It is fairly common to run up against students who are afraid of the big Y yoga. That is, the yoga which encompasses several tools designed to advance toward Self-Realization. For example: chanting (Mantra yoga), meditation (Laya yoga) or praying (Bhakti yoga) can and should be part of a well-rounded yoga practice. But this freaks a lot of students out. To them, chanting Om is something New-Age or against their religion.
The practice of yoga is an ancient science. The idea is to clear away all the muck and grime that we accumulate by being humans and get acquainted with our true nature. The Indian yogis, those who obtained enlightenment, did so through devotion to god. And to that matter, one doesn't even have to believe in god to be on the yoga path! There's a path for athiests (Jnana yoga) which focuses on knowledge and intellectuality.
The Hatha path, which is the practice of asana as done in a yoga class, is considered the most difficult and forceful of all of the options. I am currently on page 147 of "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda and he has yet to do a single yoga pose. His path to the Self was one of meditation and devotion to god.
So the next time your yoga teacher invites you to chant Om with the class, consider it! You can use it as an opportunity to ponder why you are in a yoga class at all. If you were simply interested in working out, wouldn't you just go to the gym and run on the treadmill? In my opinion, there is a reason that we're drawn to the practice of yoga and it is part of our path to figure it out.
And if you experience fear as a result, try to open your heart to the antidote to fear, which is love.
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Hi Gabe! I've been lurking on your blog/facebook page and this post really resonated with me so I had to come out of the shadows and let you know that I totally agree. My studio focuses as much on asana as it does on the other limbs of yoga. We start practice with the following invocation...it’s a prayer for enlightenment. At first, many people are hesitant to chant because they believe that it is against whatever their religion is (perhaps because we sang so much Latin at St. C's that I don't have this hang-up!). But my practice has shown me that yoga is really the essence of almost all religions: a connection with the self, the world and the greater powers of the universe. Jai Bhagwan.
ReplyDeleteAsatoma sadagamaya; (Lead me from the unreal to the real) Tamasoma jyotir gamaya; (Lead me from darkness to light) Mrityorma amritam gamaya. (Lead me from time-bound consciousness to the timeless state of being)
~Elissa
Elissa,
ReplyDeleteI love that chant! It's the one I sing to myself when I'm riding my bike around town. Thank you much for posting. I especially appreciate your comment that "yoga is really the essence of almost all religions." It's so true--god is for everyone and I think yoga can make that possible.