Everything in the world is viewed differently. Like yoga, people will define what it means to them differently. For some stereotypical guys, yoga means staring at girls doing the downward-dog position while for others it's judging those weirdos. Certain groups, with a Christian perspective, believe yoga is a weird Hindu religious practice that should be completely avoided because of supposed bad spirits. Myself, as a Christian and a "yogi," see yoga as an important aspect to my spiritual life as well as many other areas.
When I first began yoga, I was mildly overweight but needed to do low intensity exercise that wouldn't put too much pressure on my ankles. One day I wandered into a special event on GCU's campus-- it was an outside yoga practice to promote health week. After that, I started going to the regular practices at the on-campus gym and slowly I lost some weight. However, it quickly became more than that.
As I practiced yoga, I did it more in the morning. When I practiced in the mornings, I found I had more energy and a better mentality during the day. If I practiced in the evening, I slept better and felt more rested the next day. My digestion had even improved, because we all know a college student's diet isn't the best. As I continued going to practices, I grew -- I could go deeper and deeper into stretches, bending myself in ways I could not do since my hay-day in high school soccer.
It doesn't just end there though. My experiences with yoga don't halt with the physical, yogas affects my spiritual life as well. As my instructor says, "We are meeting ourselves on the [yoga] mat." In these times, I found peace and relief during stressful moments, such as finals. Instead of neglecting yoga to study, I ensured to pencil yoga classes into my schedule to receive peace from both my mind and body. This peace did not come from just myself, it came from God, who would meet me at my yoga mat. Going into a humble warrior pose, bowing our heads to the ground and our hands up towards the sky, I choose to be bowing to God and lifting my hands to him. In all poses, even the infamous downward-dog, I am worshiping God.
Whether chakras and the mundras (hand poses) actually have any real spiritual meaning, I choose to give it all to God. Yoga means a time where I can escape from the day's event and re-focus my attention caring for myself, both spiritually and physically. Yoga means a peace that I do not understand in my soul. Philippians 4:7 says, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." If God is the peace that surpasses all understanding, (Philippians 4:7) then is not God there at my practice? Maybe your next salutation with God will be doing a "Sun Salutation" or two in the yoga gym, 'eh?
