You may have started yoga for flexibility, strength or simply a break from a busy day. But after years on the mat, you may also find yourself asking a different question: Has yoga changed your inner life?
The experience raises a larger question about modern yoga: Is the practice on the mat the same thing as the spiritual path described in traditional yoga philosophy? Also Read Is spirituality more than meditation and mantras? A spiritual expert explains If you know yoga mainly through studio classes, you may think of it as a series of physical poses. But traditional yoga includes several practices beyond asana. Yoga Journal’s explanation of Patanjali’s eight-limbed path describes asana as the third limb. The path also includes ethical principles, personal observances, breathwork, concentration, meditation and samadhi. That means you can practise yoga physically without necessarily following every part of the wider tradition. Experts say the eight-limbed path includes asana, meditation and devotional practices such as chanting. The physical practice alongside other ways of exploring presence and self-awareness. Kia Miller, a Kundalini Yoga teacher at Kripalu, combines asana with breathwork, meditation and chanting. Her teaching reflects a tradition in which physical practice forms part of a broader spiritual approach. So if your yoga class ends with savasana and you still feel no sudden spiritual connection, that does not necessarily mean you are doing yoga incorrectly. This wider view can help explain why two people can practise yoga for years and have very different ideas about what feels spiritual. Also Read Meditation isn’t always about finding silence. Why spiritual experts are asking seekers to sit with the noise Not necessarily. A systematic review of research on yoga and spirituality found an association between yoga practice and several aspects of spirituality, including meaning, compassion and a search for insight. However, the researchers also warned that many of the studies had limitations and that more research was needed. Yoga practice may remain mainly physical. For someone else, the mat may become a doorway to meditation, devotion or self-reflection. Disclaimer: This is a user-generated article. Reader’s discretion is advised.
Also Read The 8 limbs of Yoga and how they can help you build a balanced life Yoga teachers have different views on how the physical practice fits into the larger path.
