Karma Yoga as Interpreted by “Karma Yoga Studio” in Cambridge, Massachusetts: Is there influence from Christianity?
LAUREN SPACEK
INTRODUCTION
North American society is heavily influenced by the Christian religion. Is it fundamentally possible for someone to open a yoga studio dedicated to karma yoga as laid out in the Bhagavad Gita? More specifically, is “Karma Yoga Studio” in Cambridge, MA running their studio based on the tenants of karma yoga or the ideals of Christian charity? With Christianity having such a strong hand in the society of North America I argue that “Karma Yoga Studio’s” interpretation of the idea of karma yoga is strongly influenced by Christianity.
THE GOLDEN RULE AND KARMA YOGA
The idea of doing well unto others is one that was written in the Bible in the 60’s A.D. (“Slick”, 1995). Found in Matthew Chapter 7, Verse 12 of the Bible, The Golden Rule is often viewed as the essence of Christ’s teachings, the summation of everything that he wanted to get across. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you (“The new oxford”, 1991) seems to be a pretty straightforward explanation of how to treat one another. However, treating one another this way is not always so simple. There is an expectation of receiving something in return packed into those eleven words. Matthew 7:12, simply put, states that you should treat someone the way you want to be treated with an expectation that they treat you the same way in return. The Bible is not saying that you should treat someone kindly despite how they treat you. On the contrary, the Bible is saying that the way you treat someone is based solely on how you want to be treated. You are treating someone based on an outcome from them that you cannot control. In other words, your intention must be clear and your actions will carry an expressed expectation. This idea of expectation is not shared by all, however.
Enter the four yogas of the Bhagavad Gita; Raja yoga, Bhakti yoga, Jnana yoga, and specifically Karma yoga. Karma yoga translates as the yoga of action. The Bhagavad Gita states that karma yoga is the yoga of selfless action performed with inner detachment from its results. This inner detachment is what makes the action of karma yoga so different than the action of the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule is all about your intention. The phrase “Do unto others as you would have other do unto you” signifies a great intention on the outcome of your action. There is no mindless action going on here. The Golden Rule is filled with both intention and attention towards other human beings. You are not doing a good deed for another human being for the sake of doing a good deed. That type of action would be considered karma yoga. Karma yoga implies doing an action (any action will do whether it is riding your bike, walking a neighbor’s dog for them while they are out of town, or letting the person behind you in line go ahead of you) regardless of what the outcome may be. Having an intention is the major point of difference between karma yoga and Christian charity. Intention is also what gives “Karma Yoga Studio” its strong Christian charity ideals as opposed to having a more prominent leaning towards the more Eastern teaching of karma yoga in the Bhagavad Gita.
KARMA YOGA AS STATED IN THE BHAGAVAD GITA
The Bhagavad Gita is the story of Lord Krishna’s persuasion of Prince Arjuna to fight in the battle of Kurukshetra. Prince Arjuna gets pretty shaken when he sees many of his very own kinsmen, friends and teachers scattered throughout the opposing army and only when Lord Krishna educates him of spiritual wisdom is he persuaded to continue on in the battle. One of the main doctrines of the Gita is karma-yoga, the yoga of selfless action performed with inner detachment from its results. (“Bhagavad Gita”, 2009) In the Bhagavad Gita karma yoga is spoken of as the path to understanding the secret of life (“Saraswati”, 1998). The author, Saraswati says that Lord Krishna holds the subject of karma yoga very dear and that it is not merely the act of doing some good deed for another person or animal. According to Saraswati everybody performs karma through the senses, mind, emotions and physical interactions and that life without karma would be non-existent. (“Saraswati”,1998). Simply stated, karma exists in every action that you do; each and every move you make, whether in your mind, body, or spirit is dripping with karma.
From the outside “Karma Yoga Studio” in Cambridge, MA seems to be living by the very principles of karma yoga as laid out by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. Their website states that their yoga teacher training program will actively incorporate the principles of karma yoga’s literal translation of union through selfless action (“Karma yoga teach”). The studio holds a weekly “karma” yoga class when students have the opportunity to donate their class fee towards an animal protection program. “Karma Yoga Studio’s” website also states that they provide the mats and props that every student shall need for yoga classes within both of their studio locations. Their Twitter account regularly updates its followers with information about their good karma footprint. Without question each of these actions would be considered good deeds though not all of these actions would be considered good karma or good karma yoga practice. Karma yoga is action without attachment to the outcome. On February 28th “Karma Yoga Studio” provided a space for a fundraiser for Haiti and in the process forgot about the very meaning of karma yoga. The idea in and of itself was noble. It was not until almost a month later on March 22nd that they posted the total amount of money raised for Haiti on their Twitter account. They had intention behind their fundraiser for Haiti and they shared it with their Twitter followers. Having intention is not bad but it is not keeping with the basic ideals of karma yoga.
There are some fundamental aspects of the yoga of action in the Bhagavad Gita; (“Ravindra”, 2006) two renunciations that, if followed will help to better lead a life of karma yoga. The first of the two renunciations that Ravindra talks about is the renunciation from inaction. The whole of life is a field of action and we cannot avoid responsibility for our actions (“Ravindra”, 2006). Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna that just because he may not be clear on the right action it is not reason enough to withdraw from the war altogether. Lord Krishna reminds Arjuna that while in life no one can refrain from action. As stated before karma is every action that we do. Rishi Nityabodhananda Saraswati explains that even the cyclical way in which we feed ourselves is karma. He states that every action has a consequence (“Nityabodhananda”, 2002). Author Nityabodhananda says that the consequence of eating is having to consume food, digest the food, take in the nutrients, excrete the waste, and then eventually be hungry all over again. We cannot stop action because it lives in the very basic nature of our being. Lord Krishna was telling Arjuna that no matter what you do in life you cannot give up action. Action is within you. The second renunciation, in connection with karma yoga in the Bhagavad Gita, is the renunciation of attachment to any specific kind of activity and to the fruits of action (“Ravindra”, 2006). Regardless of what the outcome may be or what you want the outcome to be you must do what needs to be done according to Lord Krishna. Arjuna continued to fight in the battle of Kurukshetra regardless of his anxiety of the outcome. The same can be said of an individual’s daily life. Lord Krishna was saying that someone should not stop opening the door for others because the door is never opened for them. “Karma Yoga Studio” continues to provide yoga mats, blocks, bolsters, and blankets despite the fact that they could be making money from renting out each of props necessary for a yoga class. They have followed in Arjuna’s footsteps and are going forward despite the anxiety of not necessarily knowing the outcome of what they are doing. This lending of yoga props is true karma yoga. They are doing something despite the outcome. Or perhaps they are hoping that in providing the props for free they will entice yoga students to their studio. There action may have more of an intention than it seems.
THE CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE
John Chapter 13, Verse 35 says “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (“The new oxford”, 1991) Christ was stating that if a man were to have love for one another that he would recognize each one who did so as his follower. By taking the time to care for another human being Christ would name you as one of his own. The question is raised then; do Christians do charity for their own sake, for the sake of others or to be seen purely in God’s eyes? Mother Theresa once said “I think it is very good when people suffer. To me, that is like the kiss of Jesus…” Deep down people get the same feeling from helping someone out of a bad situation as they do in seeing them thrive. “Karma Yoga Studio” does not hide any of the positive deeds that they do. Their website touts the very fact that they donate 5% of their profits to environmental protection programs, donate their space to the community and non-profit organizations when able, and are active in supporting other organizations that represent a positive change in the world. “Karma Yoga Studio” jumped at the opportunity to help raise money for Haiti after the earthquake struck the country in January. They also note on their website that soon they will have a web page with specific information on charitable work and donations (“Karma about us”). The very idea of karma yoga is not about getting the word out about what you are doing but in the actual action itself. W.H. Willimon suggests that charity works the same way. He states that charity has little meaning if we are justifying it by its effect (“Willimon”, 1992) In essence he is saying that we cannot assume that we are going to radicalize the world and make it any less miserable than it already is by our simple acts of charity. Willimon poignantly says that “we live in a world in which charity always must choose between the lesser of two evils, where we cannot help some without avoiding helping others, a world of suffering and tragedy.” (“Willimon”, 1992, p. 78). A Christian provides charity for the sake of getting into heaven or making himself feel better or for someone else’s sake. What then is the point of performing an act of charity if there is always something more to be done? “Karma Yoga Studio” provides financial assistance to animal shelters but while they are they are not helping someone elsewhere. It is inevitable. With charity there is always an intention and with an intention there is always the possibility of letting someone down that could need your help. That person just may not be as destitute as the person you are currently helping.
