Yoga passes secularism test in US

[sankranti]

I have been practicing yoga for 10 years now (right from class 6) for me yoga is not exercise its about connecting to my spiritual side.

Yoga has eight stages if i am not wrong and each stage takes you one stem closer to realizing your soul most people in India would have heard about Jeevantha Samadhi which is the last stage of Yoga where one attains Enlightenment.

There are many Sages like Sai Baba and Swami Vivekananda who have attained such a stage.

But the sad part is people even Indians think of yoga as a exercise to keep good health which is true but there is a deeper meaning and stages. Yoga is not religious it is spiritual. After years of practice i sort of know the difference it makes to life.

Stress levels are low, Even in a hectic development environment of the company i work in calm, I have always been happy and cheerful in all the thick and thins.

I strongly recommend yoga to everyone. The concept of Yoga(Hinduism) is simple it says there is god withing everyone of us in the form of our soul and the aim of life is to realize the soul within.

A Muslim can practice yoga to realize Allah who is within him, the same with a Christian who can see Jesus residing within him
This in one line is Hinduism which is a way of life to realize the soul.

That is why we say Hinduism deals with the Spirit.

Forgetting this truth i find people in India dragging Hinduism everywhere apart from where its required.

Its exactly the muddled up thinking that causes confusion for people everywhere.

An advanced Yoga practitioner comes to realize that there is no supreme God like being called Allah or that jesus was god. He finds oneness with the cosmos and realizes he is part of god. ...... that he is God. Aham Brahmasmi.

Its regular practice will certainly lead people to move away from Islam and Christianity as it forces people to look inward rather than outside to seek god / peace.

Secondly, Hinduism deals with the 'truth'....i.e. the true nature of the world around us,the nature of man and the nature of the cosmos etc.

Last part is that Hinduism is a way of life. It will be everywhere its required. Be it politics, social behavior, education, self fulfillment etc...

 

[RangerPK]

I have been practicing yoga for 10 years now (right from class 6) for me yoga is not exercise its about connecting to my spiritual side.

Yoga has eight stages if i am not wrong and each stage takes you one stem closer to realizing your soul most people in India would have heard about Jeevantha Samadhi which is the last stage of Yoga where one attains Enlightenment.

There are many Sages like Sai Baba and Swami Vivekananda who have attained such a stage.

But the sad part is people even Indians think of yoga as a exercise to keep good health which is true but there is a deeper meaning and stages. Yoga is not religious it is spiritual. After years of practice i sort of know the difference it makes to life.

Stress levels are low, Even in a hectic development environment of the company i work in calm, I have always been happy and cheerful in all the thick and thins.

I strongly recommend yoga to everyone. The concept of Yoga(Hinduism) is simple it says there is god withing everyone of us in the form of our soul and the aim of life is to realize the soul within.

A Muslim can practice yoga to realize Allah who is within him, the same with a Christian who can see Jesus residing within him
This in one line is Hinduism which is a way of life to realize the soul.

That is why we say Hinduism deals with the Spirit.

Forgetting this truth i find people in India dragging Hinduism everywhere apart from where its required.

I guess you are using religious text hold sacred for Hindus to explain the origins of yoga. I am not a Hindu, so I do not believe in those texts, but I appreciate the information, as it explains how yoga is looked at in India.

Its exactly the muddled up thinking that causes confusion for people everywhere.

An advanced Yoga practitioner comes to realize that there is no supreme God like being called Allah or that jesus was god. He finds oneness with the cosmos and realizes he is part of god. ...... that he is God. Aham Brahmasmi.

Its regular practice will certainly lead people to move away from Islam and Christianity as it forces people to look inward rather than outside to seek god / peace.

Last part is that Hinduism is a way of life. It will be everywhere its required. Be it politics, social behavior, education, self fulfillment etc...

That doesn't sound too secular...

 

[navtrek]

Its exactly the muddled up thinking that causes confusion for people everywhere.

An advanced Yoga practitioner comes to realize that there is no supreme God like being called Allah or that jesus was god. He finds oneness with the cosmos and realizes he is part of god. ...... that he is God. Aham Brahmasmi.

Its regular practice will certainly lead people to move away from Islam and Christianity as it forces people to look inward rather than outside to seek god / peace.

