Rachel Marchbanks

HCLA 1013
04/20/17

Cultural and Social Perceptions between Exercise and a Sense of Wellbeing

Eastern vs Western Culture

Yoga is a Self-Disciplined practice of mind, body and spiritual practices that

originated in India. Many religions and cultures practice and teach Yoga, including
Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, to name a few. There are many different varieties
of Yoga. Yoga has been speculated to date back to pre-Verdic Indian traditions.
Yoga has been mentioned in ancient Indian collections of Verdic Sanskrit Hymns.
Yoga has been around for the first millennium, but didnt make a debut in Western
Culture until the 20th century.

Western Yoga, although it has adapted similar ideas and concepts from
Eastern ancient yoga, has taken on its own, Americanized version. Eastern
Philosophy in general is more focused on cosmological unity, life as a journey
leading toward eternal realities beyond any reality we are currently in. It focusses
on being an inner world dependent, and focusing on the false version of, ME and
finding the true, ME. The idea of, True ME is focused on reaching a state where
there is no real meaning in self-worth or self-importance. They focus on behavioral
ethics. Western culture is quite the opposite when you compare the list.

Americans, Western Culture, focus on, oneself, as its own element of The
Divine. Life is treated as a service to a specific goal such as work, money or belief
in God. Between Eastern and Western culture, there are different end goals that
change the values and behaviors of how we live our lives. Eastern Philosophy has a,
circular view on the Universe, as everything and everyone are of eternal
occurrence, while Western Philosophy follows more of a linear view of life and the
universe, more generally based off the Christian Philosophy that everything has a
beginning and an end. Western Philosophy is focused on being an outer-world
dependent. It is focused more on self-dedication to a specific goal with behaviors
driven to reach that one goal. Western Philosophy is quite lacking when it comes to
behavioral ethics.

Yoga is a good example of ways Eastern Culture strives to fulfill the

philosophy and beliefs, yoga is used as a spiritual, mental and physical way to
connect your inner-self with the Universe that surrounds you. Its a deep meditation
of body, mind and soul, that I believe is far overlooked or misunderstood by Western
Philosophy. In Western Culture, Yoga has been introduced and practiced as a type
of, exercise or a competitive workout, treated even more so as being trendy, or a
fad. I personally believe Western Culture is ignorant and uneducated about the true
profound depth of the spiritual, min and soul connection to the entities that are
bigger than our physical being.

On a personal level, I have always been intrigued and drawn to Yoga

specifically for the, mind & soul aspects of it, which always seems to elude me. I
can do the basics of the physical practice, but ultimately, I participate to experience
the true, out of body, deeper connection with the mind. I can tell you, that Yoga
classes at VASA are not set up to be anything more than a stretching class with
essential oils and soft music. So yes, I think there are very strong differences
between Cultures and exercise, and the reasons that each culture participates in
each tradition or practice.

Cited: Cultural Intelligence; World Cultures

http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/cultures_east-west-
phylosophy.html

East Vs. West; Philosophy, Cultural Values and Mindset

Vadim Kotelinikov & Anastasia Bibikova

Yoga and History

Wikipedia