CONCLUSION
“Karma Yoga Studio” pulls from the ideas set forth in the Bhagavad Gita but does not fully understand the complete concept of karma yoga. From their many postings on their Twitter account about how much money they had raised for the Haiti earthquake relief to the numerous times that they mentioned how socially conscious they were on their website; “Karma Yoga Studio” has the basic idea of what karma yoga is but has not yet fully grasped its concept.
North America’s heavy Christian influence plays a huge part in how the studio is run. The owner, Jesse Winder, would be hard pressed to raise money for Haiti and not tell anyone what the total amount was. The curious nature in everyone wants to know. The Christian influence of our society tells us all that if we were a part of that fundraiser we want to know how much of the total we contributed. Even if someone did not go to the fundraiser but is a student at the studio they would feel a connection to that total dollar amount raised. Good business practice and Christian society both influence Winder’s business decisions. Practicing the renunciation of attachment is the harder of the two renunciations in the Bhagavad Gita. Christianity teaches us to be attached to whatever charity work it is that we are doing. Running a business called “Karma Yoga Studio” makes that detachment so much more difficult. Karma yoga is more than just charity work though and that is what Winder does not get across on his website or within the walls of his studio. Karma yoga is practiced every day in everything that you do. Brushing your teeth is karma yoga as long as you are not expecting any sort of outcome from it. Jesse Winder misses this one massive point of contention. His intention is what makes “Karma Yoga Studio” so heavily influenced by Christianity.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Christina Comeau
May 3, 2010
Laura Douglass
Yoga: Theory, Culture, and Practice
Yoga as Therapy for Cancer Patients
Introduction
Yoga is an ancient practice from India, recently brought to America. It has been practiced in India for thousands of year, with different kinds of practices for different purposes, such as exercise, therapy, meditation, etc. It is a rising trend in the United States. Saper et al. (2004) conducted a study in 1998 in which they surveyed people from across the nation in order to get a sense of who was practicing yoga and why. They found out that at that time there were approximately 15 million people who practiced yoga in the U.S. “Yoga users were more likely to be baby boomers, female, college educated, and were less likely to report a Christian religion” (p. 46). Yoga is also now being used more for healing and therapy for pains and chronic illness. Saper et al. also found in their study that “eighty-five percent [of yoga users] felt that using both conventional and alternative medical therapies was better than using either one alone” (p. 47). This seems to be the growing trend across America.
Medical centers are incorporating the mind-body therapy of yoga. “Medical and cancer centers across the country are offering yoga classes while incorporating integrative medicine into the mainstream” (Yoga, 2002, p.253). It seems that people around the world are incorporating both Western technology and Eastern medicine into their medical practices. “The phenomenal realities of ancient cultures are seen withstanding the test of time and emerging into the realms of biomedicine” (Jobst, 2003, p. 1). However, in our culture, we cannot simply accept the much simpler Eastern ways. Lucky for us however, the “energies” within our bodies can be “measured and tested scientifically and objectively in independently repeatable and verifiable ways” (p. 1). This paper will explore the current studies of yoga as a therapy for cancer patients, discuss the ways in which yoga benefits cancer patients, and finally point out some clashes between Eastern philosophy and Western culture.
Research on Yoga
The use of yoga as a therapy for cancer patients is a new concept in America. There is a lot of preliminary research surrounding the idea (Culos-Reed, 2006; Danhauer, 2009; DiStasio, 2008; Raghavendra, 2007); however, more detailed studies are needed. While studying the research literature, I noticed that one trend is that most of the studies included a majority of female patients with breast cancer (Danhauer, 2009; Culos-Reed, 2006; Raghavendra, 2007). Not only does that make the studies more homogeneous, but in some studies, the authors also stated that the women already had an interest in yoga (Culos-Reed, 2006; Danhauer, 2009). This makes me wonder whether this is a societal trend that yoga is most associated with women. These pilot tests all have the same purpose which is to measure the benefits of yoga for cancer patients, so that it could possibly be implemented in cancer treatment. The fact that most of the studies contain a majority of women is a huge limitation because both men and women can be diagnosed with cancer, and both should have the opportunity to test the benefits of yoga as a therapy.
Another limitation of many of the studies is the sample size. Many of the studies had relatively small sample sizes, with too many variables. This is typical of pilot studies and preliminary research; however, it would be highly beneficial to see a longitudinal study of yoga as a treatment for cancer patients. Raghavendra (2007) studied “whether a support intervention based on mind/body and psycho-spiritual interventions such as yoga might be a viable alternative to standard supportive therapy and coping preparation in reducing the frequency and intensity of nausea and emesis in chemotherapy-naïve stage II and III breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy” (p. 464). The biggest limitation within this study was the fact that the sample size included 62 subjects; 28 receiving the yoga intervention, and 34 as the control group. They did not mention why they chose to have more participants in the control group rather than an equal amount in both groups, which is something to consider. It would be beneficial to the reader to know why they chose to do that. Another limitation within this study was that, the participants did not only receive yoga as an intervention, they also received counseling sessions. Both the control group and intervention group received counseling, however, the intervention group received more counseling hours than the control group. This limits the validity of the study because it is unknown whether the benefits were a result of the yoga or the counseling sessions. Since the purpose of the study was to only study the effects of yoga, the counseling variable was not necessary. Having too many variables can sometimes decrease the validity of a study.
In another study, Danhauer (2009) was studying “the feasibility of a RY [restorative yoga] intervention as supportive therapy for women diagnosed with breast cancer; and to measure changes in fatigue, sleep, psychological distress (depression, negative affect) and well-being (positive affect), and health-related quality of life as compared to a randomized control group” (p. 361). The sample size contained 44 participants. The study was broad because it was designed to encourage future research; however, there were 6 different dependent variables within the study, including measured changes in fatigue, sleep, psychological distress, psychological well-being, health-related quality of life. They also measured feasibility (p. 361). Not only were there too many dependent variables, but the independent variable (of women with breast cancer) was too broad. These women could be at any stage of cancer and any stage of treatment post-surgery. Because of this limitation, we do not know at which stage of cancer, yoga treatment would be most beneficial.
A similar study carried out by Culos-Reed (2005) also had more than one dependent variable being studied. These variables consisted of changes in physical fitness, psychological outcomes of stress symptoms, mood states, and quality of life (p. 892). The purpose of this study was to “assess the physical and psychological benefits of yoga for cancer survivors in a pilot study” (p. 891). The independent variable (cancer survivors) had to be a minimum of three months post-treatment. They did not specify the deviation of time post-treatment. If it was a high deviation, the validity of the study would decrease unless they specified trends within the amount of time post-treatment. The sample size was also very small; consisting of 20 participants (10 with yoga intervention and 10 controls). Again, this is fine for a pilot study; however, it doesn’t give any real, valid information in terms of the actual benefits cancer patients receive from yoga as therapy.
