famous people who are fake yoga gurus have garnered a lot of support from their disciples. Obedient disciples of this distorted form of yoga have become agents of growth of this unhealthy philosophy.
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