{"id":24815,"date":"2021-01-24T11:31:49","date_gmt":"2021-01-24T15:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=24815"},"modified":"2021-02-05T15:41:07","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T19:41:07","slug":"yoga-and-spirituality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoga and Spirituality: Finding Your Path to God"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is the connection between yoga and spirituality<\/a>? How is spiritual yoga defined in The Bhagavad Gita<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people are familiar with hatha yoga, which is controlling the body and mind through physical exercise and meditation<\/a>. But yoga and spirituality also have a higher purpose. By focusing on yoga, or your connecting with god, you can break free from karma<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about yoga and spirituality, and how Arjuna learns how to use yoga to break free from karma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Yoga and Spirituality: Unite With God<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Krishna now begins teaching Arjuna lessons about yoga and spirituality. You may be familiar with one type of yoga, hatha yoga<\/em>, which teaches control over one\u2019s body and mind through physical exercise and meditation. However, in a broader sense, spiritual yoga is any activity that brings a person closer to God.<\/strong> In fact, the word yoga comes from yuj<\/em>, meaning \u201cto unite\u201d (in this case, to unite with God).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Krishna explains that yoga and spirituality is the way to break free from karma<\/em>, the cosmic force that binds people to the cycle of rebirth. The definition of karma that you may be familiar with\u2014being rewarded for good deeds and punished for bad ones\u2014isn\u2019t quite accurate. There is<\/em> an element of getting what you deserve, but karma is the force that binds people to the cycle of reincarnation<\/a> and determines what they will be born as in each life. Each person has a \u201cdebt\u201d of karma, which can be worked off through fulfilling dharma and selfless service. Once you\u2019re completely freed from your karma, you\u2019ll stop being reincarnated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key to practicing spiritual yoga is to recognize Krishna\u2019s\u2014and, by extension, Vishnu\u2019s\u2014presence in all things, and to devote every action to serving him. A person who does this fulfills his dharma with no sense of ego and no interest in rewards, nor fear of failure<\/a> or punishment. This is the attitude that Arjuna should adopt as he goes to war against the Kauravas\u2014that he will do his duty as best he can, in God\u2019s name, without worrying about the outcome.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

People who don\u2019t follow yoga and spirituality, who do things for their own pleasure or profit, are easily distracted and confused. They lose sight of their dharma, and are doomed to be caught in the cycle of samsara<\/em>\u2014reincarnation\u2014forever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arjuna, who\u2019s shown throughout the Gita <\/em>to be a practical person, and who is most interested in things he can put into practice, asks Krishna what people who have achieved this state of selflessness are like. How do they move, how do they speak? In other words, how could he recognize and emulate them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Krishna answers that such people understand that everything is connected. Everything comes from and contains a part of Vishnu; therefore, true practitioners of yoga recognize themselves as one part of a much greater whole. By letting go of concepts like \u201cI\u201d and \u201cmine,\u201d yogis can unite themselves fully with God. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since people can be tempted by physical objects and experiences\u2014what Krishna calls \u201csense objects\u201d\u2014he explains that the truly wise can draw their senses inward at will. By focusing solely on Vishnu (remember that Krishna is Vishnu in a human body), they can block out external temptations and devote every moment to serving him. This frees them from physical attachments and keeps their minds clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having let go of personal attachments, desires, and fears, yogis aren\u2019t affected by good times or bad times. They want nothing, fear nothing, and are never roused to anger; they pass through life peacefully, no matter what may be happening around them. Krishna advises Arjuna to aspire to be like them<\/strong> through yoga and spirituality. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is the connection between yoga and spirituality? How is spiritual yoga defined in The Bhagavad Gita? Many people are familiar with hatha yoga, which is controlling the body and mind through physical exercise and meditation. But yoga and spirituality also have a higher purpose. By focusing on yoga, or your connecting with god, you can break free from karma. Read more about yoga and spirituality, and how Arjuna learns how to use yoga to break free from karma.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":20232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,21,6],"tags":[197],"class_list":["post-24815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","category-philosophy","category-spiritual","tag-the-bhagavad-gita","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nYoga and Spirituality: Finding Your Path to God - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What are yoga and spirituality? Unlike hatha yoga, spiritual yoga seeks to connect you with god and help you selflessly fulfill your dharma.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yoga and Spirituality: Finding Your Path to God\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What are yoga and spirituality? Unlike hatha yoga, spiritual yoga seeks to connect you with god and help you selflessly fulfill your dharma.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-01-24T15:31:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-02-05T19:41:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/meditate-bali-indonesia-sunset-woman.