These offerings may include mantra or prayer, incense, and flowers. Worshippers decorate these shrines with offerings. For instance, they can be anything from altars, rooms, and even pictures and sculptures. Shrines are a special place you create for prayer and meditation. Many perform this kind of “puja’ (worship) in a shrine. Hindus worship the gods and goddesses through devotional prayer and meditation. Hindu mythology has long been a way to pass down these teachings. They teach about the values and aims of human life and the path to enlightenment. Stories of these gods are the foundation of Hinduism. 80% of the population of India identifies with the belief system and recognizes these major Hindu gods. Appropriately so, because India is their birthplace. Yoga and Hinduism are often practices that go hand-in-hand in the West but are more deeply fused and widely practiced in India. If a spiritual journey to self-discovery and self-improvement is something you need, then go ahead and book your private yoga retreat today.
Knowing and understanding these stories will not only inspire you to be a better yogi, but they’ll also help you develop into a better person. The stories of Hindu gods tell the tales of good versus evil, light versus dark, power, balance, and virtue. Maybe you’ve never seen any of them! Regardless of if you are just learning, taking a spiritual pilgrimage to India, or a yoga teacher training, learning about the Hindu gods is exciting and inspiring.īesides, spiritual Hindu yoga poses make up the foundation of yoga, making it essential for practitioners to know a bit about the Hindu gods and goddesses that inspire them. Or perhaps you’ve seen a portrait of the mighty blue Shiva, the god of destruction, slaying a demon. Maybe you’ve seen a statue of the elephant-headed Ganesh, the god of beginnings and remover of obstacles.
There are some you may have heard of: Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesh, or Brahma, to name a few. In fact, there are over 33 million Hindu gods in total! It is a faith-filled to the brim with gods and goddesses. Colorful, vibrant, musical, and story-driven, Hinduism is a religion that inspires many across the globe.