Last part is that Hinduism is a way of life. It will be everywhere its required. Be it politics, social behavior, education, self fulfillment etc...

You are contradicting your self in one statement you ask to look inwards and in another you are taliking about everything that is outward (politics, social behavior, education, self fulfillment). I dont think any of that has to do anything with me and my spirit.

Secondly i dont believe

An advanced Yoga practitioner comes to realize that there is no supreme God like being called Allah or that jesus was god. He finds oneness with the cosmos and realizes he is part of god. ...... that he is God.

I sort of dont agree with the bolded part.

I am a advanced Yoga practitioner my father is even more with 35 years of experience and we visit a Mosque, Church during Christmas, Temples all god are one and the same. one god different names.

Its just that Religion turns inwards in yoga trying to find Allah or Jesus or Brahma not in a Mosque, Church or a Temple but withing ourselves.

 

[sankranti]

arey yar swastika was not just a hindu symbol of good luck it was also a christian symbol of goodluck,even today u can find this symbols in chruches of europe ,did u know hitler got the idea of swastika for his political party not from hindus but from chruches in germany where he was a choir boy for few year before the start of his poitical career...

1. Swastika is not 'good luck' symbol but an auspicious symbol. It denotes infinity and kaal chakra i.e. cylic nature of the universe.

2. Swastika is not a christian symbol.....it is at best a 'pagan' symbol before advent of Christianity in Europe.

3. Surya Namaskar is indeed 'salutation to the Sun' ...... it is done in the early morning while facing the sun.

 

[Yeti]

arey yar swastika was not just a hindu symbol of good luck it was also a christian symbol of goodluck,even today u can find this symbols in chruches of europe ,did u know hitler got the idea of swastika for his political party not from hindus but from chruches in germany where he was a choir boy for few year before the start of his poitical career...

When Hitler was in Prison prior to WW2 he came across the Hindu Holy book the Gita and that is where he took the the idea of a light skinned warrior race 'aryans' vs what he twisted it the sub-humans the jews/slavs etc but in Gita it is a battle of good vs evil.

There was a excellent documentary on the History Channel about this & btw Himmler Hitler's right hand man used to keep a copy of the Gita in his pocket are you aware of that?

The Swastika is a sanskrit word yes it has been used by the Celts etc but the symbol is ours not for Christians just because you took the sign does not make it yours! if I took the Christian Cross twisted its meaning does it make it Hindu? no

 

[Yeti]

The earliest Swastika seals were found in yes the IVC together with the Yogic pose picture

Christianity was not even on this planet in those times! Jesus was even born!

 

[navtrek]

I guess you are using religious text hold sacred for Hindus to explain the origins of yoga. I am not a Hindu, so I do not believe in those texts, but I appreciate the information, as it explains how yoga is looked at in India.

That doesn't sound too secular...

There is only one source for Yoga and that is religious. Yoga is one of the six schools of Hindu Philosophy and I am not religious i am a Scientist i question and reason to find solution and only then believe.

 

[sankranti]

You are contradicting your self in one statement you ask to look inwards and in another you are taliking about everything that is outward (politics, social behavior, education, self fulfillment). I dont think any of that has to do anything with me and my spirit.

Secondly i dont believe



I am a advanced Yoga practitioner my father is even more with 35 years of experience and we visit a Mosque, Church during Christmas, Temples all god are one and the same. one god different names.

There is No contradiction ....... only your ability to understand. Let me repeat it for your benefit.

1. YOGA teaches one to look inward.

2. HINDUISM is a way of life.

YOGA is part of HINDUISM .....YOGA is not HINDUISM.

Where is the confusion ?

3. What has being a Yoga practitioner got anything to do with visiting Mosque , Church or even a Museum ?

As to your 'belief' ...that is your business......you are free to believe 'one god, different names' ....a lot of Muslims and Christian will strongly disagree.

 

[navtrek]

There is No contradiction ....... only your ability to understand. Let me repeat it for your benefit.

1. YOGA teaches one to look inward.

2. HINDUISM is a way of life.

YOGA is part of HINDUISM .....YOGA is not HINDUISM.

Where is the confusion ?