When discussing the research on yoga as a benefit to cancer patients, DiStasio (2008) stated that “several of the yoga studies have methodologic limitations, including small sample sizes, lack of a control group, limited follow-up, brief intervention periods, and inadequate statistical analyses” (p. 127). She went on to talk about the many different kinds of yoga that were not always specified in studies, limiting the research even more and not allowing for study replication. She also mentioned how, much like in some of the studies previously discussed, in most studies, the participants were self-selected and already had an interest in exploring yoga (127). Despite all the limitations in the current yoga studies, however, she does recognize the potential benefits that yoga may provide for cancer patients.
The studies previously mentioned also show potential benefits for cancer patients practicing yoga. Perhaps as an effect of the many limitations, these studies found different and sometimes opposing results. Raghavendra (2007) found that yoga reduced chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting. Specifically, “yoga intervention helped significantly to reduce the frequency and intensity of post-chemotherapy nausea by 18% as compared with the supportive therapy group. Our intervention was also helpful in significantly reducing the frequency and intensity of anticipatory nausea by 12% and 18%, and vomiting intensity by 9% as compared with controls” (p. 471). In this study, they found that yoga reduced the effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients. The other research study which also looked at the effects of yoga on cancer patients going through chemotherapy found that higher class attendance “was associated with higher physical health and health-related quality of life (particularly physical well-being and functional well-being)” (Danhauer, 2009). Women who had the yoga intervention showed improvement in mental health, depression, and spirituality. There was no significant difference between the groups with fatigue, or health-related quality of life, even though class attendance showed an improvement in these variables. This could be because of the limitations within the study.
The findings in the Danhauer study were similar to the results of the Culos-Reed study. She found that “yoga practice has a positive psychological impact on cancer survivors” (p. 896). Going against her hypothesis, she found that there “were no significant physical improvements in the yoga group as compared to the control group” (p. 896). This result is the same as the result in the Danhauer study; however, these results differ from the Raghavendra study which did find improvements in physical health. The results of the Culos-Reed study also differed from the Danhauer in that she found improvements in the quality of life for the yoga participants. Other variables such as mood disturbances (depression, tension, and confusion), although they made improvements, were not significant results. The reason for different results in these two studies was because one study was performed on cancer survivors, not currently receiving treatment, while the other two studies were on cancer patients receiving treatment. Therefore, the differences in results are important to note.
Other studies have shown similar results, pointing out the benefits of yoga. These positive results range from improving quality of sleep, decreasing fatigue, stress, and cancer-related symptoms, etc. (DiStasio, 2008). Results also showed positive yoga attendance rates, which is important to note if a cancer center is thinking of implementing a yoga class in their treatment. Studies have found that in general, “despite generally deteriorating medical conditions, participants in the yoga class reported experiencing physical, mental, and emotional improvement” (127). She also points out that cancer centers that offer specialized yoga classes can benefit cancer patients by providing group support. The patients attending class are all going through similar experiences, and are less likely to feel awkward when removing wigs, hats, etc, or less likely to feel embarrassed that they can’t perform the exercises to the extent that a normal, healthy person can (130).
Why Research is Important
After doing all of this research on the effects of yoga on cancer patients, I decided to consider why research is important. Why do Americans and other Western cultures do so much research? A common phrase in the news is “studies show…” followed by some research study that someone thought would be important for people to know. One reason I feel that Americans are so interested in research is because we are always comparing. It is our nature to compare. We want to make sure we are “keeping up with the Jones’s.” Much of our research stems from this nature to compare. We start asking questions, some of which compare products; which one works better? Some questions compare times; why do people do this now, when they never used to? In the case of yoga and cancer, people began to compare yoga to other treatments, to see if it was beneficial. In our culture, we find it important to study common trends in our society. We feed off of gossip and we are always trying to get the “dirt” on something new. It is just as our media shows with celebrities. The paparazzi are always trying to find the juicy details on the life of a celebrity. The need for research isn’t quite as dramatic as the gossip of celebrity life, however, there are similarities. On another note, we are simply a curious species. We are constantly asking the question “why?” Why is yoga being used in cancer centers?
America breads skepticism. We don’t want to change the ways we do things, especially if it is regressing to a way that we have already used and moved past. Once we have gotten used to a way, we are not eager to change it, especially when the media feeds into that paradigm. It is such with our Western technology and medicine. Many doctors really believe in our system, especially because they have spent years in school learning about it. They are the biggest skeptics when it comes to the use of alternative medicines. Not only that, but it takes away from their industry. It often comes down to a doctor being sick with the cancer themselves, that they finally open up to new forms of medicine. In the Yoga Journal, Sandy Boucher wrote about a doctor who was a perfect example of this. He never believed in the benefits of yoga for cancer patients until he himself was diagnosed with cancer. When he lost hope in modern technology to save him, he gave in to yoga as a therapy. However, he said he was only able to after he saw that “scientific evidence showed some measureable benefit from yoga and meditation” (p. 6). It just shows that in our culture, we are skeptical of thing because we are so technologically advanced. We want proof that something works, and we get that proof from science.
Yoga for Chronic Illness
Many yoga instructors and students find yoga helpful for chronic illness because of the mental aspect of it all. Yoga allows one to become more accepting of themselves and learn to appreciate what the body can and cannot do. Jnani Chapman (2000) wrote about yoga practice specifically for patients with chronic illness. She stated that “Hatha yoga practice gives us time to look at ourselves, and that time spent will be fruitful to the extent that we are genuinely willing to explore, discover, and honor our limits” (p. 1). There was an article in the Yoga Journal which was specifically about yoga for cancer patients. The author, Sandy Boucher, did not claim that yoga was a cure for cancer, but that it created healthier cancer patients with “generally improved results” (p. 3). She talked about yoga focusing on reducing the tremendous amounts of stress that cancer patients face. They are told that they have a disease that has no cure, and are then given a period of time in which they have to live. Then they have to suffer through bouts of chemotherapy and radiation which makes them very weak and sick. All the meanwhile, they are going through the psychological process of death.
Yoga helps to keep people focused on the present. Much of our stress comes from thinking about the past or worrying about the future. This stress is exacerbated when someone was a chronic illness. They begin to reflect on their past and how healthy they used to be, or think about whether or not they accomplished everything in life that they wanted to. When they are not thinking about the past, they are worrying about the future, and how much harder it is going to get, and wondering exactly how much time they have left. All of this stress makes life almost unbearable. Even in everyday life, “we tend to focus on so thoroughly on the external world… that we lose awareness of the actual, intimate, moment-by-moment experience of our own physical, mental, and emotional selves” (Boucher, p. 8). Yoga also helps with self-empowerment. It really allows people’s views change from trying to fight the illness, to learning how to accept it and live with it. This aspect of yoga really helps people in the end of life process.
Why Yoga is Helpful in End of Life Care?
It is proposed that yoga is helpful in end of life care, but why is that? One idea is that because yoga is focused so much on the present, it allows someone to be more accepting of their physical state, no matter what it is. Through meditation, one learns to appreciate what they have at that moment in time, and what they are still capable of doing. In Boucher’s article (2010), the same doctor mentioned above who was skeptical of yoga was offered another round of chemo when his tumor came back. The chemo would not get rid of the tumor, only reduce it in size. Because the doctor was now more capable of living in the present, he was able to easily decide not to do the chemo. He did not want to spend his last year being sick, but rather enjoy the rest of his life with health he had. He was able to be stronger without the chemo and also healthier with the help of the yoga.
Another reason why yoga is helpful in the end of life care is because of the spiritual aspect of it. The research studies discussed earlier, mentioned increased spirituality within the cancer patients practicing yoga, however they never discussed what the spirituality was. In Sanskrit there is a word “nirvana” which is also common in Buddhism. Nirvana is translated as “the going out of a flame once its fuel has been consumed; it thus suggests both the end of suffering and the cessation of desires that perpetuate bondage” (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia). Nirvana is achieved through the practice of yoga. This idea helps allow for more acceptance, again. In an article discussing spirituality, Christina Puchalski (2002) talks about death being a natural occurrence, but how we do not accept it in our culture and how we try to prolong it. Because of this prolonged dying phase, we now have to learn better ways in which to live with dying. “Modern medicine has granted us more people an old age, but it slows the process of dying. The end of life can last several years” (p. 799). She also mentioned the importance of acceptance, “in chronic illness, healing may be experienced as the acceptance of limitations” (p. 800). She found that spirituality helps dying patients be more accepting of their conditions.
