Image of Buddha in the "lotus" position of meditation.
Hindu medicine, Ayurveda, is also expressed in terms of religion. All ailments are diagnosed and treated based on the balance or imbalance of the five elements mentioned earlier.
April 28, 2001
In the last few months, I have twice seen articles about yoga for kids. Both articles bragged at how the yoga has calmed the kids down and how they are more focused and better behaved after having learned yoga. I would like to share some information about yoga so that parents can be informed about what their kids are getting into.
Yoga is based on the Hindu religion. In addition to teaching stretching and relaxation techniques, it also teaches Hindu philosophy. In fact, in both of the articles about kids’ yoga, there were kids sitting in the lotus style chanting "aum" (or "om").
Hinduism teaches that all creation is a product of Purusha (male principle) and Prakruti (female principle). According to Hinduism, the male principle was all quite passive while the female principle did all the business of creation. From the male and female principles of creation came Mahad (cosmic intellect), then Ahamkar (ego), and then Satva (creative potential associated with Brahma), Rajas (kinetic protective force associated with Vishnu or Krishna), and Tamas (potential destructive force associated with Mahesha). The three forces, Satva, Rajas, and Tamas, form the "first cosmic soundless sound: ‘aum.’"
By the way, under the Tamas are five elements (earth, air, fire, water, and ether) which relate to the five senses (smell, touch, sight, taste, and sound respectively). Witchcraft observes the same five elements of earth, air, fire, water, and ether (also called spirit).
You will often see holistic health philosophies speak of balancing "body, mind, and spirit." In the Hindu religion, this equates to the body through medicine (Ayurveda), the mind through exercise (Yoga), and to the spirit through religion (Hinduism). Even though westerners think of exercise as a focus on the body, eastern religions see exercise as a focus on the mind. Indeed, proper exercise can relieve mental issues like stress.
Image of Buddha in the "lotus" position of meditation. |
Hinduism, however, intertwines exercise and medicine with
religion — so much so that none of them can exist in absence of the other.
Yoga exercises are named and expressed in terms of the Hindu religion. The
"lotus" position (which is a very common meditation position) is
named after the lotus bloom. The lotus bloom is representative of Mahad
mentioned earlier. The Mahad, as you recall, is the cosmic intellect, or
cosmic conscious. In other words, the cosmic conscious is the mind of god.
And chanting the word "aum" is supposed to cause your body
energy to harmonize with the cosmic conscious so that you can become
enlightened.
Hindu medicine, Ayurveda, is also expressed in terms of religion. All ailments are diagnosed and treated based on the balance or imbalance of the five elements mentioned earlier. |
Now let me discuss Ayurveda. I have no doubts that Ayurveda can accurately identify and in some cases treat medical problems. Hinduism is said to date from 1500 B.C. If this is true, then Hindu doctors would surely have been able to observe the cause and effect of different ailments. I want to be careful not to discount the different names or understandings of medicine based on different cultures. For instance, where we in western medicine would refer to a zinc deficiency, eastern religions might refer to an imbalance of Vata. But is Vata a medical term or a religious term? In Hinduism, Vata is a religious term. And all symptoms and treatments are expressed as religious issues. I think that it is equally possible that any culture could, by trial and error, cause and effect, learn to accurately diagnose and treat any number of human ailments.
Yoga teaches (among other things) relaxation techniques. These techniques very likely have physiological validity, but again, the exercises are expressed in terms of religion.
The question that I have is whether you or your children can participate in yoga or holistic medicine (like Ayurveda) and remain unaffected by the strong Hindu religious influences that they present. And, can you relax without practicing a religion?
I believe that relaxation techniques are good and people should actively seek to relieve stress constructively. And I further assert that relaxation techniques are not the sole domain of eastern religions. I also believe that these can be achieved without practicing the Hindu (or any other) religion. Just be cautious of what package your relaxation techniques are in.