...yoga poses and how they were re-enactments or salutes, memorials, that kind of thing, of elements in the life of one or several Hindu gods.
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I’ve seen explanations from Hindus that sound closer to voodoo in that the poses are invitations to the gods to enter the body of the practitioner.
Don’t know anything from personal experience. Did some and was bored, so I quit.
Hindus that sound closer to voodoo in that the poses are invitations to the gods to enter the body of the practitioner.
Having practiced various methods of yoga for decades and lots of study, I can verify that hatha yoga asanas and exercises are not, and never have been, methods for invoking any kind of possession, or anything else of the sort.
I don’t know when these ideas started going around. Even the ancient texts say nothing about these things. The exercices and sitting postures are to help make the body (muscles, joints, nervous system, etc) fit to practice pranayama, or breath control. The purpose of that is to calm and energize the nervous system which includes subtle nadis or channels to balance the various airs circulating in the body.
I am sure this is more than anyone wants to know. There are more purposes and goals but the postures and exercises are merely health promoting and can also calm the mind and help with internal bodily functioning.
There are plenty of yoga teachers whether western/Hindu/from India that make up smack to sound new age (gack puke) or “mystic” or whatever.
I love yoga. What could be better than exercising in a sea of half-dressed 20-year-old women?
Of course the management now requires me to wear blinders.