Yoga Clashes with Research
As I was reading all of the studies, followed by all of the stories from actual patients who had cancer and practiced yoga, I got the idea that the ideals for yoga as a treatment for cancer really clashed with the idea of researching the effects of yoga. Although there may be some measurable physical effects of yoga on cancer patients, the most rewarding effects, are the psychological effects which come from acceptance. I got the understanding that the main purpose of yoga as a form of therapy for cancer patients was to help them live in the present and accept themselves for who they are, no matter the condition. Research is the process of finding scientific proof of something. If we followed the ideas of yoga, we would simply accept that it has a positive effect on cancer patients; instead, we use research to try to prove the effects. Perhaps the true effects of yoga will never truly be understood because it is so much more spiritual. It is not meant to be proved. It is really putting your faith into something that you believe works. If it works for some people, why do we have to test it out? We need to learn to practice more of the ideas of yoga, and just accept things the way they are.
References
(2002). Yoga May Offer Benefits to Patients With Cancer. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 6(5), 253. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
Boucher, S. (2010). Yoga for Cancer. Yoga Journal. Retrieved from http://www.yogajournal.com/health/126.
Culos-Reed, S., Carlson, L., Daroux, L., & Hately-Aldous, S. (2006). A pilot study of yoga for breast cancer survivors: physical and psychological benefits. Psycho-Oncology, 15(10), 891-897. doi:10.1002/pon.1021.
Danhauer, S., Mihalko, S., Russell, G., Campbell, C., Felder, L., Daley, K., et al. (2009). Restorative yoga for women with breast cancer: findings from a randomized pilot study. Psycho-Oncology, 18(4), 360-368. doi:10.1002/pon.1503.
Chapman, J. (2000). Yoga for Chronic Illness. Retrieved from http://www.cancerlinks.org/Yoga/illness.html
DiStasio, S. (2008). Integrating Yoga Into Cancer Care. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 12(1), 125-130. doi:10.1188/08.CJON.125-130.
Jobst, K., Curtis, B., Niemtzow, R., Ong, P., Jonas, W., & Curtis, M. (2003). Science and Healing: From Bioelectromagnetics to the Medicine of Light. Special Issue of JACM—Call for Papers. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, pp. 181-182. doi:10.1089/10755530360623275.
Nirvana. (2009). In Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
Puchalski, C. M. (2002). Spirituality. Principles and the Practice of Palliative Care and Supportive Oncology. 799-812.
Raghavendra, R., Nagarathna, R., Nagendra, H., Srinath, B., Ravi, B., et al. (2007). Effects of an integrated yoga programme on chemotherapy-induced nausea and emesis in breast cancer patients. European Journal of Cancer Care, 16(6), 462-474. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2354.2006.00739.x.
Saper, H., Eisenberg, D., Davis, R., Culpepper, L., & Phillips, R. (2004). PREVALENCE AND PATTERNS OF ADULT YOGA USE IN THE UNITED STATES: RESULTS OF A NATIONAL SURVEY. Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine, 10(2), 44-49. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Yoga Research Paper--Liz Affa
Anxiety in Western Culture: Is Yoga a Possible Solution?
Liz Affa
the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
This article explores the practice of yoga as a remedy for people living in Western Society who are affected by severe anxiety brought on by cultural notions . By practicing yoga in a routine fashion, people may be able to reduce the amount of anxiety in their lives. The ideas within the article stress the importance of studying the origins of yoga along with practice in order to achieve successful results.
Introduction
Growing up as a female, I have felt much pressure throughout my life to look and act a certain way. I found myself trying to loose an unhealthy amount of weight, dye my hair many different unnatural colors and act excessively more soft and feminine. I was acting much older than I really was and had no clue what I was doing. All I knew was that all of the women around me were doing it, so I thought I had to follow the leaders. All of these ideas were placed in my head by what I was watching, reading and listening to. This brought much unneeded stress to my life. I felt the pressure from the media, men and my peers. That stress combined with the stress from personal problems soon developed into an anxiety disorder. Over the years, I have tried many different treatments for my issues with anxiety and they have helped. But I have found that adding the practice of Yoga to my weekly routine helps eliminate my stress and helps me feel relaxed and at peace with myself.
Studies on Yoga and Anxiety
Although there is information proving that Yoga can help reduce symptoms of Anxiety, there is little research on the issue of solely women, anxiety and Yoga. A study performed by the Department of Physiology at the I.H.C. of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences between the years of 2002 and 2003 suggests that Yoga does in fact reduce the symptoms and effects of Anxiety. The study was based on data that was collected from 175 different subjects who's ages ranged from 19 to 76; 77 of these subjects were female and 98 were male. (Gupta, Khera, Vempati, Sharma & Bijlani, 2006) The program was divided into two different ways: theory and practice. The subjects spent 3 to 4 hours each day learning and practicing Yoga for 10 days and they were split into groups of 6 to 8 patients. Below is a table that was created by the researchers which states how each day of the program was spent.
The results of this study came to be by measuring the levels of anxiety in the subjects at the beginning of day 1 and at the end of day 10.
It seems as though this specific study acts similarly to a Yoga Theory and Practice class. Each day starts off with a lecture learning about a certain aspect of Yoga, followed by actually practicing. This is very similar to the way I was introduced to Yoga which is maybe the reason why it was so effective for me. Learning about the practice and why we practice it is just as effective as actually performing it. I do not believe that Yoga would be as effective for me if I did not know the history and motifs behind it. The ideas presented in Yoga are the core of this practice. These ideas enforce alternative thinking and self-awareness which results in it actually benefiting your mental and physical state.
Another study on Anxiety and Yoga that took place between March and June of 2004 in the United Kingdom. This study was based on a collection of evidence from many different sources. The objective of this review was to look at evidence from many different sources to determine the effectiveness of Yoga as a source of treatment for anxiety. The summary of the search strategy reads as follows, "A comprehensive search for clinical research was carried out. Searches were conducted on major biomedical and specialist databases and websites. Citations were sought from relevant reviews and various appropriate specialised books. Relevant websites were also included in the search, including those of specialist yoga and mental health organizations" (uk study*) Here is a table of the studies, the details of each test and the outcomes:
In a way, this article is working similarly to how I am. I am taking evidence from many different studies to prove that Yoga is, in fact, a solution if practiced the right way. I am also using myself as a source of evidence by bringing my own personal experience as a female affected by anxiety to a front. Based on the data tables from this article, we can conclude that most results for these tests state that anxiety levels were either mildly or intensely reduced, not eliminated. I think the reason for this is because each trial was conducted consecutively but only for a short span of three days. In order to understand yoga and receive its benefits, one must fully immerse themselves within the exercise.
The last study I read about was conducted in 2004 in the United States by Alison Woolery, MA , Hector Myers, PhD, Beth Sternlieb, BFA and Lonnie Zeltzer, MD. The study took place at a college campus recreation center with twenty-eight volunteers who were all between the ages of 18 and 29, none of whom had significant yoga experience. Over a 5 week period, the subjects attended two yoga classes each week. Here are the changes in anxiety and depression found when conducting the study:
In my opinion, this study seems to be equally as effective as the study that was performed by the Department of Physiology at the I.H.C. of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The only reason I could find this test as less reputable is because of the number of participants that were present. Twenty-eight seems like a small number compared to the one hundred and seventy-five that participated in India but maybe this could prove something as well. Maybe participants in a smaller, more hands-on yoga class could benefit more from the practice. I know that when I am in the classroom, despite what subject I am studying, I have a better grasp on what I am learning about when the group is smaller and more intimate. Maybe this could be a factor in whether or not the yogic experience can help cure anxiety. This can also relate back to women and body image. As a female with anxiety, I know that going to exercise in a large gym with many other people can be very nerve-racking. I think that same feeling could be experienced in a yoga class. If there is a smaller group practicing, people feel more at ease and more comfortable with themselves. When students are first learning yoga in the classroom, I feel as though participating in a small group is quite necessary to get the full benefits of the practice before moving onto practicing individually.
