# What does the world think of YOGA?



## shaloo

Good Evening People!

What do you call Yoga in your language?

Have you ever practised Yoga in your country or in India when you came here on a visit?

I heard that more and more number of foreigners are learning Yoga to keep themselves happy, physically, mentally and spiritually.

How was your experience ? Does it help you in relieving stress and keeping you fit?
Or do you prefer exercising to Yoga?

Shaloo


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## badgrammar

I remember doing yoga with my Mother back in the States in the early 70's, and by then it was already pretty popular.  Still is, I think interest may not be growing but it is steadily there.

I still practice a little, it is an excellent way to stretch and to learn about breathing and focus.  I was in India for a couple weeks last winter, but didn't have the chance to learn anything about it while I was there...  There was already so much to see, hear, taste, smell and wonder at.  I can't wait to go back !

I also run, so I'd say I use yoga postures in conjunction with other physical activities.


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## french4beth

Yoga is still very popular here, and may even be increasing!

I took a class a couple of years ago, and found it to be an excellent workout; you're not competing against anyone, you just do whatever you're able to do (there were beginners like me, but mostly people who had already taken classes).  My favorite part was at the end of class, where we would lie down & have a guided meditation - very relaxing!  But it was a great physical workout, too!  Definitely a good way to relieve stress and keep fit!


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## Miguelillo 87

Yoga it's called Yoga in Spanish (at least on México) and it's a really popular activitie to do, it relax oyu and give you strenght, in espiritual and phisical way. Many people practice it on MEXICO more artists and elder people.
(Just like a suggestion, wouldn't be better to cahnge this thread into Culturral discussion forum?)


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## badgrammar

I think the word yoga is international, although it may be spelled differently in other languages.


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## tvdxer

shaloo said:
			
		

> Good Evening People!
> 
> What do you call Yoga in your language?



Yoga



> Have you ever practised Yoga in your country or in India when you came here on a visit?


 
No.



> I heard that more and more number of foreigners are learning Yoga to keep themselves happy, physically, mentally and spiritually.
> 
> How was your experience ? Does it help you in relieving stress and keeping you fit?
> Or do you prefer exercising to Yoga?
> 
> Shaloo



I worry about yoga contradicting my religious beliefs, so I don't practice it.  I probably wouldn't anyway.


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## Yuribear

Namaste Shaloo,

Are talking about hatha yoga only? 

Regarding your questions:

*  What do you call Yoga in your language?* I believe Yoga is called Yoga in every language, but the pronunciation might be different. If I remember well, in The Nederlands, it is pronounced "Yoha" with a very guttural "h".

*Have you ever practised Yoga in your country or in India when you came here on a visit?* I have practiced yoga in India, Mexico, Italy, the Nederlands and the US. 

*  How was your experience?* *Does it help you in relieving stress and keeping you fit? *Actually, both my husband and I practice a branch of Raja Yoga, called Kriya Yoga, which focuses more on meditation and pranayam than asanas. Actually, it is more a way of life for us than to keep ourselves "happy, physically, mentally and spiritually". 

*  Or do you prefer exercising to Yoga? *We do both. They do not contradict each other. But yoga will always prevail.

........ and what about you? why don't you answer your own questions? I would be happy to hear what you have to say!!!


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## Miguelillo 87

tvdxer said:
			
		

> I worry about yoga contradicting my religious beliefs, so I don't practice it. I probably wouldn't anyway.


I think Yoga can be practised as a way of relax yourself and give good healt and work out your body and your mind.

Without taking it as a religion only as a relaxing activity.
But anyway if you don't want ot don't do it, I just wanted to make the commentary


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## GenJen54

tvdxer said:
			
		

> I worry about yoga contradicting my religious beliefs, so I don't practice it. I probably wouldn't anyway.


 
A bit of research is necessary here. 

Practice of yoga for exercise (maintaining poses, breathing exercises) does not at all have to be any more "spiritual" than any other form of exercise. The difference is that in yoga, one is also working on conscious "letting-go" of mental stress through breathing exercises.

