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Buddhism and Yoga
Hi everyone,
Some of you may know me from my welcome post when i first joined.
Im 19 years old and have recently been going through a change of lifestyle, dont get me wrong. I have a good life and loving family and am very happy, but am striving towards a more meaningful, healthier and relaxing lifestyle. So far so good.
My recent question is to do with Yoga, due to the change of lifestyle iv actively been seeking out things that can improve my well being (Buddhism being the main one) tho id just like to add, I am still very much a beginner, but am extremely happy to what its already done for me in all aspects of my life.
Recently, after my first few Yoga classes i discovered that its actually a form of or atleast related to Hinduism. (tho i have only been to 2 Yoga classes so far so obviously dont have a wealth of knowledge on the subject.)
From what i know (>>Beginner<<) Buddhism and Buddhists accept other religions and dont discriminate, and even allow Buddhists to celebrate other religious holidays christmas etc.
But what about Yoga? from what i understand Yoga itself is a form and practice of Hinduism, its not just about "Asanas" (the positions and stretches which apart from the relaxing nature of Yoga actually interested me in it) but also incorporates alot of the teachings from the Hindu religion, and that one cant truly be a Yoga instructor unless they are familiar with all the Hindu aspects behind Yoga.
Tho i did also read that Buddhism itself is also somewhat linked to Yoga (particularly Zen Buddhism) Which happens to be the same school of Buddhism that iv been attending the beginners classes.
Tho the temple i go to doesnt offer Yoga but rather Tai Chi (Which unfortunately doesnt take my fancy) only due to me being more interested in the Stretching and flexibility side of Yoga.
Im not sure how to word this correctly so please bare with me,
Id like to continue with Yoga but only for the Asanas (Postures, stretches etc)... I dont know if im thinking about this the wrong way but.. it feels that im almost doing something "wrong" as i really want to be a practicing Buddhist but am basically practicing another religion everytime i go to a yoga class.
Am i going about this the wrong way? Is it fine to be be buddhist but practice yoga? Or is it like someone saying "Im Vegetarian but i eat chicken and fish"
All advice is appreciated.
Lotus.
Some of you may know me from my welcome post when i first joined.
Im 19 years old and have recently been going through a change of lifestyle, dont get me wrong. I have a good life and loving family and am very happy, but am striving towards a more meaningful, healthier and relaxing lifestyle. So far so good.
My recent question is to do with Yoga, due to the change of lifestyle iv actively been seeking out things that can improve my well being (Buddhism being the main one) tho id just like to add, I am still very much a beginner, but am extremely happy to what its already done for me in all aspects of my life.
Recently, after my first few Yoga classes i discovered that its actually a form of or atleast related to Hinduism. (tho i have only been to 2 Yoga classes so far so obviously dont have a wealth of knowledge on the subject.)
From what i know (>>Beginner<<) Buddhism and Buddhists accept other religions and dont discriminate, and even allow Buddhists to celebrate other religious holidays christmas etc.
But what about Yoga? from what i understand Yoga itself is a form and practice of Hinduism, its not just about "Asanas" (the positions and stretches which apart from the relaxing nature of Yoga actually interested me in it) but also incorporates alot of the teachings from the Hindu religion, and that one cant truly be a Yoga instructor unless they are familiar with all the Hindu aspects behind Yoga.
Tho i did also read that Buddhism itself is also somewhat linked to Yoga (particularly Zen Buddhism) Which happens to be the same school of Buddhism that iv been attending the beginners classes.
Tho the temple i go to doesnt offer Yoga but rather Tai Chi (Which unfortunately doesnt take my fancy) only due to me being more interested in the Stretching and flexibility side of Yoga.
Im not sure how to word this correctly so please bare with me,
Id like to continue with Yoga but only for the Asanas (Postures, stretches etc)... I dont know if im thinking about this the wrong way but.. it feels that im almost doing something "wrong" as i really want to be a practicing Buddhist but am basically practicing another religion everytime i go to a yoga class.
Am i going about this the wrong way? Is it fine to be be buddhist but practice yoga? Or is it like someone saying "Im Vegetarian but i eat chicken and fish"
All advice is appreciated.
Lotus.
0
Comments
Be careful not to confuse Buddhism with a religion that excludes all others. Many Buddhists practise yoga and many don't, just as many are vegetarians and many aren't. These are only skillful or unskillful depending on whether they strengthen your practice and efforts on the Noble Eightfold Path.
Whilst your scruples do you credit, your should not allow them to flood your mind and obscure the basic point: you do this to end stress and to help all other sentient beings. Do whatever helps; avoid whatever hinders. That's all.
I will try to provide some advice for you.
Hinduism is many philosophies and beliefs. It is extremely diverse.
On the lower levels, Yoga incorporates ethical behaviours, similiar to all religions. On the highest level, language may differ from Buddhism.
On the highest level, union with God is the goal. However, some times this will be termed union with the Absolute. Other times it will be termed 'Self Realisation'.
