Can Catholics participate in yoga?

[ebonykawai]

Nothing wrong with meditation. But ask yourself, why are they combining it with postures?

AFAIK, yoga is a deliberate attempt to gain psychic powers. This is not a healthy occupation. Sanity is precious. If you pick up a psychic ‘squatter’ or have some ammmaaaazing experiences or some false bliss or just feel you’re OK with Jesus no matter what you do, your family or friends are unlikely to be able to bring you back. In fact, you’ll think they’re the one’s who’re wrong.

The postures of hatha yoga are for a healthy body, like many other forms of exercise. It’s important to try and keep the body healthy, because when we are sick or in pain, spiritual practices can become difficult for many people. Postures are done first, and than the body is better equipped to sit for meditation, having used up some energy in movement and also stretched.

I’m sorry, “psychic powers”?? This is just blatantly false.

I should know better than join forums, lol. I guess I’ll go back to where I came from!

 

[PhilOSophia]

I searched Google on ‘Catholics and Yoga’.

catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0275.html
kitchenstewardship.com/2011/03/25/can-catholics-do-yoga/

I read that Hindus scoff at the idea that yoga can be divorced from its religious roots and that the Vatican exorcist and Pope Benedict have condemned it.

Personally, having discovered the TLM and the Orthodox Efche and having been an armchair mystic for 30 years, I don’t think yoga has much to offer Catholics. I lump it in with all the other mystical fads which can trip up an unwary seeker.

Catholicism offers a safe and simple path to union with God once you start to see Jesus as a real person, who you can please or offend.

 

[A_G]

Yoga aims to establish a relationship with the pagan god Vishnu. Yoga is not compatible with Christianity, no matter how much one tries to “sugar-coat” it. I would stay away from yoga. Yoga has a pagan background and is a form of Hindu worship. To practice the religion of yoga spiritually, is to deny Jesus Christ. Their “poses” and stretching “positions” imitate pagan gods. To practice the so-called “modern” yoga is harmful as this can push you into a “new age” style of thinking (and I know people this has happened to) which is contrary to the teachings of the Church. “Yoga” means “to control,” and it promises salvation via pagan gods. It manipulates the body, mind and spirit, via physical postures, breathing control and chanting of these false beliefs. A real Christian will reject paganism, and all the heresies accosiated with them.

 

[ez3714]

Yeowch! (That’s not Hindu for anything, is it?) Doctor had me on multiple pain killers with their lovely multiple side effects, weekly therapy, and even threw in a TENS unit. What ultimately worked was getting me to lie on my stomach in certain poses a few minutes a day. Golly, maybe I got myself oppressed through that.

 

[Baelor]

I read that Hindus scoff at the idea that yoga can be divorced from its religious roots and that the Vatican exorcist and Pope Benedict have condemned it.

Quotations please? This would be very interesting to read.

And the fact that “Hindus scoff” at something means nothing other than they scoff at something. Many Christians scoff at the idea of the Real Presence. It still exists.

I don’t think yoga has much to offer Catholics

Does working out on an elliptical? Lifting weights? Running?

Yoga is not compatible with Christianity, no matter how much one tries to “sugar-coat” it.

Actually, it is. Rent a yoga tape, and tell me whether the instructors who never mention religion or spirituality once are trying to “reach Vishnu.” Furthermore, Vishnu is irrelevant in some forms of spiritual yoga.

To practice the religion of yoga spiritually, is to deny Jesus Christ

Correct. To practice yoga, however, does nothing to deny Christ.

 

[PhilOSophia]

Quotations please? This would be very interesting to read.

abcnews.go.com/GMA/Diet/story?id=1445934&page=1
zimbio.com/Pope+Benedict+XVI/articles/aZuC1D14KOl/Vatican+Exorcist+Says+Yoga+Harry+Potter+Satanic

And the fact that “Hindus scoff” at something means nothing other than they scoff at something. Many Christians scoff at the idea of the Real Presence. It still exists.

Errr … Hinuds invented yoga. I guess they understand it pretty well. No Catholics scoff at the Real Presence. C scoffing at D has no relation A’s opinion of B.

 

[Baelor]

As alluded to, the zimbio link uses the quotation to label Catholics “nutcases.”

And honestly, the opinion of an exorcist, even the Vatican’s, is not binding, nor do I agree with it on any level.

Furthermore, the quotations of Pope Benedict mention potentiality – yoga can degenerate into something, but does not need to. Note that Pope Benedict mentions that it can becomes a cult of the body, something that does not tie to Hinduism necessarily at all (unless I am unaware of some common usage).

Errr … Hinuds invented yoga. I guess they understand it pretty well. No Catholics scoff at the Real Presence. C scoffing at D has no relation A’s opinion of B.

But their religious beliefs are incorrect, and the spirituality that accompanies yoga does not exist, so your statement that they “understand” it doesn’t make sense. The larger point, which you missed, is that someone scoffing at something does not make it untrue. It demonstrates only that that person believes it to be untrue. Furthermore, the fact that it is anecdotal renders it even more insignificant.

