i was asked by a young buddhist friend from a recent workshop, about Yoga.
of course this part of the world was knocked with the issue of yoga being haram-ed in the neighbouring country.

oh no, i am not going to give some academic opinions with hujahs and dalils, well, not yet. but one thing came across my mind.

quite simply yoga is a religious ritual for religions like hindu and some buddhist practices, and when included with mantras and the recitings, of surety, it will affect the state of a muslim’s faith.

but at the same time, yoga has been ‘new-aged’ and most yoga practices only involved body movement and the state of mind and inner peace. most yoga practitioners will not identify themselves as hindus, because of their take that yoga is a practical exercise, aid and not a religious ritual. but this of course, in western perspectives, who have found good in some religious ritual, although wanting to avoid being affiliated to a religion, causes yoga to be ‘neutralized’. so what makes yoga yoga?

if you are to be in a sitting position, breathing properly, and putting your mind in a clear form, would that be yoga? or is it JUST a relaxing practice? is it just a state of mind? if you’re sitting, closing your eyes, trying to relax your mind, however reciting the zikrs instead, will that be a form of *bhakti yoga* on its own? the concept is quite similar doesn’t it? so why not just do zikr? you get your rest, inner peace + some afterworld rewards.

i think it’s just a sensationalied term. y-o-g-a stripped of its hinduist origins. sounds chim right? when actually it’s just a state of mind, a form of meditation. but how do you actually separate the physical movement from the spiritual essence of yoga? is there a point where you can say, ok i’m doing this yoga thing up to this, beyond that it’ll be syirk. would you know that border point? and really it’s very much vague what yoga really is without going through its process. just like sufi being vague and confusing to most because of not experiencing it. but that’s another story altogether.

i have always respected yoga practice as a special hindu ritual, and thus never thought of taking it up. leave the hindus alone!

look at it this way. solat without the spiritual essence. so any person can do solat just to gain some inner peace and tranquil state. that wouldn’t be solat you say right? it’s just any form of ‘exercise’. but how can you do the solat acts without the readings and being in a state of mind you need to be, the state of faith you are in.. it’ll be null.

so yoga without the readings and being in a state of mind you need to be and seek even, then it wouldn’t be yoga. it will only be yoga if you put in faith in doing it and there’s bound to be some reads/mantra you read through even if it’s only “oummmm” which by the way, refers to hindus’ concept of god. yoga comes in a whole package if you haven’t notice already. no matter how agnostic or atheist yoga practitioners are, they are, well, in a state of belief to the ritual. the whole paganistic nature and surroundings elements that go with it.

so, to do or not to do? i’ll just stick to my inter-faith respect towards it but at the point of conflicting my aqidah, i don’t risk it.