Yoga Is Not a Religion

The word, yoga, is derived from Sanskrit, one of the world's most ancient languages. In its simplicity, the word yoga means: "creating union or balance in a person's body, mind, and spirit.”

Yoga originally developed in the tropical south of India many thousands of years ago, by ascetics living a strict and disciplined lifestyle. Through the millennia, the "yogis" as they were known, were vegetarians, wore minimal clothing, and lived literally close to the earth learning directly from nature.

They observed that the bodies of animals in nature were almost always perfectly balanced. They exhibited near perfect flexibility, strength and endurance and lived in equilibrium with their environment. When hungry, animals ate. When tired, they rested.

And when injured, animals sought refuge in a quiet and protected environment until they healed or died. Animals, the yogis observed, showed little fear or anxiety; but when they did, it didn't last long because animals, they surmised, did not appear concerned about their past or future.

For thousands of years, the yogis among other things, developed and codified a system of exercises that emulated the perfection of nature. The ancient yoga texts described how their physical practices enhanced both their health and spirituality. Now, keep in mind that these ancient people lived in totally protected environments and spent virtually all of their time in devotional prayer, which included the exercises.

Until the beginning of the twentieth century, yoga was practiced only in India and only by Hindus. That’s why yoga had originally been associated with Hinduism. But to be sure; the physical and mental components of the yoga most of us practice today here in the West have nothing whatsoever to do with anyone’s religion or belief system. "Yoga," simply means "the movement toward union or balance.”

Through the centuries, many styles of yoga developed from the religious to the physical to the etherial, but only a few became popular in the West. Here in the West, some yoga practices still are based upon religion while other popular approaches focus primarily upon physical exercises while other approaches focus only upon breath control.

However most yoga taught in the West today is a combination of varying degrees of physical exercises and breath control, and is commonly known as “Hatha Yoga." And within Hatha Yoga, there are many different styles; some based upon more athletic forms that generate enormous physical stamina, strength, and flexibility while others focus upon remedial exercises for recovery of illness, injury, or just growing older; and there are many styles of yoga in between.

Whatever the form, yoga helps the practitioner move toward enhanced physical and emotional balance. Whether approached remedially, athletically, or anywhere in between, its ultimate aim remains unchanged. Just as the ancient ascetics looked to the natural world thousands of years ago to find stillness and equilibrium, today's practitioner uses breath and movement to quiet the noise of modern life. Ultimately, yoga bridges the gap between ancient wisdom and contemporary wellness, offering a timeless roadmap back to ourselves.