Practice as Ritual

I explore ideas about ritual very often in the theatre world. Theatre is extremely ritualistic, and it has always been exciting to me to examine what makes it so, and the different customs we have that support it or break it down. So, chatting about ritual in class has been super exciting for me! Everything about yoga screams ritual to me. Arriving to a certain place. An instructor guiding you. Making shapes and sounds with your body along with people doing the same thing. Making those shapes to possibly evoke something. The incorporation of instruments or props for specific purposes. I often think of church services which are extremely ritualistic. Sit there, stand up here, say this, sing that, hands here, sit, stand, move, chant. We recognize religion as ritual. Yoga possesses so many of the very same qualities.