On tuesday night i went with my friend to a yoga class. I had never done it before and quite frankly it was significantly more difficult than i anticipated. I assumed it would not be very strenuous and that it might be rather boring as well. I must admit I was wrong, and although it was not a religious experience for me, it was very spiritual. I felt relaxed and invigorated. I found that my worries and troubles seemed to melt away and i was able to focus my mind on my body and the movement in that moment. I also felt like i was pushing my limits, in a good way. I can see the appeal and how one might search for enlightenment through yoga.
Today in my psychology class we brought up Maslow's theory of hierarchy of needs. Which is based on the idea that people are inherently good but sometimes have to make choices that are not always right, based on their needs. He also believes there is an order of needs because some are more important than others. According to Maslow, you fulfill physiological needs first, followed by safety needs, belonging and love needs, esteem needs, and finally self-actualization needs. What i found extremely interesting is that people who were considered to have reached the stage of self-actualization, like Gandhi and Mother Teresa, would actually forgo some of their safety or physiological needs in order to fulfill their self-actualization. This idea of reaching a place where they are willing to make personal sacrifice in order to realize their true self really reminded me of enlightenment.
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