-- By Sohan Singh
Yoga has spread across the globe not only as a medium of achieving flexibility and wellness but also as a way of exploring our spirituality. Now the question arises, what does spirituality mean to you? Like yoga, spirituality is personal yet universal. The main purpose that people practice yoga is for a toned body and an hour of peace away from work and office. But for others looking for their path in life, yoga goes deeper. Spirituality makes yoga special.
The Spiritual Stretch
Yoga is physical, for sure. By practising yoga regularly, helps in developing stamina, strength and those rock star abs. Postures challenge the body. However, yoga also gives you mental stability by working through your emotional stress and psychological challenges.
If you do yoga for the health benefits then you will certainly feel better with regular sessions. But if you don’t explore the physical side of yoga, then it is just a stretch class or a gym session for you. Go deeper, and you will find so much more.
Yoga is not a Religion
Yoga is not a religious practice at all and the spiritual side of yoga is not linked to any form of worship. Yoga itself means to join or unite and a yogi views this unison in completely different ways – the unison of body, mind and spirit, uniting all the aspects of you or uniting with a higher power or spiritual force.
The practice of yoga and meditation together is proven to be a powerful combination and many enthusiasts practice meditation daily along with their yoga sessions. After the Yoga session, when the body becomes calmer and steadier, meditation can provide a deep sense of relaxation.
Developing spirituality makes a person internally strong and gives strength to manage difficult situations and to keep smiling. Yoga is a way of cultivating wholeness and recognizing the wholeness everywhere – for many yogis, that is the spiritual side of practising yoga.
