Yoga Poses
The art of yoga is a rather tough subject to discuss today. This ancient art is based on age-old wisdom and philosophy, and yet globalization has diminished its real purpose and meaning. To make it easy for the common man to understand, the whole philosophy has been reduced to a simple concept. The intricate nature of its full contents might cause some confusion among people from the western world. It is unwise to gain a shallow knowledge about a diverse topic and yet speaks about it from an expert’s viewpoint. It becomes a distorted view when westerners perceive yoga as a physical activity. The need for simplification has diminished the wisdom of true yoga into a superficial speech that fails to recognize the real purpose and meaning of this wonderful philosophy.
In reality, yoga practice is a very sacred journey that has roots buried deep within the scriptures of an ancient Holy book. In the faraway land of India, it is recognized as a spiritual practice that includes a series of complex and systematic physical moves. Viewing yoga as a physical activity is definitely a mistake. The strange symbols related to the yoga practice have created some awareness among the westerners that there is more to yoga than the physical aspects, but they are often misunderstood. Operating from the wrong paradigm, yoga became a form of sports in the western world. The allure of yoga as an effective way to gain inner peace and balance has beckoned many to embrace this activity as well. Additionally, people who desire inner tranquility would often find this practice to be beneficial.
Disciples of yoga are often fascinated by the claims made by their yoga instructors. Research shows that yoga has been highly misunderstood in the west and therefore plenty of fatal errors were detected in the way yoga is implemented. Closer observation reveals that the unique culture of each race has dramatically influenced the way yoga is practiced. In order to truly understand this concept moments of quiet, peaceful times are necessary to contemplate on this philosophy, and that is certainly an element that is absent in the hectic lifestyle of the western civilization. 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. True wisdom, as defined by the parameters of the Hindu religion would be an impossible feat to achieve when this paradigm is adopted. 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. This is what the westerners lack. The west seems cursed with the obsession to pursue the goal of building better lives in the form of lavish lifestyles and not in the philosophical way.
Ironically, yoga has been implemented as fashion in the western part of the world. There are plenty of materials promoting it as a form of sports; you can practice yoga anywhere and anytime you want. There are famous people who embraced this practice and become fake gurus and still they have enough support from their followers. These followers have become the pillars supporting the growth of this false and wrong philosophy.