Yoga as a lifestyle *can*, but does not have to, involve a specific practice of spiritualism. I would guess that the majority of yoga practitioners in the US do so for the exercise benefit, and not for the spiritualism involved. 

There are also several fundamentalist Christian groups who have taken the "exercise" part of yoga and are incorporating it with Christian meditation prayer; the best of both worlds, some would say.

You can do your own research, if interested, but here is an article from beliefnet that discusses how this "integrated" practice works.


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## panjabigator

I dont think yoga plays a big role with the Indian Diaspora here.  My mother watches Sai Baba on Zee Tv (or maybe another channel) here and he is always doing some weird contortion.  I think Hatha yoga is the most popular here, but there was a Sikh man named Yogi Bhajan and he made Kundalini Yoga very popular too.


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## badgrammar

Just like you can take a Tai-chi course without ever considering Taoism (hope that's the right religion), you can practice yoga with absolutely no thought to hinduism.  There is no worshiping going on in yoga classes I know of, if it is not worshiping an hour and a half of excercise and relaxation...


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## shaloo

tvdxer said:
			
		

> I worry about yoga contradicting my religious beliefs, so I don't practice it. I probably wouldn't anyway.


 
I guess you are probably referreing to the utterance of the sacred Hindu word...AUM.

Shaloo


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## Pivra

Its very sad in Thailand, we have a temple full of statues of rishis doing the asnas but now its more like a pregnant women's activity. I don't see many guys doing it.



			
				shaloo said:
			
		

> I guess you are probably referreing to the utterance of the sacred Hindu word...AUM.
> 
> Shaloo


 
Aum is not necessary a religious word for me. Like, in Thailand where most people are Buddhists, we seem to use this word randomly with any prayers or just a wish might even start with Aum. lol

Thai language takes this word more or less like ojala in Spanish.

 ps. lots of people in Thai markets before they start their day they they might hit their signs with a bill while saying 

 Aum, khor hai ruay, khor hai ruay  ..... May I be rich, May I be rich.  
โอม, ขอให้รวย,  ขอให้รวย


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## murena

I am very much into Bikram Yoga at the moment, which is also called Hot Yoga, because it is done for 90 minutes in a room at 38 C. Before I used to do Ashtanga Yoga. I find them both very challenging for the body and an excellent workout. 

Practicing yoga for me is very relaxing as well. Since I do it, I do not have any kind of back pain, even though I spend most of my working day seating in front of a computer. I recommend it very much.

I wonder actually how popular is Yoga in India. Even though the indian community is big in Sydney, I have nerver seen an Indian in a yoga class. I know there are a lot of yoga retreats in India, but seem to me like targeted for western people. Waht is the level of practice for the common population in India?

Regards


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## shaloo

Pivra


> Its very sad in Thailand, we have a temple full of statues of rishis doing the asnas but now its more like a pregnant women's activity. I don't see many guys doing it.


Its indeed a sad thing. But its more or less the same in India too.However, people in urban areas these days, seem to have grown conscious about health and fitness and many Yoga Institutes have sprung up here, of late.



> Aum is not necessary a religious word for me. Like, in Thailand where most people are Buddhists, we seem to use this word randomly with any prayers or just a wish might even start with Aum. lol


Yes, we do that too. OM used before starting any prayer but I believe its because of it holiness and divinty.
So I was wondering if that was what kept tvdxer from practising Yoga.



> Thai language takes this word more or less like ojala in Spanish.


What does ojala mean?



> ps. lots of people in Thai markets before they start their day they they might hit their signs with a bill while saying
> 
> Aum, khor hai ruay, khor hai ruay ..... May I be rich, May I be rich.
> โอม, ขอให้รวย, ขอให้รวย


   Nice.

Shaloo


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## GenJen54

shaloo said:
			
		

> So I was wondering if that was what kept tvdxer from practising Yoga.


You might take a look at the second part of the article I linked to in my post number 9, which will give you a good idea why Christian fundamentalists do not practice yoga.

