My first post

I participated in my first yoga class on July 22, 2019. I did a second class that week, five classes the next week, and since then I have done more yoga than any other workout. Yoga has become such a big part of my life: I'm a member of two different studios and exploring a third; I've setup my own home studio to practice during the COVID-19 pandemic; I buy yoga t-shirts; I read yoga websites; I follow yogis on social media. I fully intend to do yoga for the rest of my life.

I'm also an atheist and have been one for several decades.​ Yet strangely most of the spiritual aspects of yoga and the "yogi lifestyle" don't turn me off, and some even appeal to me.

As I learn more about yoga and do more research and study, I plan to use this space to jot down my thoughts. I tried to find some online resources on this topic and came up with a few articles but nothing really seemed to answer the questions I want to ask:

• What can atheists and materialists get from yoga?
• What parts of the yoga "woo woo" teachings can be relevant to an atheist, and what parts have to be discarded or ignored?
• Is there anything about practicing yoga that might be intellectually or "spiritually" harmful to an atheist?

I'm not an expert in any of these areas (yoga, atheism or materialism) so you if you actually read this please understand that I'm just jotting down my random thoughts. I'd love to have a conversation with anyone who has thoughts on this topic so please leave a comment and let's discuss.

My first post will be about Darren Main's classic book Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic.

Thanks for reading!