So my younger sister in abroad in India right now on a sort of mission trip. She's been checking out Buddhist temples and such. It reminds me of Yoga for some reason and how that relates to faith.
Yoga and I have not always gotten along. When I was in high school, I had a Yoga routine from a book that I practiced while listening to my Celtic Relaxation CD. I was getting pretty good. Also I was a teenager and probably a bit more flexible than I realized. Never could do the splits. It was a good way to relax after school and feel good.
In college, I took a class in Yoga with a large group. I was expecting it to be sort of like my home practice. However, it was not so relaxing. I could see other people and what they were doing. I could see myself in the wall mirrors. I kept attempting to correct my pose, obey the instructions and push myself farther. I felt I needed to keep up with other students and the instructor. I had very little endurance and often spent much of class in the Child's Pose ...or Turtle Pose I forget. I felt bad every time I had to do it.
I don't know how I did it but one day after yoga, my legs hurt so badly I couldn't walk. I took medication and skipped a yoga class before going back and telling the instructor what happened. You have to be careful in Yoga.
Many years later still, I moved to Austin and a friend invited me to Hot Room Yoga. It was very difficult. Even if the heat was suppose to make things a little easier...it didn't. Again, I mostly sat in Child's Pose in a pool of my own bodily fluids.
Now in many cases, a Yoga instructor also brings in some Eastern spirituality and tries to incorporate it into the class. Those who don't know better can fall into a kind of New Age philosophy. Myself on the other hand, never really listened to that part of the instruction. Yoga and other kinds of exercise was a form of prayer to me when I practiced alone. I could focus on what my body was doing, where I was and just sort of meditate. (Or in some cases, giving up suffering for souls in Purgatory or begging for strength from the Holy Spirit. :D)
Yoga practice usually talks about emptying yourself, but I was more about filling myself with the Holy Spirit.
One day in Yoga class, the instructor changed the music that we were listening to. The usual fare was Eastern Ohm chants, Native American Flute, or other Relaxation CD stuff. One day she played Gregorian Chant for our background music. I can't tell you how alive and easy Yoga was that day compared to all other classes. The chant was directing my thoughts towards holy contemplation and the humorous image of medieval friars in cobra position.
Point of this post? I don't know. Perhaps there's something to be gleaned. Have fun. :)