The last study I read about was conducted in 2004 in the United States by Alison Woolery, MA , Hector Myers, PhD, Beth Sternlieb, BFA and Lonnie Zeltzer, MD. The study took place at a college campus recreation center with twenty-eight volunteers who were all between the ages of 18 and 29, none of whom had significant yoga experience. Over a 5 week period, the subjects attended two yoga classes each week. Here are the changes in anxiety and depression found when conducting the study:
In my opinion, this study seems to be equally as effective as the study that was performed by the Department of Physiology at the I.H.C. of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The only reason I could find this test as less reputable is because of the number of participants that were present. Twenty-eight seems like a small number compared to the one hundred and seventy-five that participated in India but maybe this could prove something as well. Maybe participants in a smaller, more hands-on yoga class could benefit more from the practice. I know that when I am in the classroom, despite what subject I am studying, I have a better grasp on what I am learning about when the group is smaller and more intimate. Maybe this could be a factor in whether or not the yogic experience can help cure anxiety. This can also relate back to women and body image. As a female with anxiety, I know that going to exercise in a large gym with many other people can be very nerve-racking. I think that same feeling could be experienced in a yoga class. If there is a smaller group practicing, people feel more at ease and more comfortable with themselves. When students are first learning yoga in the classroom, I feel as though participating in a small group is quite necessary to get the full benefits of the practice before moving onto practicing individually.
The Importance of Routinely Practiced Yoga
Although there is no "one" single conclusion for all of these tests combined, by taking the results of each study we are able to come to some sort of a conclusion. Many of the studies stated that instead of an overall elimination of stress and anxiety, there was just a reduction. I think that this is a very important fact to address. Practicing yoga will not flat-out cure anxiety or stress. Yoga is a practice that takes time and dedication. The meditative and physical training is a process that takes much patience. There is no "end result"; it is simply a way of life. A primary idea involved in the application of yoga is to live in the present moment. Training your mind to refrain from wandering to the past and future is a key component to the yogic performance. The one idea we are trying to attain is a state of peace, which is not a final destination.
Ever since yoga has become a popular practice over here in the west, Americans have attempted to twist the original practice's motifs to their own liking. Instead of it being a spiritual practice, it has turned into a practice of solely exercise. The idea of obtaining an end result has been instilled into the western versions of yoga, which completely diminishes the building blocks of the original origins of the practice. Most people in the west use yoga to get thin and achieve that "perfect body", not to achieve internal peace. The only way for yoga to act as a remedy for anxiety and stress is for it to be practiced routinely and actually studied. I feel that if I were to just jump right into a westernized yoga class and not study the origins of the practice that it would be a falsified experience. I simply do not feel I would gain anything from the experience except maybe some tighter abs, which is the exact opposite of what yoga strives to achieve. Yoga is not about our physical appearances. It is about recognizing our inner self and accepting it.
References:
-Bordo, Susan. (2003). Unbearable weight: feminism, Western culture, and the body. University of California Press.
-Udupa, K.N. & Prasad, R.C. (1985) Stress and its Management by Yoga. Motilal Banarsidass Publishing.
-Kirkwood, Graham. Rampes, Hagen. Tuffrey, Veronica. Richardson, Janet. Pilkington, Karen. (2005) Yoga for Anxiety: A Systematic Review of the Research Evidence. British Journal of Sports and Medicine, 39 (12), 884-891
-Gupta, Nidhi. Khera, Shveta. Vempati, R. P. Sharma, Ratna. Bijlani, R. L. Effect of Yoga Based Lifestyle Intervention on State and Trait Anxiety. (2006) Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 50 (1) 41-47
-Woolery MA, Alison. Myers PhD, Hector. Sternlieb BFA, Beth. Zeltzer MD, Lonnie. (2004) A Yoga Intervention for Young Adults with Elevated Symptoms of Depression. Alternative Therapies. 10 (2), 60-64
- (1895 - 1986)
Friday, May 7, 2010
Final Paper: Christian Yoga
Christian Yoga: The Philosophies of Yoga and Religion and Its Effects on Modern America
Alexander Wichowski
Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
This paper will look at how the religion of Christianity and the philosophies of yoga’s impact on people in the United States today. This paper will explore the how Christians have adapted yoga to meet their spiritual needs. The purpose and details of Christian Yoga differ from the traditional yoga practices, such as hatha. These comparisons spark questions such as: are practices of Yoga becoming new forms of religion? Should Yoga be treated as a religion?
INTRODUCTION
Is yoga a religion? It certainly contains religious aspects, but to go as far as to call yoga a religion might be a step in the wrong direction. First off, what separates yoga from religion? Number one; there is no “God” of yoga, nothing that one would worship or praise. Second, you can believe in anything to practice yoga, there is no one absolute truth. There is no hierarchy in the world of yoga; no laws one can make that will affect the practitioners. “…there is no general
agreement among present-day workers in the field about the subject matter of yoga itself. Until this is achieved on the basis of scientific information, yoga is bound to be mixed up with myth and superstition” (Joshi 1965. 53). Yoga is a philosophy. “It is not a part of any religion but is a philosophy for all times and for all. This philosophy does not oppose any school of thought, religion, or interpretation of the scriptures, but its methods for explaining its concepts are unique” (Swami Rama 1982 ¶ 1). Yoga does not provide any opposition to religion.
A PLACE FOR CHISTIAN YOGA
There is a religious practice of yoga known as Christian Yoga. In the Christian approach to yoga the spiritual relationship one goes through is not aimed at the self, but it acts as a tool to strengthen one’s relationship with God (www.christianyoga.com). I believe this ideal philosophy not only favor Christian yoga to isolate itself from the rest of the world of yoga, but it makes it so only those of Christian faith can be allowed true enlightenment. Is this an act of superiority that people will find insulting? Or can this practice help build an understanding for those who follow the Christian faith, and find its place in this culturally and religiously diverse world of America.
I consider myself an agnostic; I do not belong to any religion. I was drawn to the idea of yoga through its interpretation and connections with the self and the universe. I thought in yoga I would be able to focus on my connection to everything, and it would be through my own power as opposed to my relationship with a deity. Also, the idea that yoga is open to everyone appeals to me. The poses, meditation, chanting, are all there for everyone to use and practice however they choose to. I wouldn’t need to be “tested” to see if I have enough of something to be able to join a yoga practice. I’ve always been interested in the interplay between yoga and religion, and admired how inclusive yoga seems to be in America. There are no wars fought over which practice of yoga is better than the other, so why can’t religion be the same way?
