12
Dec
2013
Why Yoga Is A Spiritual Practice
If you come to the practice of yoga looking only for pleasure, yoga will eventually disappoint you. Sooner or later, you’ll get bored with the practice or you will experience pain or discomfort in a posture you previously found fun. The basic lesson of this centuries-old science of self-exploration is that if you heed the call of pleasure and pain, you will always be a slave to the sensory experience.
If you instead learn to train the mind to be present, focused and equanimous regardless of the inevitable vicissitudes of life, then you will gain your freedom and ultimately experience your limitless, powerful higher self.
Sincere spiritual investigation is a journey to your center. Along the road, all of your attachments and aversions will be challenged. Everything you know yourself to be will be questioned. It’s not for everyone.
There are traditionally three qualifications that constitute a firm ground for the practice:
1. You have to commit to the practice for a long time, perhaps for your entire life, before you can expect to see measurable results.
This framework removes the ego’s attachment to getting anywhere fast in the practice.
Please continue reading the article on this Mind Body Green site.
