Take me to Church!

Is yoga a religion? …a question that is frequently asked and understandably so. Yoga is not just a physical activity as lots believe, the asanas are in-fact an incredibly small part of yoga, they are just the most well-known.Before we delve any deeper, I can confirm yoga isn’t a religion, but it is definitely connected through history and its roots to Hinduism and Buddhism. 

It does however have some similarities with religion, as it promotes the idea of personal contemplation and seeing a deeper meaning to many areas of our lives. Unlike religion though, it doesn’t have any set obligations, and so because of this yoga is therefore widely considered a spiritual practice rather than a religious one.

Hinduism

Yoga is first mentioned in The Upanishads which are a collection of Hindu scriptures, which describe things like meditation technique. These techniques are said to help bring the practitioner closer to our true self (Atman). The texts within The Upanishads come to teach us that we are all part of something bigger, that we are all drops in the ocean (Brahman)

Therefore in Hinduism and in yoga we offer the mantra chant Aum (Om) - as it is said this echo’s the sound of harmony in the universe. A mantra isn’t necessarily religious, but more about feeling connected to other people, mind, body and spirit. We are all one.

Buddhism

Buddhists share the practice of mindfulness and like Hindus, they believe that the reality of life can distract from your inner truth.

The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali are an ancient text and explains yoga was strongly influenced by Buddhism with the focus on loving and giving but also on karma, which is the belief that the way you act will come back to you. This is an idea that is strongly influenced by Buddhist practice, and where Karma yoga stems from.

So, can you practice yoga if you’re not a Hindu or a Buddhist? In our modern Western culture, anybody can practice yoga! Yoga for most people in the west has nothing to do with its religious roots, it’s simply just understood as body and breath working together equally in a physically practice.

So even though lots yoga practiced in the west no longer links back to those religious roots, yoga will always remains a contemplative practice – helping the practitioner closer to their true self and a new sense of belonging.

Anyone, from any religion can and will benefit from yoga in whichever form they choose to practice it in.

Want to know more about our yoga teacher training?

If you’d like to know more about yoga or how to teach, we have courses where you can learn the basics, right the way through to our 500hr teacher training.You can view full course syllabuses on our website www.yogacourse.com