The yoga you are learning is called 'hatha yoga'. Whilst having a foundation in ethics, it is mostly about working with the breath to calm, control and awaken the body & mind.
Whilst Buddhism has subtle methods of breath meditation, the primary charactertic of Buddhism is 'raja yoga' rather than 'hatha yoga'. Raja yoga means using wisdom rather than using the breath directly.
Yoga asanas are neutral. At most Buddhist meditation retreats for Westerners, asana will be part of the schedule.
It's fine but a tendency may possibly arise to overdo it, by treating asana as rigorous exercise, like gymastics or aerobics. One can get quite high doing yoga where as alot of Buddhist practice is to be able to work with the mind. For example, if each time we have a bad mood we do some strong yoga practise, this is avoiding learning to understand and resolve the matters of the mind.
Kind regards,
DDhatu
It is true that, in yoga as in any other discipline, sport, etc., it is essential to take great care choosing a school or teacher. It is not a question of accepting all the "tenets" of a school: I realised that when I was training in psychotherapy. I still went out and found the most highly-qualified teachers, those most engaged in their discipline. It is a question of excellence and authenticity - and we owe these to ourselves.
There's no conflict IMHO. I don't even mind doing the Om shante stuff at the end. When our teacher ventures into pseudo-spiritual territory (which she doesn't do often) I just chill out. Much of what she says makes sense in any case.
The only thing I can't / won't do is Pranayama, as it does not sit well with me. My Buddhist meditation is grounded in Theravadan anapanasati, which doesn't seek to manipulate the breath in any way - merely to observe it.
Anything to do with holding, restricting, counting or over-concentrating on the breath is a no-no for me. I don't object on religious grounds, it's more a case of physical dislike.
In any case she never insists that anyone do anything they are uncomfortable with, so I don't mind being a pseudo-Hindu for an hour a week.
Classes in both Yoga and Tai Chi are offered at some of the Tibetan Buddhist centres here in the UK.
I have practised Tai Chi myself but don't know that much about yoga.
I thought I'd put a link to the kind of yoga classes that take place at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery and centre in the UK for you to have a look at, to see if it ties in with what you were wanting to do yourself.
http://www.samyeling.org/index.php?module=pagesetter&tid=3&filter=yogataichi:eq:1
Kind wishes,
Dazzle
From a Buddhist meditation perspective, asana in its stronger forms and pranayama can (potentially) affect, in a detrimental way, the natural flow of consciousness & awareness that Buddhist meditation aims to cultivate.
From a Buddhist meditation perspective, keeping asana practise moderate & natural is important.
In my experience, the modern 'Ashtanga Method' and the 'Iyengar Method' which uses devices and props can overdo it, potentionally promoting 'blockages' rather than 'flow'.
My views are more pertinent to men rather than the average woman because men usually breathe stronger and are less physical flexible in the joints than women.
The most renowned book on yoga is Iyengar's Light on Yoga. On page 44 in the Introduction, Iyengar discusses the dangers of pranayama, comparing the breath to compressed air used in a jackhammer to cut concrete.
Apart from the above, please enjoy your yoga. In balance, yoga asana is a joyful & healthy practise.
I practiced both Yoga and Tai Chi when I was a lot younger. I found both to be helpful as a general form of conditioning. BKS IYengar's Light on Yoga is worth reading. As are the works of Swami Sivananda who formed the Divine Life Society. Only to give you a little background. I avoided that literature which went beyond asanas. Except for S.Sivananda's book on Pranayama.
At this time I simply take a good walk everyday.which seems entirely sufficient. But when you are young its such a wonderful time to learn and explore. If you use the natural questioning of youth and take everything with a grain of salt its a wonderful time.
the grackle
DD i think one of the problems im having is, as im a beginner i think im worried ill practice some of the things on yoga that may be detremental to my Buddhist practices. Im not very knowledgable at the moment as im a beginner to both Yoga and Buddhism and just dont want to make any mistakes.
Is there anyone knowledgable on Yoga that could point out exactly athe things i should be avoiding, such as pranayama or is that basically it?
Hi Lotus,
I guess that's about 'it'. Don't do anything which you are physically uncomfortable with. As to any ideas or ethos etc. don't worry, it all comes right with time.
Enjoy it.
As I have tried to point out, merely from my experience, stick to asana that is moderate. That is all. Such as 'light, easy going Iyengar' or Shivananda or Saccitananda methods.
Avoid yoga that is practised like gymnastics or aerobics, that is overly mentally competitive or ambitious or stretching the body using ropes, walls, chairs, etc.
The purpose of yoga is to make your breathing flow, circulate the blood, stimulate your body & mind and have things move in different directions.
It does not need to be overly rigorous.
Please do not fear and enjoy yourself. Have fun. Most of all, trust your inner intelligence. Yoga is about developing your 'body intelligence' or 'body-mind connection'.