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| Hi folks, not sure where to post this but I think it fits in here.
Just to be slightly nosey I was wondering if there were any pagan types round here? (Oh when I mean Pagan I mean neo-pagan, earth-based spiritualities, not pagan as in non-christian).
I'm a druid and have been for 2 years, though 6 years of being an open pagan. I was thinking about adding yoga into my spiritual practices but not quite sure how, like doing a ritual with yoga involved and then doing meditation? Or dedicating your practice to a deity ? Using yoga as a form of energy building spellwork? Just thinking out loud here but I'd be interested in how you work the two together. I'm not entirely sure how yoga fits into a hindu practice exactly but I'm sure I could get a few ideas from there 
Namaste! |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
  
Location: A Blue State |
Hi Sezo --
This is interesting, but I don't know how to answer you b/c I don't really
understand Pagan beliefs beyond the usual cartoonish descriptions in the
popular press. Can you elaborate a bit on what you believe and how it
might fit with or integrate yoga? It sounds like a bit of discussion will be
needed to get to some useful advice.
BG
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| I'm pretty ignorant too. I've got a couple of friends who are pagan, but frankly I've never delved too fat into it. IIRC, there isn't a really hard and fast set of rules, which makes it harder. I guess that it would fit into the niyamas, with using the goddess/god as the divine being. A lot of the asanas are really prays or supplications of various kinds, so you could imagine them as being directed towards the god/godess. |
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| My mom and a lot of her friends study pagan religions without necessarily dedicating themselves to one in particular. So I know a bit about it without really subscribing to one myself. The underlying ideas about respect for the earth and about the way others should be treated are very much in line with a yogic belief system.
I would suggest just beginning an asana class with a teacher (with a group is fine) and see how the poses feel in your body. Don't approach it with any expectations at first. Try and allow your mind to be quiet and just see what comes up! You may find yourself filled with thoughts of a spirit or saint who is near and dear to your heart, or you may find that it feels as if it will be a perfect component of a ritual you are already doing. Or, you may find yourself bored silly and not like it at all!
As you may have ascertained from other discussions on this board, many of us feel that yoga is compatible with any religion. Yoga is not a religion in itself, it is a science - created 5,000 years ago by scientists who happened to be Hindu. Most practitioners find that it simply deepens their spiritual connection with whatever their beliefs already were to begin with.
Just give it a try and see what happens! |
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| Hi thanks all.
Well when I first started to read more about yoga I was thinking how great it was that it compliments paganism so well. Paganism (especially Druidry my branch of paganism that I follow) is very much self-aware, realising the power of nature around you and filling your being with it - like Prana. Meditation is obviously important for self-reflection but also contacted your guides etc. Yoga I think would help alot with the grounding aspects of my path, making me more anchored on this plane so I can wander off on to the others without getting lost.
Hmm check out this site about druidry www.druidry.org and another http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/intro.shtml they can probably explain it better than I can
I think for now I'll leave it as a nice compliment to my spiritual/philosophical path and see what blends and forms together. Nothing like making the Universe work for you for a change.
Thanks for all your thoughts though!
Namaste
x
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | I'm not a Pagan but I too can certainly relate to Paganism to some strange degree,  I love Celtic music and I loved reading the book "The Mists of Avalon" - one of my favorites, read it twice years before they made a movie about it - which was soooo wrong I also love reading about King Arthur and that time period back then where the pagans are mentioned. In fact, I always think of them as being the Earthkeepers of that time period and area of Europe. Having a Yoga and Hindu background has a way of helping you relate to almost anything and any religion. Sezo, I say, post away, you'll probably get all sorts of responses...some you may like, some you may not...just take what you like and leave the rest,
Edited by Cyndi 2005-11-28 8:49 AM
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| I was dissappointed when reading the referenced Web site that pagans are not sexual diviants--what fun's that? Psst...don't tell ravineave I made a sexual reference. At first blush, I'm tempted to dismiss paganism as part of the "Church of What's Happening Now." However, when I think about it, probably makes as much sense as embracing any set of beliefs. This one seems easier to accept actually--based a lot on what can be seen and touched. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Sezo - you may find that some yoga practices are more grounding than others. I know people who have shopped around a bit more than I have and found Iyengar yoga to be very grounding and practical. And I have been told (again by others since I have only practiced Iyengar) that it is a practical system that includes spirituality without being "all new agey" or "too far out there."  |
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| Bruce - I thought it was Texans that were supposed to be deviants!  And should I still bother visiting Austin if it doesn't turn out to be true?
