Question about yoga

chanratt

I was thinking of starting a yoga practice, but I don't really know where to start and am a little confused. Is yoga just meditation with movement? Is meditation one of the main goals of all yoga or are there purely physical forms of the practice? Let me put that a slightly different way. Is yoga strictly a spiritual practice or is some of it just used for exercise?
If I was to take up yoga, where would be a good place to start as I know there are many different forms of it?

BhikkhuJayasara

Yoga is very connected with meditation and was/is considered a path to enlightenment(not specifically buddhist)..

I've been doing Yoga at my gym and at home for a year now, and using mindfulness meditation while doing so, although it is only recently that I'm reading about Yoga and the Yoga-Sutra.

This is from " the yoga bible" (http://www.amazon.com/The-Yoga-Bible-Christina-Brown/dp/1582972427/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356235698&sr=8-1&keywords=the+yoga+bible) which I just bought -

" an author named Patanjali wrote " yoga-sutra, the first text on the subject of yoga, some 2500 years ago. In it he defined yoga as "chitta-vrtti-nirohdah, which means " cessation of the turnings of the mind". The definition I use most often is that of "stilling the mind".

the name yoga itself comes from the Sanskrit "yuj" which is often translated as " to unite, to join, or connect".

the vice-abbot, Bhante Seelananda, at Bhavana Society in WV does yoga with mindfulness, as do many monastics. It can be used to develop mindfulness the same as any posture.

I thankfully have a good teacher at my gym (La Fitness) who always offers modifications and reminds us to honor our bodies limitations, to get the ego out of the way and do the forms in the proper way. There may be gyms that offer yoga, or even yoga schools in your area.

Yoga is something you will want to have a live teacher for at first.. you can hurt yourself doing yoga if you do not do it correctly.

BhanteLucky

Yoga is awesome, like moving meditation. Good for the mind, good for the body.
Also, in my country, yoga is the second leading cause of lost-time injuries and medical insurance payouts, because people overdo it or overstretch. (the leading cause is football.)
So even if you do yoga wrongly, you can get time off work AND some cash!

DaltheJigsaw

I practice Kriya Yoga. Check it out, it's pretty good system.

poptart

JamestheGiant said:

So even if you do yoga wrongly, you can get time off work AND some cash!

Right intention and action might serve you better in terms of Buddhist practice.

mfranzdorf

Check out Bryan Jones Yoga online. He has some very good power yoga videos on youtube as well, offering the free. Search power yoga bryan jones and they are right there. Good exercise and well paced and explained. I also enjoy the "Element" yoga dvds. Hope this helps .

robot

poptart said:

JamestheGiant said:

So even if you do yoga wrongly, you can get time off work AND some cash!

Right intention and action might serve you better in terms of Buddhist practice.

Wow, talk about a stick in the mud. Where is your sense of humor?

poptart

robot said:

Wow, talk about a stick in the mud. Where is your sense of humor?

Wow, where are your manners? Name calling is definitely not right speech.

Niwalen

MaryAnne

poptart said:

robot said:

Wow, talk about a stick in the mud. Where is your sense of humor?

Wow, where are your manners? Name calling is definitely not right speech.

Neither is criticizing someone needlessly for making a playful joke...

charirama

BKS Iyengar has written many great, in depth, books about yoga.

I recommend his "Light on Life" as a place to start. He describes the purpose, benefits and methods of yoga based on a lifetime of study and teaching.

lobster

Start slowly and then slow down