Religious Experience and Yoga
C. Chapple
Religions March 30, 2019 DOI: 10.3390/rel10040237 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that yoga practice, as described in the Bhagavad Gītā and the Yoga Sūtra, provides access to religious experience in William James's sense of "immediate luminousness, philosophical reasonableness, and moral helpfulness," and proposes a practice integrating Yoga breathing and movement with reflection on Sāṃkhya tattvas and bhāvas. |
Abstract
Yoga practice provides access to religious experience, which has been defined by William James as “immediate luminousness, philosophical reasonableness, and moral helpfulness.” In this paper the processes of Yoga will be summarized as found in the Bhagavad Gῑtā and the Yoga Sūtra. This article concludes with instructions on how to perform a practice that integrates Yoga breathing and movement with reflections on the Sāṃkhya descriptions of physical and emotional realities (tattvas and bhāvas).