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Yoga as a Spiritual Practice

by Viki Distin

Of the countless misunderstandings surrounding this practice, the one that I am most concerned with is the myth that yoga is a religion. Yoga is not a religion. People of all faiths can practice. Gary Kraftsow, author of Yoga for Wellness, was a keynote speaker for the Midwest Yoga Conference in 2000. I was there to hear this humble and knowledgeable yogi talk about yoga as a spiritual practice. One of his points was that people who are one of the five world religions (Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islamic) would resonate most with yoga because they have cultivated compassion through their religion. Most ancient and contemporary yogis understand yoga as a path which is accessible to everyone. Many of the qualities which yoga addresses (health, clear thinking, breath, patience, happiness) are qualities which are universal and not limited to one group. Because yoga is accessible for everyone, different people will seek different types of yoga or even different intentions. Some students are not interested in yoga as a spiritual practice and that is fine, too.

Yoga did originate in India and therefore the Hindus were the first group of people to practice. However, the first yogis did not intend for people to attach yoga to a particular faith. Now that yoga is practiced around the world, there are people of all faiths practicing. At Cascade Yoga, we have representatives of all of these world religions.

I love that people of different faiths feel comfortable here. I was born a Christian with a grandfather and uncle who were Methodist ministers. It is in the solidarity of my faith that I am not afraid of any other religions and actually enjoy learning from them. I am inspired that yoga enables people of different religious backgrounds to come together and not be threatened by one another. The word yoga even means to unite or come together. Yoga has this potential because it helps people open their hearts and their minds. At the core of this union is the possibility of a more peaceful world.

I believe that fear is what makes people judge people of other faiths. Fear is what drives people to believe that yoga will conflict with their religion. This practice requires courage and the irony is that if people practice yoga, over time they will actually rid themselves of the dreaded cancer of fear.

So if yoga is not a religion, then what is it? It is best described as a "spiritual practice". It is an inner journey of spirit because of the connection with the breath and inward focus on thoughts and sensations. It is because of this "inner" alignment that people report that they feel more spiritual and maybe even notice a stronger desire to learn more about their own faith. I personally implement yoga as my inner journey and my faith as my outer manifestation so that I have a balance of the inner and outer lives.

At Cascade Yoga Studio our tag line on the front of our brochure is "Journey the River Within". Our intent with this theme is that yoga is an internal journey or the ever-evolving understanding of one's self and one's place in the world. The "river" image is something that many faiths use as a spiritual metaphor as it is both flowing and transient (in other words it is always changing but also stays the same). Whether your reason to come to the mat is motivated by health, injury or pain prevention, stress relief, mental focus, or just the workout, you may also find a deeper connection with yourself and your faith.