It may be taxing to talk about yoga in this century. It is sad that the beauty of yoga has somehow lost its brilliant luster, tarnished by the fast paced lifestyles of today's globalization. The whole philosophy of yoga has been reduced to a simpler concept to help people understand the concept better. In essence, the contents of yoga, in its entirety may be a little complicated for westerners to understand.
It is always a risky affair to talk about a complex subject by merely grasping the basics. Yoga is mainly perceived as a physical activity in the western part of the world. Today, the spiritual aspects of yoga have been diminished into a superficial understanding that places too much emphasized on achieving inner balance and meditative states.
It originates from the Hindu religion and it is actually a part of the Hindu philosophy. In the faraway land of India, it is recognized as a spiritual practice that includes a series of complex and systematic physical moves. The westerner's viewpoint that yoga is a physical activity is very wrong and distorted. Yoga with its strange looking symbols may seem mystical to the average Joe, is often enough to perk up a considerable level of interest in the hidden aspects of this ancient practice, but sadly, they are often misunderstood. This discipline is practiced as a popular sport. The allure of yoga as an effective way to gain inner peace and balance has beckoned many to embrace this activity as well.
The so called experts in this industry have been quick to use these promises and people have been fascinated. Fatal errors have been detected in the practice of yoga outside of India, showing the level of misunderstanding among the western practitioners. These errors were caused by each racial group's internal culture and form. In order to truly understand this concept moments of quiet, peaceful times are necessary to contemplate on this philosophy, and that is certainly an element that is absent in the hectic lifestyle of the western civilization. While meditation is an integral part of the practice, the westerners with their ever busy lifestyles certainly do not posses time for such luxuries.
The Hindus have a different set of value system that is very different from the west, and places low importance in the mere accumulation of physical wealth. Unless these values are changed, it is impossible for westerners to achieve the true wisdom and enlightenment as defined by the parameters of the Hindu religion. Patience and time is crucial for meditation. The westerners do not place a high degree of importance in the attainment of philosophical wisdom, as it does for the accumulation of massive wealth and gaining power.
Ironically, yoga has been taken on as a fashion statement in the western world. If you are thinking of taking up yoga as a part of your daily lifestyle, you can buy some of those materials that are available, suitable to this Art and practice it as a form of sports. During the early years of yoga practice in the US, a lot of yoga 'gurus' have emerged, claiming to be experts of this discipline; yet they gradually dwindled into what they actually are - merely fake gurus and yet they still have real support from their disciples. The disciples of these fake gurus are responsible for spreading the influence of the wrong philosophy pertaining to yoga practice.
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