Yoga as a way of life

Yoga is not something that people typically participate in just for fun. It is rare for someone to take just a few weeks of yoga classes and then leave forever. For those that practice yoga, it is a serious practice that they participate in daily. The most common criticism of yoga is that it is a lightweight form of exercise, though anyone that spent even an hour doing yoga would know what a fallacy this is. It is actually one of the most remarkably difficult forms of exercises, and one that people generally need to build up resistance to over time through multiple sessions.

Yoga is better than a standard exercise routine such as running or weightlifting for three reasons. One, because yoga is at base level, just as demanding as any other type of training, and in some cases even more because it requires a strict adherence to routine. Two, while other exercise routines will actually lock up your joints and cause small bodily stresses that build up over time, yoga is an exercise based in increasing flexibility and mobility, and over time, one’s body becomes anywhere from three to four times more flexible performing yoga than with any other exercise. Thirdly, and arguably most importantly, yoga will put practitioners in a new state of mind entirely. It is just as much a mental exercise as it is a physical one, and even just one session of yoga is enough to help increase both bodily and spiritual well being a noticeable amount.

The History of St. James

Though John is the most highly recognized of the prophets of Jesus, James is just as well recorded throughout history and was the Brother of John. Jesus allowed three of his future prophets to witness his transfiguration to help spread his word, and James was one of the few that were chosen as well as being one of the first to choose to follow Jesus. The way of St. James exists in Spain and lead to the place where James’ body is supposedly buried. Not only was James one of Jesus’ most faithful apostles, but he was also killed for his faith, thus this passage has taken on significant religious symbolism, explaining why the way of St. James was so significant to believers in Jesus.

After medieval times, after Christianity had spread the world wide, the significance of the way of St. James became more and more downplayed in religious discourse. Because there were now many Christians far outside Spain unable to complete such a pilgrimage physically, it became less of a rite of passage and more of an optional thing. However, with the advent of flight and cars in modern times, it has become much more easy and convenient to make such a pilgrimage. Now modern Christians can experience the same soul searching, faithful, and spiritual cleansing that the Way of St. James offered to their medieval ancestors.

History of the Western Wall

The history of the western wall is rich. Originally the wall was built as a way to protect the temple that exited there, however after the war and destruction of the temple, the segments of the wall were left over and now serve as a reminder to those that visit the wall on pilgrimage. It is a requirement in the Jewish religion that one stops and pays their respects upon viewing the wall and the desolate state of the destroyed temple.

Many people use this opportunity to pray at the wall and a practice of writing prayers and wishes upon slips of paper and inserting them into the crevices of the wall has become very popular as early as the 1700’s. People are still writing on those slips today. The wall’s integrity has recently been a concern as people were known to chip off segments of it or take vials of dust from the wall for a good luck charm. Now it has been ruled that it is unlawful to do this, and the practices have ceased. This is one of the holiest sites for people of the Jewish faith and will remains so as long as the wall stands.

Smoking shisha

The smoking of shisha can be a very spiritually transcendent experience. Shisha is tobacco, though is not typically thought of in the same vein. When tobacco is typically brought up the first image that comes to mind is that of chewing tobacco or of a cigarette. Cigarettes are often disallowed from religious environments for being hazardous to health and unpleasant. The same religions that disallow cigarettes actually condone and even outright support the use of shisha. This is because not only does shisha smell pleasant for all of those in the surrounding, but it is a social activity inspiring brotherhood. It is seen as calming, and a way to achieve peace.

Similar to the idea behind meditation, smoking shisha out of a hookah is a process which requires forethought. A person must prepare an area, set up a hookah, wait for the coals to light properly, then wait for the shisha to be burned an appropriate amount until finally it is ready to smoke. The entire process starting from the beginning requires a singular mindset, so once someone sits down to smoke they are able to temporarily get rid of all of their other worries in order to take part in this experience. Physically it is still as unhealthy as tobacco but it is more natural and pure, and thus can result in greater spiritual purity.

Qi-Gong as a martial art

Qi-Gong is generally mentioned within the circles of martial arts discussion, though those that practice it are quick to dismiss this classification. It is a fact that Qi-Gong inherently incorporates forms of martial arts such as stances and common martial arts elated exercise routines. However, the reason why people try to so actively denounce the idea that it is a martial art is because it is not of an offensive nature and is not founded on the basis of self defense.

