Faith and the Guru

We had a great time all weekend in Singapore and to One thing that has been interesting for me on the trip is talking to people of different faiths who are practicing yoga. In America we deal a lot with how the Christians feel about yoga but over here there is the Christian influence as well as Buddhism, Muslim, Hindus, and Taoist to name a few. The topic of religion, spirituality and yoga starts to take on new proportion in a place like Singapore which is a city with so many cultures and traditions represented.

On the third day of the intensive I introduced the opening mantra I have been using this year and gave a little talk about faith as a way to set it up and hopefully bridge the gap between the different folks in the room. The talk was well received and the students asked us to share it so Kelly put it up on YouTube last night.

here is is. The only thing that is unclear is what I meant to communicate about study. It sounds a bit like I have a negative relationship to study which I do not. I just do not toss the word around lightly like so many people do these days. I know people who take one class with a teacher at a Yoga Journal conference and say they have "studied" with that person. I don't think of it that way. For me to say I "study" something means that I am invested, committed and that I am in a long-term relationship with that person or subject. Being in a class, reading a book or thinking about something is not the same.  But that is another rant for another day.

Enjoy--