Do you know the etymology, the origins of the word “yoga”? Believe it or not, yoga is not a physical exercise, but a spiritual one, an exercise of the mind to create a union or join with The Supreme Spirit. Etymology of yoga

Yoga has evolved to a type of physical exercise system for stress relief and physical flexibility in the Western World. I can almost guarantee that the true Yogis did not tell themselves or their students to “feel the stretch” as they twisted their bodies into some miraculous configuration. This is all thanks to the Western World transforming yet another aspect of the Eastern beliefs into a “for profit business”. I wonder how many videos on yoga are sold in the East?

Americanized yoga is not about the joining with the Supreme Spirit, it is about lining pockets with money by promoting the image of health and fitness. “Breathe, feel your breath travel through your spine as you inhale and as you exhale, feel the breath travel down your throat, your chest… Feel the stress of the day leave your body, concentrate on the breath, and feel the stretch in your buttocks, the back of your thigh…”

Now, don’t get me wrong, I have a “yoga” video that I follow for relieving my back pain due to swollen disc issues, I love it, the music helps me to relax and the slow, controlled movements feel really good. I call it exercise when I put that video on though, not yoga. I would even go as far to say that what I do is called stretches, not yoga.

Take a look at this video examining the question of:

“Will the practice of yoga help to bring spiritual awakening? Is it true that yoga can awaken the deeper energy called Kundalini?

http://www.jkrishnamurti.org/krishnamurti-teachings/view-video/brockwood-park-school-1979-part-3-of-6.php

Do you practice yoga or do you exercise?

Click here to start earning on Xomba!