I was shocked to see that there was a practice of yoga based solely on the beliefs of Christianity. Due to the inclusive nature of Yoga, I became interested in why this tradition emerged. Is Christianity attempting to “compete” with the other ideals of yoga? Perhaps there is some sense of jealousy in Christianity’s ranks when a recent poll taken in the United States showed a decreasing amount of Christian population, and a two million rise in Hindu population. People “are slowly becoming more like Hindus and less like traditional Christians in the ways we think about God, our selves, each other, and eternity” (Hinduism Today 2009. ¶ 1). Now there are many people in the United States who like to call themselves spiritual, as opposed to religious. “For the younger generation today…empty religious preachings are not fulfilling, for the modern mind likes to use reason and logic before it accepts anything as truth” (Swami Rama 1982 ¶ 1). This statement implies a lot about the American culture, and the growth of our spiritual mindset. Our society desperately carves “more.” We need something that can be relevant to ourselves as individuals, and not just as a whole of the people. We’ve become vastly more independent. Our worlds, our selves, our lives can now lie within a computer or a cell phone. Our minds trapped between two headphones, our eyes glued to a television screen. People want something to do to help themselves. Swami Rama is right, simple preaching of events that have no relevance to most people today, not importance in what is going on in their lives, are not enough. We need more t o go on, and more to keep us going. Then when we find that something that we can truly care about, we recognize it as a spiritual truth. Newsweek explains: “The Rig Veda, the most ancient Hindu scripture, says this: "Truth is One, but the sages speak of it by many names." A Hindu believes there are many paths to God. Jesus is one way, the Qur'an is another, yoga practice is a third. None is better than any other; all are equal” (2009. ¶ 2). Yoga claims to that all paths to enlightenment are equal, but does the concept of the Christian way of yoga feel the same way?
THE IDEALS OF CHRISTIAN YOGA
In the United States today, it is difficult for many people to accept Christian yoga. An essay by Susanne Scholz of Merrimack College explains that in many parts of America, we now live in a post-biblical world. “We live in societies that are largely secularized, perhaps even “anti-religiously” oriented, increasingly digitalized, and economically organized by a capitalist system that eradicates equal and just distribution of wealth nationally and internationally. In our world the Bible plays, at best, a privatized, individualized, and societally marginalized role” (Scholz 2005. 133). I believe it is possible that this marginalized role has lead the Christian community to a state of panic, or perhaps vexation. If so, then the community would feel some need to exert their “superiority.” However they exert only to show that the practice of the Christian religion is adapting to the society it is in. Like Scholz explained, times have changed for religious security, and the younger generations look to other sources of explanations of what the meaning of their lives are, or what may await them after death.
As the minds of the people change, so do religions. For Christianity to “catch up” to the changing minds of the world, many have decided to approach yoga. Now, it is not necessarily a bad thing that people want to help those in need by including yoga in their religion. However, this Christian approach puts itself on a self proclaimed “higher level,” and that may be offensive to those who practice yoga as part of their secular life. Only those of Christian faith can practice this yoga and they must believe in God and the Lord Jesus. Not everyone can access this practice, because you cannot force someone to have a connection with God. No matter what people believe in, believing in something is a powerful choice in someone’s life. In some sense, you are giving everything you are up to something that is not factually known to be true, but true in your heart. No matter what we choose to believe in affects how we live our lives, and how we see the world every single day. To believe in God is a life choice, and it is not easy for everyone to take that step, to be asked to change the way you look at the work every day. We live the way we believe. Christian Yoga requires too much for the average non-Christian person to practice in it.
Christian Yoga is not truly a form of yoga if it is not open for all, if there is only one Ultimate truth, if there is only one state of mind to achieve enlightenment. “Christian approach to yoga simply allows us to combine these two essential goals: becoming physically healthy and spiritually healthy. We become more spiritually healthy through the yoga practice by calming our minds and quieting ourselves to the point that we can tune out the world's frequency and tune into God's frequency” (http://www.christianyoga.us ¶ 2). There is a limitation on the mindset one must have in Christian yoga. This ideology is not comforting to me, it feels forced and as if I have no room to tune into my own “frequency.” If one does actually hear God’s voice, would it be Him telling that person what to do, as opposed to one figuring it out for themselves? I have to wonder if people are doing this for themselves, or is the idea that God will talk to them if they do it the only reason? “The preachings of religion make a person dependent on priests, temples, idols, blind faith, and dogma, and dependence is a habit of the lower mind. Such crutches may be useful at a certain stage for some people, but they do not lead one to Ultimate Truth” (Swami Rama ¶ 4). I feel that if I practiced Christian Yoga, I would miss lose my independency, and rely too much on an outside force. I believe that even if Christian yoga is trying to strengthen one’s relationship with God, the high point of the practice should not result in hearing God’s voice. The end result should be one finding their own voice, their own frequency, telling them how they feel their relationship with God is in their lives. “A dependent mind is not free, and without freedom, enlightenment is impossible” (Swami Rama ¶ 4). I wouldn’t feel like my mind was free if I took a Christian yoga class.
Christian yoga ideology speaks to Swami Rama’s statement however: “Remember yoga alone is certainly not the path to finding peace, but true, lasting peace and contentment come only through an on-going relationship with the Lord. So let God's word and this practice together challenge you to get out of your comfort zone in worship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (http://www.christianyoga.us ¶ 5). The tone of that quote alone is enough to justify all the skepticism of Christian yoga. It sounds like Christian yoga knows best over anything else. How can they say yoga alone is not the path to enlightenment, when it was around long before the Christian religion was even created! They are now claiming that there was no path to enlightenment before Christianity. That tone proves once again, that “higher level,” that feeling of superiority the Christian religion announces upon itself. Before reading that statement, I cannot condemn the Christian approach to yoga immediately because they did have good intentions for those who truly need the help of their religion. But to say that it is the only way alienates other points of view and can be considered pretentious and cruel. Episcopal priest and hatha yoga instructor Nancy Roth states, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you” (Cushman 1991). Christian yoga robs its practitioners of their choice to find their own Universal Truth. This is not purposely done, because it is a religious based practice of yoga, and the ideals must come first over yoga’s philosophy. With that rule alone, these practitioners are missing out on what yoga is truly like.
LOOKING INTO HATHAYOGA AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Hatha yoga is about purification, cleansing the mind. “The main objective of Hatha yoga is to create an absolute balance of the interacting activates and processes physical body, mind, and energy” (Muktibodhananda 1993). Ravi Ravindra also states the aim of yoga to be “the transformation of human beings from their natural form to a perfected form…The undertaking of yoga concerns the entire person, resulting in a reshaping of mind, body, and emotions” (Ravindra 2006. 4). The mind, body, and emotions are reshaped, and as Muktibodhananda said, balanced. The key word there is balance. That is something modern America can truly get behind, something that speaks to more than one idea. There is no longer one dominating influence that impacts the daily lives of Americans. Many people want to find balance, instead of weighing down the scale. Hatha yoga, and all yoga, concentrate on spiritual growth. No part of yoga is forcing someone’s spirit to grow in a certain way. Through yoga the spirit will grow of its own accord. It is up to the person to decide what their spirit is building towards. There is no harm in a Christian doing Hatha yoga, because it would help that person balance out their spiritual side, with their daily life. The spiritual growth one can achieve through Hatha yoga can be a stronger connection with God. The difference is however, Hatha yoga enables Christians to believe in what they want; Christian yoga once again requires one to already have a spiritual goal of connecting with the one God. Swami Mukribodhananda continues to say that few countries today provide the environment people need to allow for spiritual growth. This is because the structure of our society puts the materialistic elements of life before the concerns of spiritual health. The post-biblical world comes into play again. People are focused on success in their own lives, and not their lives with God.
When I ask myself about my own spiritual growth, I have learned over the years that there is no one answer for everything. Everything has its place. My reasons for isolating myself from any form of religion is because I want to respect all ideas and not give my spirit away to one thing. I think the spirit should be shared with everything. When I practice yoga, I concentrate on spreading my spirit all across the universe, letting every belief or way of thinking taste something of the same nature, and be ok with it. In J. Krishnamurti’s book called This Light In One Self, True Meditation, he speaks about Man being good. He is right in saying there has never been a time when people were not fighting over something, wars over which religion is better or seeking cultural domination. He asks the question: “Why has man not been able to change?” (Krishnamurti 1999. 10). In another sense, why does man refuse to be good? He asks us to really think about what the word good means. “When there is goodness in you, then whatever you do will be good, your relationships, your actions, your way of thinking” (Krishnamurti 1999.11). This got me thinking about Christian yoga’s required belief to be able to fulfill the practice. If someone is “good”, shouldn’t that be enough? Everyone has good inside of them. Christians are good people, and Muslims are good people, but there is something within their religious beliefs that force arguments and hateful disagreements. The way I see it though, since everyone is “good”, why can’t different religions recognize this, and stop the judging the indifferences. Both religions are good, and have good people. If only they could make good decisions. “If you conform to a belief, to a concept, to an idea, to a principle, that is not good because it creates conflict. Goodness cannot flower through another, through a religious figure, through a dogma, through a belief; it can only flower in the soil of total attention in which there is no authority” (Krishnamurti 1999.12). It all comes down to us, the people. That is where I know the true strength of yoga lies, within the people. Even if the practice was made up thousands of years ago for spiritual growth, it all comes back to the people. Not a god, not a dogma, but people. We are all people, all the same. Yoga does not display cultural indifferences, yoga connects them.
