The definition of religion has been debated by philosophers, sociologists, and historians for centuries. The term religion is often difficult to define due to its multiplicity of meanings, acceptations, and adaptations. Nonetheless, in the 21st century, the term has taken on the role of many different meanings. The series of definitions range from the common understanding of Christianity and G-d to citing Oprah as a religion through her combination of spiritual counsel with practical encouragement and inner awakening with capitalist pragmatism. Certainly, there are limitations on what can be defined as a religion, however, these limitations do not exclude yoga.
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In our modern understanding, the word yoga relates to the binding or uniting of the body and the mind rather than the person to a G-d. While some critics argue that yoga is not a religion because it does not insist that G-d exists, the most widely accepted view is that yoga is a secular religion. The categorization of yoga as a secular religion ties into the idea of popular religion. According to Brent Nongbri, popular religion “for many modern people…[is] an essentially private or spiritual realm that somehow transcends the mundane world of language and history.” This explanation of religion can be applied to yoga. Although yoga has no singular creed, nor does it have any ritual by which adherents profess their faith or allegiance, such as baptism …show more content…
In the same way that Hindus meditate to reach Enlightenment, Yogis meditate to heal, revive, and soothe their mind, body, and soul. The only difference is that the former religion is meditating to a G-d and the latter is not. The practice of yoga has not only attracted a magnitude of devout followers around the world, but it has also accrued a large cult following of participants wishing to improve their physical well-being. Although the recognition of yoga as a religion is often trivialized by the fact that in America the yoga industry has grown into a multibillion dollar business, this point is moot because, yoga, like religion, is a human product that has undergone assimilation to the emergent and dominant consumer culture. This idea of religion homogenizing to the surrounding culture is not a new one. As Historian, Jonathan Z. Smith points out in his work, “Religion, Religions, Religious,” religion is primarily human focused. To
In our modern understanding, the word yoga relates to the binding or uniting of the body and the mind rather than the person to a G-d. While some critics argue that yoga is not a religion because it does not insist that G-d exists, the most widely accepted view is that yoga is a secular religion. The categorization of yoga as a secular religion ties into the idea of popular religion. According to Brent Nongbri, popular religion “for many modern people…[is] an essentially private or spiritual realm that somehow transcends the mundane world of language and history.” This explanation of religion can be applied to yoga. Although yoga has no singular creed, nor does it have any ritual by which adherents profess their faith or allegiance, such as baptism …show more content…
In the same way that Hindus meditate to reach Enlightenment, Yogis meditate to heal, revive, and soothe their mind, body, and soul. The only difference is that the former religion is meditating to a G-d and the latter is not. The practice of yoga has not only attracted a magnitude of devout followers around the world, but it has also accrued a large cult following of participants wishing to improve their physical well-being. Although the recognition of yoga as a religion is often trivialized by the fact that in America the yoga industry has grown into a multibillion dollar business, this point is moot because, yoga, like religion, is a human product that has undergone assimilation to the emergent and dominant consumer culture. This idea of religion homogenizing to the surrounding culture is not a new one. As Historian, Jonathan Z. Smith points out in his work, “Religion, Religions, Religious,” religion is primarily human focused. To