You might also do a google search on the subject.

I cannot speak for tvdxer personally, but understand that many Christian fundamentalists believe that yoga is part of Eastern Mysticism and "New Age" beliefs which are antithetic to Christian teachings and doctrine. Many believe such beliefs to be tantamount to occult practices.

It is a simple case for many of disdaining what one does not understand.  (And no, I am not talking about tvdxer personally).


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## shaloo

Yuribear


> Namaste Shaloo,


Namaste Yuribear



> Are talking about hatha yoga only?


I was not talking about any particular type of Yoga. I wanted to know if it is practised by people outside India.And if yes, how do they find it?



> Regarding your questions:
> 
> *What do you call Yoga in your language?* I believe Yoga is called Yoga in every language, but the pronunciation might be different. If I remember well, in The Nederlands, it is pronounced "Yoha" with a very guttural "h".
> 
> *Have you ever practised Yoga in your country or in India when you came here on a visit?* I have practiced yoga in India, Mexico, Italy, the Nederlands and the US.
> 
> *How was your experience?* *Does it help you in relieving stress and keeping you fit? *Actually, both my husband and I practice a branch of Raja Yoga, called Kriya Yoga, which focuses more on meditation and pranayam than asanas. Actually, it is more a way of life for us than to keep ourselves "happy, physically, mentally and spiritually".
> 
> *Or do you prefer exercising to Yoga? *We do both. They do not contradict each other. But yoga will always prevail.


Good to hear that.


> ........ and what about you? why don't you answer your own questions? I would be happy to hear what you have to say!!!


[/QUOTE]
Well, personally, I love practising Yoga but with my university, language courses, music classes, college seminars,...... I get very little time to do Yoga.
However, Pranayama is one thing that I do regularly.
Now, I have one more question.......Do students in your country have time to practise Yoga or any other exercises? If yes, how do they manage other things? I find myself helpless with so many things demanding my time and attention.


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## Yuribear

Many of the people I know in Mexico who practice Hatha Yoga, it being from schools like Iyengar, Bikram, Ashtanga, GFU, etc. do it around 5:30 am to 7:30. I got into this routing years back when I started doing HY. 1 one of asanas and pranayams and then 1 hour meditation.  

When I was in India, together with my Indian friends, we started at 4 a.m. so that we could do 1 hour asanas and 2 hours meditation in the morning and then 1 or 2 more hours of meditation late at night. I guess it varies according to the rythm of the country you are in. Since I have been in the US my whole sadhana has been suffering. Life is more hectic here and therefore I do it whenever I can and have a free moment. Yet my husband who is very disciplined gets up between 3:30 or 4:00 so that he can do everything in the morning, but lately he does his hatha when he gets home.

I guess it all comes down to how disciplined can you be.


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## shaloo

Yuribear said:
			
		

> Many of the people I know in Mexico who practice Hatha Yoga, it being from schools like Iyengar, Bikram, Ashtanga, GFU, etc. do it around 5:30 am to 7:30. I got into this routing years back when I started doing HY. 1 one of asanas and pranayams and then 1 hour meditation.
> 
> When I was in India, together with my Indian friends, we started at 4 a.m. so that we could do 1 hour asanas and 2 hours meditation in the morning and then 1 or 2 more hours of meditation late at night. I guess it varies according to the rythm of the country you are in. Since I have been in the US my whole sadhana has been suffering. Life is more hectic here and therefore I do it whenever I can and have a free moment. Yet my husband who is very disciplined gets up between 3:30 or 4:00 so that he can do everything in the morning, but lately he does his hatha when he gets home.
> 
> I guess it all comes down to how disciplined can you be.


 
Yeah...but I just cant believe how I would be able to put so many hours into exercising !!
Dear Yuribear, I have opened a new thread on this topic upon the suggestion of GenJen. Its here: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=187435

Thankyou
Shaloo


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## .   1

Yoga is yoga.
I tried yoga for a few hours and found it less useful than other forms of exercise. I have never been to India.
You are correct and I see many happy healthy contented people who I know practice yoga.
I much prefer to ride a bicycle and meditate as I ride so that I obtain the cardio-vascular benefit as well as the quite mind time.