CONCLUSION
The Christian way of yoga does mean well, but the word yoga should not be a part of it. Yoga is everything, and religions are certain things. Christianity can be a part of Yoga, but the main principles of yoga cannot be a part of Christian yoga. What we the people need to learn is to be open to all ideas, and let go any sense of superiority our beliefs have over another’s.
WORKS CITED
Scholz, Susanne, 1966-. (2005). Bible and yoga: Toward an esoteric reading of biblical literature. Buddhist-Christian Studies 25, 133-146. Retrieved November 21, 2009, from Project MUSE database.
http://www.christianyoga.us/home.htm
S. Rama. Enlightenment Without God. (Himalayan Inst Pr. 1982).
S. Muktibodhananada. Hatha Yoga Pradipika, (Bihar School of Yoga, 1993).
Krishnamurti, J. This Light In Oneself True Yoga Meditation. (Shambhala Publications, Inc, 1999)
Ravindra, Ravi. The Spiritual Roots of Yoga Royal Path To Freedom. (Morning Light Press 2006)
Joshi, K.S. On The Meaning of Yoga. (Philosophy East and West, Vol. 15, No. 1. Jan., 1965), pp. 53-64.
Miller, Lisa. We Are All Hindus Now. (Newsweek, August 2009).
“We Are All Hindus Now” Says Newsweek. Hinduism Today (2009).
Cushman, A. (1991). A New Christian Yoga. Yoga Journal, (101), 81. Retrieved from Alt HealthWatch database
Alexander Wichowski
Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
This paper will look at how the religion of Christianity and the philosophies of yoga’s impact on people in the United States today. This paper will explore the how Christians have adapted yoga to meet their spiritual needs. The purpose and details of Christian Yoga differ from the traditional yoga practices, such as hatha. These comparisons spark questions such as: are practices of Yoga becoming new forms of religion? Should Yoga be treated as a religion?
INTRODUCTION
Is yoga a religion? It certainly contains religious aspects, but to go as far as to call yoga a religion might be a step in the wrong direction. First off, what separates yoga from religion? Number one; there is no “God” of yoga, nothing that one would worship or praise. Second, you can believe in anything to practice yoga, there is no one absolute truth. There is no hierarchy in the world of yoga; no laws one can make that will affect the practitioners. “…there is no general
agreement among present-day workers in the field about the subject matter of yoga itself. Until this is achieved on the basis of scientific information, yoga is bound to be mixed up with myth and superstition” (Joshi 1965. 53). Yoga is a philosophy. “It is not a part of any religion but is a philosophy for all times and for all. This philosophy does not oppose any school of thought, religion, or interpretation of the scriptures, but its methods for explaining its concepts are unique” (Swami Rama 1982 ¶ 1). Yoga does not provide any opposition to religion.
A PLACE FOR CHISTIAN YOGA
There is a religious practice of yoga known as Christian Yoga. In the Christian approach to yoga the spiritual relationship one goes through is not aimed at the self, but it acts as a tool to strengthen one’s relationship with God (www.christianyoga.com). I believe this ideal philosophy not only favor Christian yoga to isolate itself from the rest of the world of yoga, but it makes it so only those of Christian faith can be allowed true enlightenment. Is this an act of superiority that people will find insulting? Or can this practice help build an understanding for those who follow the Christian faith, and find its place in this culturally and religiously diverse world of America.
I consider myself an agnostic; I do not belong to any religion. I was drawn to the idea of yoga through its interpretation and connections with the self and the universe. I thought in yoga I would be able to focus on my connection to everything, and it would be through my own power as opposed to my relationship with a deity. Also, the idea that yoga is open to everyone appeals to me. The poses, meditation, chanting, are all there for everyone to use and practice however they choose to. I wouldn’t need to be “tested” to see if I have enough of something to be able to join a yoga practice. I’ve always been interested in the interplay between yoga and religion, and admired how inclusive yoga seems to be in America. There are no wars fought over which practice of yoga is better than the other, so why can’t religion be the same way?
I was shocked to see that there was a practice of yoga based solely on the beliefs of Christianity. Due to the inclusive nature of Yoga, I became interested in why this tradition emerged. Is Christianity attempting to “compete” with the other ideals of yoga? Perhaps there is some sense of jealousy in Christianity’s ranks when a recent poll taken in the United States showed a decreasing amount of Christian population, and a two million rise in Hindu population. People “are slowly becoming more like Hindus and less like traditional Christians in the ways we think about God, our selves, each other, and eternity” (Hinduism Today 2009. ¶ 1). Now there are many people in the United States who like to call themselves spiritual, as opposed to religious. “For the younger generation today…empty religious preachings are not fulfilling, for the modern mind likes to use reason and logic before it accepts anything as truth” (Swami Rama 1982 ¶ 1). This statement implies a lot about the American culture, and the growth of our spiritual mindset. Our society desperately carves “more.” We need something that can be relevant to ourselves as individuals, and not just as a whole of the people. We’ve become vastly more independent. Our worlds, our selves, our lives can now lie within a computer or a cell phone. Our minds trapped between two headphones, our eyes glued to a television screen. People want something to do to help themselves. Swami Rama is right, simple preaching of events that have no relevance to most people today, not importance in what is going on in their lives, are not enough. We need more t o go on, and more to keep us going. Then when we find that something that we can truly care about, we recognize it as a spiritual truth. Newsweek explains: “The Rig Veda, the most ancient Hindu scripture, says this: "Truth is One, but the sages speak of it by many names." A Hindu believes there are many paths to God. Jesus is one way, the Qur'an is another, yoga practice is a third. None is better than any other; all are equal” (2009. ¶ 2). Yoga claims to that all paths to enlightenment are equal, but does the concept of the Christian way of yoga feel the same way?
THE IDEALS OF CHRISTIAN YOGA
In the United States today, it is difficult for many people to accept Christian yoga. An essay by Susanne Scholz of Merrimack College explains that in many parts of America, we now live in a post-biblical world. “We live in societies that are largely secularized, perhaps even “anti-religiously” oriented, increasingly digitalized, and economically organized by a capitalist system that eradicates equal and just distribution of wealth nationally and internationally. In our world the Bible plays, at best, a privatized, individualized, and societally marginalized role” (Scholz 2005. 133). I believe it is possible that this marginalized role has lead the Christian community to a state of panic, or perhaps vexation. If so, then the community would feel some need to exert their “superiority.” However they exert only to show that the practice of the Christian religion is adapting to the society it is in. Like Scholz explained, times have changed for religious security, and the younger generations look to other sources of explanations of what the meaning of their lives are, or what may await them after death.
As the minds of the people change, so do religions. For Christianity to “catch up” to the changing minds of the world, many have decided to approach yoga. Now, it is not necessarily a bad thing that people want to help those in need by including yoga in their religion. However, this Christian approach puts itself on a self proclaimed “higher level,” and that may be offensive to those who practice yoga as part of their secular life. Only those of Christian faith can practice this yoga and they must believe in God and the Lord Jesus. Not everyone can access this practice, because you cannot force someone to have a connection with God. No matter what people believe in, believing in something is a powerful choice in someone’s life. In some sense, you are giving everything you are up to something that is not factually known to be true, but true in your heart. No matter what we choose to believe in affects how we live our lives, and how we see the world every single day. To believe in God is a life choice, and it is not easy for everyone to take that step, to be asked to change the way you look at the work every day. We live the way we believe. Christian Yoga requires too much for the average non-Christian person to practice in it.
