Is Yoga a Religion?

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Religion is hard to define because it means different things to different people. The reason is because we tend to emphasize different aspects of it and deemphasize others depending on our view and experience. Among the aspects that make a religion are: sacred practices, rituals, objects, places, and times, moral code, theology, prayer, canonical texts, layers of literature, diverse world views, and social groupings.

To me, religion is made up of cultural components humans constructed in order to enhance their spiritual and communal lives. With all the external aspects of religion, the sometimes unarticulated aspect of the spiritual life within one’s experience is of paramount importance. The impetus behind all religions is the desire to understand the nature of the universe and of our reality, known as mysticism, another unspoken foundational element of religions. The social and organizational aspects, as well as the theistic doctrines and attitudes that lead to certain behaviors and beliefs, came later. And those aspects we know from studying the history of religions are not fixed as they evolve and change from generation to generation.