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Why Yoga Is India's Greatest Export to the West

prasad1

Active member
Yoga is India's true gift to the world. Tens if not hundreds of millions have practised yoga worldwide. It is chosen by many who seek spiritual food -- those who are unimpressed by religious dogma based on heaven-and-hell scenarios and fear of God. We're just not buying that any more.

Spirituality and God to many of us simply mean real experience of peace, love and happiness. We want to feel and experience this unconditional love and union with the divine now -- not intellectually through scripture study but through our hearts and in our lives.


So why India? India's original name in Sanskrit is Bharata. Bha means divine light. Ratameans engrossed. In spite of religious conflict during its long history, great gurus have emerged from the dust time and time again.


India has produced a constant stream of enlightened masters immemorial -- gurus that embrace the essence of all religions -- Sri Aurobindo, Nisargadatta, Ramana Maharshiand Sri Anandamayi Ma are among the more well known. Others have come to the West -- notably Paramahamsa Yogananda, Swami Vivekananda and Amma, known as the hugging mother.


They teach us the true purpose of yoga -- how to tap into the living essence of the great Vedas or Bhagavad Gita --that the secret to contentment comes from inside -- the exact opposite of the traditional Western indoctrination that happiness comes from external activities and material wealth. In contrast, these gurus show us how to be calm, positive and joyful through japa, prayer, meditation and contemplation; to be mindful in all that we do; to fight our negatives and not others; to be successful, kind and loving.

Yoga is not just about bending the body. Authentic yoga practised with love and humility is a practical path to bring calmness -- to experience more of our innate divinity -- even if too often it's dressed up as a spiritual keep-fit class!


There's a yogic philosophy to suit all of us: from advaita (union) to jnani (path of wisdom and knowledge) to Bhakti (devotion) to karmayoga (mindfulness in all that we do).


Yoga is not just limited to spirituality. American author William James pointed out, "From the Vedas (sacred texts from which yoga derived) we learn a practical art of surgery, medicine, music, house building under which mechanized art is included. They are an encyclopedia of every aspect of life, culture, religion, science, ethics, law, cosmology and meteorology."

https://www.huffingtonpost.in/david...a_b_6274458.html?utm_hp_ref=in-huffpost-india


I did not practice Yoga or read about it while growing up in India in 1947-1966.
I started doing yoga as a physical exercise only in 2000 in the USA.
I am definitely more limber now than when I started.
 
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