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Yoga's Spiritual Side
By Amy Phillips-Gary

I can remember being a child and participating in informal hatha yoga classes that my mother hosted at our home. A friend of hers, delightfully named Sunny Angel, was our yoga instructor.

And while I do have a sense that the poses, or asanas, were physically challenging for me, my overall memory of those classes are a deep feeling of peace and a notion that I was taking part in something sacred.

If you've ever done yoga, you might have already experienced the spiritual side of this ancient practice. Or perhaps you have not had this delicious privilege.

You can certainly benefit from yoga if your focus and goal is on improved flexibility, enhanced health and deeper relaxation. Studies have demonstrated the amazing benefits to your physical health and mental clarity that yoga can provide.

Especially here in the U.S., however, the spiritual possibilities associated with a yoga practice are sometimes ignored, or even avoided. After all, the yoga instructor at your local gym might not want to "offend" anyone by chanting in Sanskrit!

Yoga's historical roots are generally linked to the Hindu religion, although they may trace back even further. The oldest known yogic teachings can be found in the Vedas-- a sacred Hindu text.

There are also associations between yoga and Buddhism. Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, reached enlightenment through meditation which is an essential element of just about every type of yoga out there.

You don't have to convert to an Eastern Religion...
What is amazing about yoga is that you don't have to change your spiritual or religious path in order to connect with the spiritual possibilities offered by yoga.

You can be a devout Christian and not only benefit from the physical and mental benefits of yoga, but the spiritual ones as well. One Christian yoga practitioner reports that she uses the meditation time at the end of her yoga classes to pray and connect with Jesus.

Yes, there are many people-- in the U.S. and all over the world-- who follow specific yogic principles and a yogic lifestyle. Some of these people do identify as Hindu or Buddhist.

When it comes down to it, however, many of the goals and principles of yoga truly transcend boundaries of particular spiritualities or religions.

One core yoga intention is to achieve union between body and mind, mind and soul. This sense of moving closer to wholeness and balance can be found in several of the asanas. It also a core element for many spiritual and religious paths.

Another principle is the affirmation that the essence of all beings is love. Who can be opposed to that?! Raising up the potential in all of us to be love and act with love can be found in just about every spiritual holy book.

Letting go of fear and opening more and more to inner peace is another basic yoga teaching. The beauty of yoga is that the body is often actively involved in moving the spiritual (as well as mental and emotional) dimensions of the self into a harmonious state.

This is all underwritten by love.

Allow it to flow...
It doesn't matter where you practice yoga. It might be at a gym, a yoga studio, a community recreation center, an ashram, at the seaside or in your living room with the furniture pushed back. You can open up to all aspects of yoga and experience the full benefits available to you.

There is a certain level of mental concentration involved when moving into the yoga asanas. After all, a careful placement of the feet, head or hands can make all the difference-- and avoid a strain as well!

As you go into a particular asana, get yourself lined up the way you've been instructed by your yoga teacher or the book or dvd you might be using for direction. After that, invite yourself to clear your mind and tune in to the flow of energy that's happening.

That flow of energy can be seen as Source, God, Goddess, Allah, Yahweh, or whatever higher power you might believe in or identify with. It doesn't matter whether you feel yourself tapping into God's grace, Buddha's enlightenment or the immensely rich power of the Earth
itself.

You are undeniably tapping into something that is both you and possibly not you. It is an opening up to the flow of benevolent love and peace-- if you give yourself permission and access to it.

This energy is also a door to healing, balance and inspiration.
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Amy Phillips-Gary is a freelance writer, homeschool mom and a personal growth adventurer.

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