Can Catholics participate in yoga?

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It always comes down to posture. May I remind people the kneeling, meditation, incence, candles, and other “Christian” posture are not originally Christian, some date back to pagans, and Judiasm. A stretch is a strech regardless of posture, one can make any posture into a sin for example, intentionally making a provacative posture like benidng over. It’s all about the intention simple as that. The body is beutiful, but we corrupt it with our sinfulness.
 
Contarini said:
In the awful event that the only two options were your version of Christianity or atheism, I’d have to be an atheist. And if someone were, in error, to think that this was the case and choose atheism, I think the true God would be honored by such a choice.

Your teaching amounts to saying that Christ has not risen and is not Lord. It is a denial of the Faith. It is a form of unbelief cloaking itself in the guise of piety.

I hope that my strong words will free you from any sense that I am a conventional “liberal” concerned with offense and sensitivity and drivel of that sort. I am concerned with truth, as I know you are. I think your version of Christianity is false and destructive.

Edwin
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Hello Edwin,

So, you think going through life (knowingly) displeasing God by participating in pagan rituals is fine- so long as you do with a happy disposition?

I am afraid you completely misinterpreted what I said; where did I ever advocate going through life with a hang-dog demeanor?

**You will only find real joy in this life when you strive to please God and avoid the things which displease Him; **such as participation in pagan rituals (like yoga).

Oremus pro invicem,

Sean C. :knight2:
 
I think yoga is a gift, it’s great exercise and makes you feel good about yourself in a healthy, positive way. 👍 If others feel there are better exercises out there for Catholics, that is up to them, but to me it is just a form of exercise and there is nothing wrong with reaping the yoga benefits. In fact I am sure Heaven has the most fantastic yoga classes around! 😃
 
ethancraft said:
I think yoga is a gift, it’s great exercise and makes you feel good about yourself in a healthy, positive way. 👍 If others feel there are better exercises out there for Catholics, that is up to them, but to me it is just a form of exercise and there is nothing wrong with reaping the yoga benefits. In fact I am sure Heaven has the most fantastic yoga classes around! 😃
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👍👍
 
archangel04 said:
It always comes down to posture. May I remind people the kneeling, meditation, incence, candles, and other “Christian” posture are not originally Christian, some date back to pagans, and Judiasm. A stretch is a strech regardless of posture, one can make any posture into a sin for example, intentionally making a provacative posture like benidng over. It’s all about the intention simple as that. The body is beutiful, but we corrupt it with our sinfulness.
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Very true.
 
daCatholicGuard said:
**You will only find real joy in this life when you strive to please God and avoid the things which displease Him; **such as participation in pagan rituals (like yoga).
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Amen! 👍

…the person who uses Yoga only for physical well-being is already disposing himself towards certain spiritual attitudes and even experiences of which he is undoubtedly unaware;
Fr Seraphim Rose
 
kozlosap said:
Those who really believe they can “catch” demons from participating in exercise should definitely keep away from that form of exercise - the rest of us will happily go along reciting the rosary, practicing exercises that keep our bodies limber and not looking for evil around every corner.
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:clapping::tiphat:

I know, unbelievable, huh :rolleyes:
 
As a Catholic the only yoga pose I managed was the CORPSE position…

I am pretty good on my knees however!!! this is a classic Catholic position called KNEELING:D
 
I don’t know if practicing Yoga is wrong or right. What I do know is that it is not just “stretching exercises”. If you want stretching exercises, then do Pilates.

I had an Ashtanga yoga DVD that I started doing for a while.

A big part of the DVD was explaining that all the exercises had to be linked to the breathing exercises, which were themselves based on chakras.

Of course one can say, I will just do yoga postures minus the spirituality.

If that is possible for you, great. However, those who are new to Yoga should know that it is more than just exercises. In fact the exercises are a small part of Yoga.

Just check out t YogaJournal.com and you will see what I mean.
 
I hear ya man, muchado about nothing.

Sometimes blind obedience is brought on by “fear”.🤷
 
TrueLight said:
I don’t know if practicing Yoga is wrong or right. What I do know is that it is not just “stretching exercises”. If you want stretching exercises, then do Pilates.
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Pilates was also influenced by Eastern and pagan Greek religions (not that there’s anything wrong with that 🙂 ):
Unhealthy as a child, Joseph Pilates studied many kinds of self-improvement systems. He drew from Eastern practices and Zen Buddhism, and was inspired by the ancient Greek ideal of man perfected in development of body, mind and spirit. On his way to developing the Pilates Method, Joseph Pilates studied anatomy and developed himself as a body builder, a wrestler, gymnast, boxer, skier and diver.
 
Ahimsa said:
Pilates was also influenced by Eastern and pagan Greek religions (not that there’s anything wrong with that 🙂 ):
Unhealthy as a child, Joseph Pilates studied many kinds of self-improvement systems. He drew from Eastern practices and Zen Buddhism, and was inspired by the ancient Greek ideal of man perfected in development of body, mind and spirit. On his way to developing the Pilates Method, Joseph Pilates studied anatomy and developed himself as a body builder, a wrestler, gymnast, boxer, skier and diver.
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😃

No Pilates for you … NEXT!
 
ethancraft said:
I think yoga is a gift, it’s great exercise and makes you feel good about yourself in a healthy, positive way. 👍 If others feel there are better exercises out there for Catholics, that is up to them, but to me it is just a form of exercise and there is nothing wrong with reaping the yoga benefits. In fact I am sure Heaven has the most fantastic yoga classes around! 😃
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👍👍
Lost_Wanderer said:
Modern semiotics would disagree with you and I’d take an expert take on the subject over that of a priest who isn’t.

Following your logic, I practice Shinto every time I do these with my hands.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BEw4jLlvsa8/RoDYoyvrUPI/AAAAAAAAAAk/mqdR8n5ctSg/s400/seals2nv.png

Well I do the above hand signs every now and then for the lulz. How come I’m not possessed?
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Oh, goodness…that means every time I made shadow animals for my kids by a lamp I was flirting with being possessed!! :eek:

j/k
 
I used to be part of a therapy group that involved an hour of yoga every week (It was 16 hrs a week total). For two years I argued with the instructors because I refused to do yoga. I’m Catholic, it’s buddhist. Not doing it. Every one said to me, it’s just exercises - but it wasn’t. It wasn’t just exercises for the teacher - she believed in centreing prayer and whilst she didn’t (I believe) achknowledge that she was involving hindu practises it was very evident that she was. Every 3 months they’d bring her into the therapy group for a chat (and try to convince me) and by what she and the others said, I knew they were getting counsel on hindu practises. They just didn’t realise, and really didn’t care anyway.

I will never willing do yoga. Especially in a class situation - how the teacher intends the exercises to be done matters. Just as having a Priest praying a blessing in your house invites God, having a yoga teacher practising hindu practises invites evil. Rather simple to me. It’s possible to say "the yoga teacher isn’t intending that… but what do you really know? Maybe they do.

Doing yoga off a video or a chart would be more acceptable, because we know our intentions, but when there are other options I just don’t see the need to rely on yoga.
 
I was trying to think of a nice way of saying it invites evil spirits - and yes, I do think practising hindu does so. What do you think their Gods are? They’re demons. By worshipping them, you are inviting them into your lives. Inviting evil. Rather simple stuff.

I refuse to do anything associated with worshipping a false God and thereby giving glory to Satan and/or any of the fallen angels.
 
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