Folks, I'm curious:
Do you prefer your Yoga class to be completely non-religious?
Non-spiritual?
No mention of spiritualitiy or energy?
--As a teacher, I regularly encounter students looking for the enercise and healing benefits of Hatha yoga, yet shy away from anything out of the ordinary, even a simple mantra like "Om". Perhaps this more common than I thought?
--Here in tribe, the conversations often go 'way out' in terms of spiritual stuff. I'm curious if any of us here feel a bit squeemish about it?
Do you prefer your Yoga class to be completely non-religious?
Non-spiritual?
No mention of spiritualitiy or energy?
--As a teacher, I regularly encounter students looking for the enercise and healing benefits of Hatha yoga, yet shy away from anything out of the ordinary, even a simple mantra like "Om". Perhaps this more common than I thought?
--Here in tribe, the conversations often go 'way out' in terms of spiritual stuff. I'm curious if any of us here feel a bit squeemish about it?
posted by:
|
SF Bay Area
|
-
Re: Non Secular Yoga?
Tue, July 3, 2007 - 7:09 PMNon-religious, yes... I don't care for anyone pushing their ideas on me.
But I don't feel like it's "yoga" without some mention of spirituality. One of the things I love about yoga is that you know it so much more than physical exercise, but not like a place of religious worship that seems to leave a lot of folks out. It's message goes with most religions--love and acceptance.
That said, I was raised in a strict Christian home, and the chanting really freaked me out at first. But as my practice grew deeper and more involved, I really embraced the yoga philosophy and appreciated the spirituality/meditation part of it more than anything.
I teach beginners, so I never get too much into it. Being present is really enough for new yogis to wrap their minds around (especially Westerners) so I stick with that and if I feel it's well-recieved, well, I might talk a tiny bit more.
