Regarding fitness and serenity, yoga sounds great but im not comfortable with the spiritual side?

yoga appeals to me in a sense that it promotes fitness, flexibility, de-stressing and taking a step back from the busy world. However i don't particularly want to go all out as a lifestyle choice and follow the spiritual side to the practice. Is it possible to simply follow the fitness positions, learn to relax and meditate without involving the religion-like emphasis that comes with it? Or is their an alternative to yoga that gives you the stress releasing and fitness benfits without the 'dodgy' philosophy behind it?Regarding fitness and serenity, yoga sounds great but im not comfortable with the spiritual side?I have found yoga to be a wonderful practice that meets us where WE are and does not have any agenda other than what we bring to it.



If by practicing yoga and quieting the mind, one is able to discover ones own inner peace naturally, which is always available to us... great. This inner peace is not about any particular philosophical belief and has nothing to do with religion. It is more about a discovery process of who we are.



It is good to keep in mind though that yes, ultimately yoga IS a 'spiritual' practice.. spiritual here meaning ones own Awareness of BEing and NOT any type of belief system or dogma. Yoga is designed specifically to bring about an actual INNER Awakening.. for those who are ready to discover their full potential, on all levels.

The inner Awakening which yoga CAN at times facilitate will happen if we are ready, and will not happen if we are not ready. So, just be prepared, and consider that nothing happens here by random chance. .. and nothing 'dodgy' or 'religious' about discovering your own inner Self : )



Who is the one who is breathing? Who is the ONE who is watching that breathing take place? Yoga has the potential to reveal that for those who are curious.Regarding fitness and serenity, yoga sounds great but im not comfortable with the spiritual side?Although I agree with Faith's answer, there are no shortage of people similar to your self.

Thus, it shouldn't be too hard to find instructors (often through gyms and health clubs instead of dedicated yoga studios) that teach yoga as you describe: simply another type of calisthenics.



You may be interested in this approach: http://thenoomzone.com/about/

Don't know if anyone is teaching it near you, but if not, it is also available as book/dvd.



Namaste',

dwbRegarding fitness and serenity, yoga sounds great but im not comfortable with the spiritual side?I've been to lots of yoga classes and done yoga DVDs and never felt any spirituality was being pushed. Just do the moves and ignore whatever you don't care for -- no one can force spirituality on anyone else, spirituality comes from within each person.