See you later,
.,,


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## moura

"Yoga is Yoga" also in Portugal. 

I can speak of yoga from a distant point of view based on the acquaintance of two or three friends who practise it. 
First, I can not define it as a sport or as a mistical practice. But these two components are in yoga.

As a "sport", yoga may have benefits - it gives some relax, contributes to a good body posture and it is almost impossible that its intensive practice leads to a broken leg or to an heart attack.

As to a "mistical practice" I have serial doubts. To practice it intensive and espiritually, people ought to think before two or three times. One of my friends cared nothing about religion or what so ever, and after some years of faithfull yoga practice she acts differently: she has a little catholic Fatima Lady ("Lady Mary of Fatima"?) statue near her PC, doesn't eat meat ant tries to give up eating fish, every year goes with her yoga collegues to a Lourdes retirement and - coincidently or not - became more introvert. 
Apparently she is allright, strong-minded and (definitely) a good mother and profissional. But in some fundamental ways she has really changed.


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## shaloo

moura said:
			
		

> As to a "mistical practice" I have serial doubts. To practice it intensive and espiritually, people ought to think before two or three times. One of my friends cared nothing about religion or what so ever, and after some years of faithfull yoga practice she acts differently: she has a little catholic Fatima Lady ("Lady Mary of Fatima"?) statue near her PC, *doesn't eat meat ant tries to give up eating fish*, every year goes with her yoga collegues to a Lourdes retirement and - coincidently or not - became more introvert.
> Apparently she is allright, strong-minded and (definitely) a good mother and profissional. But in some fundamental ways she has really changed.


 
I can tell you that on any given day, the benefits of Yoga will be on the side of Vegetarians.I don't mean that non-vegetarians don't benefit from Yoga, but its one of the main rules that consumption of *Saatvika Aahaaram* i.e., Domestic Food or in other words Vegetarian Food combined with Yoga practice yields best results. So, that might be the reason why your friend must have given up Non-veg food.
I affirm that there's nothing wierd in it and the very fact that she's given up something she's been eating since childhood shows how much she's involved with it.
I'm a born Vegetarian, though, and I've never tasted chicken or anything, but I've heard its really hard for a habituated person to stop eating non-veg.Thats great!

Shaloo


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## moura

Hi Shaloo, 

No problems at all with vegeterian food, which I think is a rich diet. I've made already some vegeterien or macrobiotic meals, and the feeling is really good and healthy. 
I've just pointed that together with some other signs, regarding this friend of mine, who has changed in so many fundamental aspects after a strong practise of yoga. 
I would not want to change my way of seeing things, particularly in what religion is concerned, by any external influences, except for my own.


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## shaloo

Hi Moura,
I just wanted to tell what I felt, thats it. 

Every individual has her own rights and its purely personal, especially issues regarding religion etc...

No probs, here too. 
Those were only my thoughts + what I was told abt things related to Yoga. Generally, it is said that Veg food is much healthier esp. when practising Yoga.

Shaloo


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## moura

Yes, Shaloo, I see your point of view. And I'm also true happy you understood mine, as well  

Namastê! Regards(?)


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## shaloo

Thankyou.

And Yes....you are absolutely right!
Namastey means Regards.

Namastey Moura.

Shaloo

This is the way we do it:
http://images.google.co.in/images?q=tbn:Ezcf0Dj3t-eA9M:www.iaincochrane.co.uk/gork/images/st_%2520port/namaste.jpg

http://images.google.co.in/images?q=tbn:b2FH4-5Z9GkxsM:www.fotosearch.com/comp/CRT/CRT375/15441-23DG.jpg

http://images.google.co.in/images?q=tbn:r9j6KB-zmzTSdM:www.northmainyoga.com/namaste.jpg


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