The art of yoga is a rather tough subject to discuss today. Globalization seems to have a devastating impact on this ancient concept. To facilitate people’s understanding, the mysteries of yoga and all its intricacies have been simplified into the modern day version of yoga practice.
It is unwise to gain a shallow knowledge about a diverse topic and yet speaks about it from an expert’s viewpoint. The West tends to focus on the physical aspects of yoga. The rich philosophies behind yoga practice have been reduced into a simple form of art that focuses merely on achieving inner balance and peace.
It has its origins in the Hindu religion and is a physical manifestation representing one of the six schools of Hindu thought. In India, yoga is considered a very spiritual experience that has a physical aspect to it. Viewing yoga as a physical activity is definitely a mistake. Most westerners are aware of the strange symbols associated with yoga practice, but often they are misunderstood.
Ironically, it is practiced as a popular form of sports. Additionally, people who desire inner tranquility would often find this practice to be beneficial. Nevertheless many have been attracted to yoga as a form of practice to achieve inner peace and balance.
Almost all who proclaim themselves as yoga masters perpetrate these claims and the masses are undoubtedly fascinated. Fatal errors have been detected in the practice of yoga outside of India, showing the level of misunderstanding among the western practitioners. Closer observation reveals that the unique culture of each race has dramatically influenced the way yoga is practiced.
The western busy lifestyles certainly do not provide much space to contemplate on this philosophy. While meditation is an integral part of the practice, the westerners with their ever busy lifestyles certainly do not posses time for such luxuries. 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.
It takes patience and time to experience a successful meditative session. 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.
Yoga becomes a stylish endeavor instead of a spiritual experience. There is a lot of information going out promoting yoga as a form of sports. In fact you can grab any of those and start practicing yoga anywhere you want to. Even the famous people who are fake yoga gurus have garnered a lot of support from their disciples. This crooked philosophy has been widely spread by its loyal followers.
Yoga is becoming a popular therapy for conditions like anxiety attacks. It’s use in treating signs of anxiety attacks is gaining recognition by many recognized anxiety support groups.