I think any religion must seem strange on its surface to those that don't subscribe to those beliefs. To paraphrase Bart Simpson "I can't believe people were stupid enough to worship TREES! Now we wised up and worship a carpenter who died 2000 years ago." |
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| Jeans--you're thinking of Texans in Austin--they're the deviants--we folks from the cradle of Texas Liberty, the Alamo City, are perverts...we're much more fun. |
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| I think most religions strike people as strange because they start at the wrong point. It's kinda like getting into the middle of a conversation, and getting entirely the wrong impression from it. If they start at the beginning, and get a good feel for the initial assumptions/postulates/basics things become much simpler.
I think a lot of people also get hung up in looking at the trappings, instead of the actual purpose/intent. It's like looking at the crucifix, and seeing an instrument of torture with a bleeding corpse! Not the point at all, as any good christian will tell you.
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Expert Yogi
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Location: A Blue State | Bruce - 2005-11-28 1:33 PM
Jeans--you're thinking of Texans in Austin--they're the deviants--we folks from the cradle of Texas Liberty, the Alamo City, are perverts...we're much more fun.
Okay, so now we're getting down to the short strokes: Is GW Bush a deviant or a pervert?
I'm not quite sure where Crawford is (although his family seems to hide out in Houston).
My impression is that he keeps his sexuality so tightly bound up that it has atrophied.
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| Hi Sezo,
I consider myself someone who passively studies Pagan related subjects with light practice. If you are interested in learning how to integrate Yoga with energy sytems, I would look at Kundalini Yoga. From what you have posted so far it appears that this form will be perfect for you to explore.
Another thing that I can mention for you is Runic Yoga. You may find this very interesting if you have ever worked with the Runes. http://www.sunnyway.com/runes/stadha.html
To find out how Yoga fits into a Hindu practice start studying the texts of Hindu.
Neel has a lot of good information on this last part so look for his posts on this matter.
Peace
Adam
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| Bruce - 2005-11-28 1:33 PM
Jeans--you're thinking of Texans in Austin--they're the deviants--we folks from the cradle of Texas Liberty, the Alamo City, are perverts...we're much more fun.
By Cradle of Liberty, of course, you mean the Cradle of We Can't Get Along With Anybody :-).
Dale
In Austin
Having more fun than one person should be permitted :-)
My own personal deviation is the whole married once & permanently thing :-)... |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | elson - 2005-12-06 3:49 AM
Bruce - 2005-11-28 1:33 PM
Jeans--you're thinking of Texans in Austin--they're the deviants--we folks from the cradle of Texas Liberty, the Alamo City, are perverts...we're much more fun.
By Cradle of Liberty, of course, you mean the Cradle of We Can't Get Along With Anybody :- ).
Dale
In Austin
Having more fun than one person should be permitted :- )
My own personal deviation is the whole married once & permanently thing :- )...
The above is clearly a Tejas thing, and so I think I will stay h*ll away from it.
....although, I have that married thing in common with Dale...a deviation that I think
should be extended to same gender couples, I'll add.
Edited by Bay Guy 2005-12-07 10:46 PM
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| Same sex marriage? That's so 2004 to us Massachusetts folks. Surprisingly, the only outcome of the great debate seems to be a booming wedding business on the Cape, lots of happy couples, and a bunch of pissed off conservatives.
We might have cold weather and a high cost of living, but sometimes it's great to live in a place where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is for everybody. |
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Any pagans round here?