3. What has being a Yoga practitioner got anything to do with visiting Mosque , Church or even a Museum ?

As to your 'belief' ...that is your business......you are free to believe 'one god, different names' ....a lot of Muslims and Christian will strongly disagree.

let them disagree but what matters to us is what we ourselves believe.

 

[RangerPK]

The earliest Swastika seals were found in yes the IVC together with the Yogic pose picture

Christianity was not even on this planet in those times! Jesus was even born!

I guess everything was found in Indus Vally Civilization here in Pakistan...lol... Just kidding.

 

[sankranti]

That doesn't sound too secular...

Not by your definition of secularism.

let them disagree but what matters to us is what we ourselves believe.

That kind of Naive thinking will get you killed in a Lot of Countries. Be thankful you live in India.

 

[Beerbal]

In exactly what state of India was yoga originated?

First you should understand India. India is 15,000-50,000 year old civilization (Dwarka was pre Iceage city, India and Lanka was connected thru shallow bridge).. Indian religion and philosophy is accumulation of entire world.

Indian culture has influence of Greek, Chinese, Sumerians, Babylonian etc...


Yoga is accumulation of knowledge of entire world. Yoga belong to world. Though some invasive religions (who believe in Invasion and expansion) see it as threat to there religon.

 

[RangerPK]

First you should understand India. India is 15,000-50,000 year old civilization (Dwarka was pre Iceage city, India and Lanka was connected thru shallow bridge).. Indian religion and philosophy is accumulation of entire world.

Indian culture has influence of Greek, Chinese, Sumerians, Babylonian etc...


Yoga is accumulation of knowledge of entire world. Yoga belong to world. Though some invasive religions (who believe in Invasion and expansion) see it as threat to there religon.

You lost me at Dwarka was pre Iceage city...

PS: Also I noticed you wrote 15,000 and 50,000 old civilization. As far as I know, the oldest surviving cilvizations are, Iranians, Chinese and Egyptians. if I am not mistaken, they are about 5,000 years or something.

Sorry but, I think you are coming with lots of bull there.....

PS2: I think you might be trolling.....

 

[Yeti]

The so called 'Aryan migration' theory of India has been debunked just like Darwins theory that 'White' people evolved out of Africa quicker compared to Asian counterparts was later debunked by Malinowski! all this was done on a racist level to show the superiority of the west and white people over asians and other races. Ancient Civilisation started in Asia when whitey was living in caves make no mistake about it and now these people wish to take our ancient Swastika and claim it is their own?

 

[shuntmaster]

Maybe YOGA originated in " Indus Valley Civilization", in which case it is Pakistani Product...

Most likely it was developed in Ganga-Yamuna plains civilization.

The Ganges civilization (the Vedic period)

The second major civilization in India, approximately 1500 BC - 500 BC.

For several hundred years after the decline of the Indus civilization life in Indian was structured around small villages. A second period of urbanization, known as the Ganges civilization, began about 1500 BC.

Shortly before that time a nomadic people, the Aryans, entered India from the Iranian region. Being cattle herders, the Aryans learned to make use of the fertile river valleys from the remaining Harappans and settled down, either mingling with and absorbing the Harappans or making them subservient to them.

The arrival of the Aryans coincided with the introduction of Vedic, an early form of Sanskrit, the first Indian script. The earliest examples of Indian literature, the Vedas, originate from this time, and the Ganges civilization is therefore often called the Vedic period.

Sanskrit syntax and vocabulary has many similarities with Greek and Latin and is believed to belong to the Indo-European languages. There is no doubt that unlike the people of the Indus civilization, the Aryans were not descendants of local people. Whether they subjugated the darker skinned Indus peasants or not is not clear, but their arrival coincides with the introduction of the caste system, which finds some degree of justification in the Aryan Vedas.

A wealth of literature from the Vedic period gives some idea about the social organization of the time. During the first centuries of the Ganges civilization the dominant activity remained cattle-breeding, and cattle was the main commodity. Family communities relied on each other as clans, which frequently went to war over cattle ownership. (The Sanskrit word for "war", gavisti, literally means "searching for cows".) Much of the literature of the period recounts the names of clans and their achievements. The names of the most powerful clans survived into the present as the names of geographical regions in India.

Towards the end of the Ganges civilization period the clans had settled permanently and staked out their territies. Clan identification was replaced by identification with a territory, and the major clans developed into kingdoms.