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2202\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Carrie Cabral\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Carrie Cabral\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Carrie Cabral\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2ababb7c63a94ff5d2190f71dc417d56\"},\"headline\":\"Yoga and Spirituality: Finding Your Path to God\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-24T15:31:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-02-05T19:41:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/\"},\"wordCount\":633,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/meditate-bali-indonesia-sunset-woman.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Bhagavad Gita\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Food\",\"Philosophy\",\"Spiritual\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/\",\"name\":\"Yoga and Spirituality: Finding Your Path to God - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/meditate-bali-indonesia-sunset-woman.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-24T15:31:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-02-05T19:41:07+00:00\",\"description\":\"What are yoga and spirituality? Unlike hatha yoga, spiritual yoga seeks to connect you with god and help you selflessly fulfill your dharma.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/meditate-bali-indonesia-sunset-woman.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/meditate-bali-indonesia-sunset-woman.jpg\",\"width\":2202,\"height\":2560},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Yoga and Spirituality: Finding Your Path to God\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2ababb7c63a94ff5d2190f71dc417d56\",\"name\":\"Carrie Cabral\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e9aea3c95254368e6bf388b046b35bacb82e4167f4c62c0813620e3a4ec51126?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e9aea3c95254368e6bf388b046b35bacb82e4167f4c62c0813620e3a4ec51126?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Carrie Cabral\"},\"description\":\"Carrie has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember, and has always been open to reading anything put in front of her. She wrote her first short story at the age of six, about a lost dog who meets animal friends on his journey home. Surprisingly, it was never picked up by any major publishers, but did spark her passion for books. Carrie worked in book publishing for several years before getting an MFA in Creative Writing. She especially loves literary fiction, historical fiction, and social, cultural, and historical nonfiction that gets into the weeds of daily life.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/carrie\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Yoga and Spirituality: Finding Your Path to God - Shortform Books","description":"What are yoga and spirituality? Unlike hatha yoga, spiritual yoga seeks to connect you with god and help you selflessly fulfill your dharma.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Yoga and Spirituality: Finding Your Path to God","og_description":"What are yoga and spirituality? Unlike hatha yoga, spiritual yoga seeks to connect you with god and help you selflessly fulfill your dharma.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2021-01-24T15:31:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-02-05T19:41:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2202,"height":2560,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/meditate-bali-indonesia-sunset-woman.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Carrie Cabral","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Carrie Cabral","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/"},"author":{"name":"Carrie Cabral","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2ababb7c63a94ff5d2190f71dc417d56"},"headline":"Yoga and Spirituality: Finding Your Path to God","datePublished":"2021-01-24T15:31:49+00:00","dateModified":"2021-02-05T19:41:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/"},"wordCount":633,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/meditate-bali-indonesia-sunset-woman.jpg","keywords":["The Bhagavad Gita"],"articleSection":["Food","Philosophy","Spiritual"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/","name":"Yoga and Spirituality: Finding Your Path to God - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/meditate-bali-indonesia-sunset-woman.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-24T15:31:49+00:00","dateModified":"2021-02-05T19:41:07+00:00","description":"What are yoga and spirituality? Unlike hatha yoga, spiritual yoga seeks to connect you with god and help you selflessly fulfill your dharma.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/meditate-bali-indonesia-sunset-woman.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/meditate-bali-indonesia-sunset-woman.jpg","width":2202,"height":2560},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/yoga-and-spirituality\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Yoga and Spirituality: Finding Your Path to God"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2ababb7c63a94ff5d2190f71dc417d56","name":"Carrie Cabral","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e9aea3c95254368e6bf388b046b35bacb82e4167f4c62c0813620e3a4ec51126?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e9aea3c95254368e6bf388b046b35bacb82e4167f4c62c0813620e3a4ec51126?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Carrie Cabral"},"description":"Carrie has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember, and has always been open to reading anything put in front of her. She wrote her first short story at the age of six, about a lost dog who meets animal friends on his journey home. Surprisingly, it was never picked up by any major publishers, but did spark her passion for books. Carrie worked in book publishing for several years before getting an MFA in Creative Writing. She especially loves literary fiction, historical fiction, and social, cultural, and historical nonfiction that gets into the weeds of daily life.","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/carrie\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/meditate-bali-indonesia-sunset-woman.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24815"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26424,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24815\/revisions\/26424"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}