Christian Yoga is not truly a form of yoga if it is not open for all, if there is only one Ultimate truth, if there is only one state of mind to achieve enlightenment. “Christian approach to yoga simply allows us to combine these two essential goals: becoming physically healthy and spiritually healthy. We become more spiritually healthy through the yoga practice by calming our minds and quieting ourselves to the point that we can tune out the world's frequency and tune into God's frequency” (http://www.christianyoga.us ¶ 2). There is a limitation on the mindset one must have in Christian yoga. This ideology is not comforting to me, it feels forced and as if I have no room to tune into my own “frequency.” If one does actually hear God’s voice, would it be Him telling that person what to do, as opposed to one figuring it out for themselves? I have to wonder if people are doing this for themselves, or is the idea that God will talk to them if they do it the only reason? “The preachings of religion make a person dependent on priests, temples, idols, blind faith, and dogma, and dependence is a habit of the lower mind. Such crutches may be useful at a certain stage for some people, but they do not lead one to Ultimate Truth” (Swami Rama ¶ 4). I feel that if I practiced Christian Yoga, I would miss lose my independency, and rely too much on an outside force. I believe that even if Christian yoga is trying to strengthen one’s relationship with God, the high point of the practice should not result in hearing God’s voice. The end result should be one finding their own voice, their own frequency, telling them how they feel their relationship with God is in their lives. “A dependent mind is not free, and without freedom, enlightenment is impossible” (Swami Rama ¶ 4). I wouldn’t feel like my mind was free if I took a Christian yoga class.
Christian yoga ideology speaks to Swami Rama’s statement however: “Remember yoga alone is certainly not the path to finding peace, but true, lasting peace and contentment come only through an on-going relationship with the Lord. So let God's word and this practice together challenge you to get out of your comfort zone in worship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (http://www.christianyoga.us ¶ 5). The tone of that quote alone is enough to justify all the skepticism of Christian yoga. It sounds like Christian yoga knows best over anything else. How can they say yoga alone is not the path to enlightenment, when it was around long before the Christian religion was even created! They are now claiming that there was no path to enlightenment before Christianity. That tone proves once again, that “higher level,” that feeling of superiority the Christian religion announces upon itself. Before reading that statement, I cannot condemn the Christian approach to yoga immediately because they did have good intentions for those who truly need the help of their religion. But to say that it is the only way alienates other points of view and can be considered pretentious and cruel. Episcopal priest and hatha yoga instructor Nancy Roth states, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you” (Cushman 1991). Christian yoga robs its practitioners of their choice to find their own Universal Truth. This is not purposely done, because it is a religious based practice of yoga, and the ideals must come first over yoga’s philosophy. With that rule alone, these practitioners are missing out on what yoga is truly like.
LOOKING INTO HATHAYOGA AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Hatha yoga is about purification, cleansing the mind. “The main objective of Hatha yoga is to create an absolute balance of the interacting activates and processes physical body, mind, and energy” (Muktibodhananda 1993). Ravi Ravindra also states the aim of yoga to be “the transformation of human beings from their natural form to a perfected form…The undertaking of yoga concerns the entire person, resulting in a reshaping of mind, body, and emotions” (Ravindra 2006. 4). The mind, body, and emotions are reshaped, and as Muktibodhananda said, balanced. The key word there is balance. That is something modern America can truly get behind, something that speaks to more than one idea. There is no longer one dominating influence that impacts the daily lives of Americans. Many people want to find balance, instead of weighing down the scale. Hatha yoga, and all yoga, concentrate on spiritual growth. No part of yoga is forcing someone’s spirit to grow in a certain way. Through yoga the spirit will grow of its own accord. It is up to the person to decide what their spirit is building towards. There is no harm in a Christian doing Hatha yoga, because it would help that person balance out their spiritual side, with their daily life. The spiritual growth one can achieve through Hatha yoga can be a stronger connection with God. The difference is however, Hatha yoga enables Christians to believe in what they want; Christian yoga once again requires one to already have a spiritual goal of connecting with the one God. Swami Mukribodhananda continues to say that few countries today provide the environment people need to allow for spiritual growth. This is because the structure of our society puts the materialistic elements of life before the concerns of spiritual health. The post-biblical world comes into play again. People are focused on success in their own lives, and not their lives with God.
When I ask myself about my own spiritual growth, I have learned over the years that there is no one answer for everything. Everything has its place. My reasons for isolating myself from any form of religion is because I want to respect all ideas and not give my spirit away to one thing. I think the spirit should be shared with everything. When I practice yoga, I concentrate on spreading my spirit all across the universe, letting every belief or way of thinking taste something of the same nature, and be ok with it. In J. Krishnamurti’s book called This Light In One Self, True Meditation, he speaks about Man being good. He is right in saying there has never been a time when people were not fighting over something, wars over which religion is better or seeking cultural domination. He asks the question: “Why has man not been able to change?” (Krishnamurti 1999. 10). In another sense, why does man refuse to be good? He asks us to really think about what the word good means. “When there is goodness in you, then whatever you do will be good, your relationships, your actions, your way of thinking” (Krishnamurti 1999.11). This got me thinking about Christian yoga’s required belief to be able to fulfill the practice. If someone is “good”, shouldn’t that be enough? Everyone has good inside of them. Christians are good people, and Muslims are good people, but there is something within their religious beliefs that force arguments and hateful disagreements. The way I see it though, since everyone is “good”, why can’t different religions recognize this, and stop the judging the indifferences. Both religions are good, and have good people. If only they could make good decisions. “If you conform to a belief, to a concept, to an idea, to a principle, that is not good because it creates conflict. Goodness cannot flower through another, through a religious figure, through a dogma, through a belief; it can only flower in the soil of total attention in which there is no authority” (Krishnamurti 1999.12). It all comes down to us, the people. That is where I know the true strength of yoga lies, within the people. Even if the practice was made up thousands of years ago for spiritual growth, it all comes back to the people. Not a god, not a dogma, but people. We are all people, all the same. Yoga does not display cultural indifferences, yoga connects them.
CONCLUSION
The Christian way of yoga does mean well, but the word yoga should not be a part of it. Yoga is everything, and religions are certain things. Christianity can be a part of Yoga, but the main principles of yoga cannot be a part of Christian yoga. What we the people need to learn is to be open to all ideas, and let go any sense of superiority our beliefs have over another’s.
WORKS CITED
Scholz, Susanne, 1966-. (2005). Bible and yoga: Toward an esoteric reading of biblical literature. Buddhist-Christian Studies 25, 133-146. Retrieved November 21, 2009, from Project MUSE database.
http://www.christianyoga.us/home.htm
S. Rama. Enlightenment Without God. (Himalayan Inst Pr. 1982).
S. Muktibodhananada. Hatha Yoga Pradipika, (Bihar School of Yoga, 1993).
Krishnamurti, J. This Light In Oneself True Yoga Meditation. (Shambhala Publications, Inc, 1999)
Ravindra, Ravi. The Spiritual Roots of Yoga Royal Path To Freedom. (Morning Light Press 2006)
Joshi, K.S. On The Meaning of Yoga. (Philosophy East and West, Vol. 15, No. 1. Jan., 1965), pp. 53-64.
Miller, Lisa. We Are All Hindus Now. (Newsweek, August 2009).
“We Are All Hindus Now” Says Newsweek. Hinduism Today (2009).
Cushman, A. (1991). A New Christian Yoga. Yoga Journal, (101), 81. Retrieved from Alt HealthWatch database
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