The core idea behind Qi-Gong is that it is a form of betterment and self improvement. It is more of a philosophy and a way of life than a martial art, and people should understand that before they rope themselves in to practicing it. Once this is understood though, it becomes much easier to do. Qi-Gong actually shares much with old Chinese shamanic practices and ancient forms of mediation, it was even mentioned in an archaic book of Chinese self medication, thereby proving the theory that Qi-Gong was invented more as a form of therapy than as a form of martial art. Regardless of its ancient origins, it is still actively practiced by many cultures today, even outside of china and continues to contribute to the development of the human mind and spirit.

Mekka, the holiest city

Mekka is known as the holiest place in all of Islam, and is respected as the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad. It is also the direction for prayer in all Islamic countries and non Islamic countries. When a Muslim bows down during their prayer time, they will always face towards Mekka. Excluding religious connotations, Mekka is not that remarkable, but what makes it so special is how hard Muhammad fought to have the right to perform a pilgrimage to the region. Due to a web of deceit and lies told to him in the past, the prophet Muhammad had to go through several gory battles in order to open up Mekka for pilgrimage by his followers and all of those that respected Allah.

Because of this, it is proper today to respect his sacrifices and all of the religious symbolism of Mekka by going to pilgrimage there when the time is right. Though anyone can go to Mekka, it is traditionally seen as an exclusively Muslim journey to go there on pilgrimage, and this tradition should be respected by all those non-Muslims that wish to do the same. Traveling from one place to another on foot at great distance can often be a very spiritual and eye opening thing for anybody to participate in, but the same significance would not shared between Muslim and non-Muslim. Still, this should not deter anyone from trying their own pilgrimage, even if it is to somewhere that is not Mekka, as long as the area holds a personal significance, a trip there can be just as rewarding for a non-Muslim as a trip to Mekka is for a Muslim.

Meditation is for Everyone

It is a common misconception that meditation is a very formal process. The usual image associated with this process is that of a Buddhist monk in a long orange robe sitting cross legged, unspeaking and unmoving. It is true that meditation can be an intense process, but all that is involved is deep concentration, so by this definition, anyone with a good attention span has the ability to participate, not just the monks and priests! All one has to do in order to meditate is concentrate hard on something, with the general purpose of furthering their understanding or possibly bettering their situation. Even praying is a form of meditation. There are skeptical people out there that believe meditation is worthless, but the benefits of it are almost immeasurably substantial. By concentrating on one solitary thing, all other stresses are instantly abolished, if done correctly. Also, through genuine belief that meditation can change a situation, the mental state of a person can change entirely, and always for the better. If one tries to have a more positive outlook, putting all of their effort into it, then they will have a more positive outlook, and this alone can be invaluable in all facets of their life, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

Incense, oil, and the body

The human body is a fragile device and requires just as much maintenance as any machinery out there, because it is also a type of machine. The maintenance the human body requires are not all that different than the types of maintenance required my typical machines such as cars, but they differ in the application. For example, a car’s oil must be changed in order to cleanse the car and keep it running smoothly. Regularly, in order to increase satisfaction spiritually and physically, humans are required to cleanse their pores as best they can, and cleanse themselves mentally. Oils and incense are perfect for this because oils help to cleanse the pores in the body filled with filth and dirt by replacing these deposits with natural extracts and healthy things. The incense helps the person reach a calm state making it easier for the body to accept the oils being applied to it as well as keeping the person in a pleasurable mindset for the entirety of the process. Incense can also aid in meditation, helping the person reach an enlightened state much more easily by removing distractions and providing an anchoring smell to focus on.

How books can help

Religious texts and their usefulness to people of the specific religion that the texts speak to are not hard to understand. When people have issues the books instruct them on how to pray to God or Allah in search of assistance. Not only that, but the books provide both comfort and promise, and for those that really believe the stories presented in them, they can act as a supreme form of reassurance in their faith. As for the self help books, these generally contain the acquired knowledge and education of the people that published them, who are oftentimes very intelligent people with interesting ideas. For people that can’t afford a personal trainer to tell them what they need to do to better themselves or their life, a book is the next best thing. After all, if a person can’t make it to church, at the very least, they should own a bible. Plus, just the act of reading alone can be very mentally cleansing in this age of television and media oversaturation. Picking up a book can change a life.