 

[RCIA4]

I’ve got a buddy in seminary and we both do Yoga lol… I’ve also taught it to my parish deacon who now goes to classes at the local YMCA lol…

As long as you’re not placing the Hindu/Buddhist elements over that of your Catholicness then it’s fine to practice as an exercise…

Don’t listen to the ninnies on here who say Yoga is totally immoral… They don’t know what they’re missing

 

[severus68]

How sad that you think that you yourself know the mind of God.

I think you are telling off a person who is of the same mind as you.

 

[ez3714]

I think you are telling off a person who is of the same mind as you.

As well he should!

 

[PhilOSophia]

Even anti-Catholics ‘get’ that the Church isn’t wild about Harry Potter and yoga. I posted that link becuase it was handy.
So is this one:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theology_of_Pope_Benedict_XVI#Harry_Potter_books

Can you divorce a practice from its history and its meaning and not be affected by either? I don’t think I’d want to be a test subject for that hypothesis. Especially when it comes to spiritual matters.
livestrong.com/article/375831-what-is-the-meaning-of-yoga-positions/
life.gaiam.com/article/whats-meaning-behind-your-favorite-yoga-pose

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Even anti-Catholics ‘get’ that the Church isn’t wild about Harry Potter and yoga. I posted that link becuase it was handy.
So is this one:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theology_of_Pope_Benedict_XVI#Harry_Potter_books

Please, don’t go there. So because the nuts that hate us think it’s bad, we should too? How backwards can you people get?

Can you divorce a practice from its history and its meaning and not be affected by either? I don’t think I’d want to be a test subject for that hypothesis. Especially when it comes to spiritual matters.

Care to watch me? forms ninja hand seals
Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!!!

Japanophile-Purist: walks by Dude, those signs are supposed to be for shrine maidens, not ninjas. -.-

In your world buddy, des es teh Mangaverse!

 

[severus68]

Please, don’t go there. So because the nuts that hate us think it’s bad, we should too? How backwards can you people get?

Care to watch me? forms ninja hand seals
Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!!!

Japanophile-Purist: walks by Dude, those signs are supposed to be for shrine maidens, not ninjas. -.-

In your world buddy, des es teh Mangaverse!

Lol.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

I have nothing to add except I’ve had interesting converstations about HP with a Catholic who does yoga but thinks HP is about witchcraft. I’m always tempted to end our converstations with “obliviate” and a little wand wave with a writing instrument. Someone tell me this is a bad idea.

 

[Baelor]

Can you divorce a practice from its history and its meaning and not be affected by either? I don’t think I’d want to be a test subject for that hypothesis. Especially when it comes to spiritual matters.

Yes. There is nothing here to test. Just buy a yoga mat, pop in the DVD featuring extremely toned young to middle-aged women telling you to do the upward dog, and stretch. Done. There is no theological issue here. Yoga can be as innocuous as elliptical exercise unless you look for the spiritual overtones.

The Bacchic rite involved running around (among other things) in frenzy. Perhaps I should recommend that my jogger friends cease immediately.

 

[Baelor]

Double-post

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

I’m always tempted to end our converstations with “obliviate” and a little wand wave with a writing instrument. Someone tell me this is a bad idea.

A memory charm? Frankly, that’s too kind. You’re lucky. You wouldn’t want to know what I would do… and my spell repertoire doesn’t limit itself to the Potter boy’s universe either.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

A memory charm? Frankly, that’s too kind. You’re lucky. You wouldn’t want to know what I would do… and my spell repertoire doesn’t limit itself to the Potter boy’s universe either.

Too kind? I thought it was over-kill after I thought about it*. I couldn’t do it anyway; I know I couldn’t deal with the guilt. I know one mustn’t abuse ones’s gifts. Much.

*Or maybe not. She refers to Childcraft books as witchcraft, too. :banghead:

 

[PhilOSophia]

Please, don’t go there. So because the nuts that hate us think it’s bad, we should too? How backwards can you people get?

Which people is that?

I’m saying that even “the nuts that hate us” are aware that the Church doesn’t endorse yoga 100%, to Catholics. But some/many Catholics don’t know this.

Here are a few more links, courtesy of Google:
google.co.uk/search?q=“gabriel+amorth”+yoga

And the one again about Pope Benedit on Harry Potter, which I didn’t know until searching on it as a result of this conversation.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theology_of_Pope_Benedict_XVI#Harry_Potter_books

 

[PhilOSophia]

I have nothing to add except I’ve had interesting converstations about HP with a Catholic who does yoga but thinks HP is about witchcraft. I’m always tempted to end our converstations with “obliviate” and a little wand wave with a writing instrument. Someone tell me this is a bad idea.

Ummm … well, isn’t Harry Potter a wizard and his lady friend a witch? So your friend is right. Just because they don’t summon spirits using the Lesser Key Of Solomon doesn’t mean the content is harmless. It normalises magic (or magick) and makes it seem attractive. Witches and wizards are protrayed as rebellious heroes living in an exciting world, while ordinary mortals live in a boring one.