Is Yoga a religion?

The practice of Yoga is thousands of years old and has deep roots in historic and philosophical traditions, including certain religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. Yoga is not inherently a religion and is not seen as that in the west generally, it is seen as an exercise and doesn’t have any religious connotations.

Yoga originated from India as a spiritual discipline to improve physical and mental wellbeing, as well as aid spiritual development to work towards the divine. Most, particularly in the west will use Yoga as a way of exercising the body and a way to relax.

There is more to just the physical the practice of Yoga (asana). It includes breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation (dhyana) and ethical principles, to help explore the inner self.

Yoga has been handed down for generations and carries knowledge that is both scientific and philosophical. Having created this wisdom and a way of accessing it for the betterment of the self rather than a faith. It generally highlights personal practice over any type of religious belief. This is why Yoga can be practiced in just in parts not as a whole, for example as an exercise or fitness session, breathwork or mediation, without needing to link with any religious principles.

However, there are some parts of traditional Yoga like the idea of karma, reincarnation, and the existence of a the divine/universal consciousness that overlaps with other religious views. Yoga can be practiced without any religious links or it can if the practitioner's intention and interpretation is to incorporate their faith.

Subsequently, Yoga can be what ever practice is right for the practitioner, aligning it to a secular physical exercise, improving general wellbeing or adding their faith ideals and making it a religious practice.