Can we "baptize" yoga?

[LovelyLadybug]

I know yoga originates in strictly non-christian origins (Hinduism, I think, although I’m pretty sure it is also practiced in Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, etc…) But what if, instead of meditating on Hindu practices, you pray the Catholic prayers while just doing yoga for the exercise or as a method of relaxation? Is that morally wrong? Any thoughts on this? Thanks!!!

 

[Salibi]

You can…or you can just do the exercises without attributing any supernatural Hindu elements to them.

And keep in mind yoga is a big tent. Some branches of yoga are inherently religious and therefore problematic for Catholics. Others are modern and were developed in the West and are free of any religious undertones.

You’re going to get answers all over the place here, so it’s best to look into the type of yoga you yourself are interested in (if any) and look out for any supernatural influences. You can then make your own decision.

 

[puer.dei]

There’s no need to “baptize” yoga. Hindu meditations aren’t required, and most people who do yoga wouldn’t have a clue about how to do them.

 

[Gripper]

Each stance mimics a hindu god.

Go for a run, a swim, a bike ride etc.

 

[MNathaniel]

As someone mentioned, you’re probably going to get answers all over the map here. Haha.

I think that’s because this is among the questions that is still being, sort of, ‘sorted out’ right now?

So some people are identifying problems with yoga (e.g. involving beliefs about ‘chi’ and chakras, or about yoga achieving spiritual purposes that are explicitly framed in terms of a different religion, including some poses being designed to specifically express worship towards some specific Hindu deities (apparently)).

And some people are identifying theoretically harmless and adaptable elements of yoga (e.g. stretching, breath control, relaxation).

And the debate is mainly whether the one side’s position overwhelms the other. And that’s not decided yet.

I will say, a good and orthodox priest I know thinks the fuss about yoga is overblown, and I think he’s in the camp of thinking yoga can be harmless if it’s just stretching etc.

For myself, I personally think that yes, we should ‘baptize’ practices from other cultures and religions whenever possible – and at the same time I think we need to be very careful when we do so, because there may be more little changes necessary than we at first imagine (because little things, even unnoticed, can have a gradual effect on us over time). I haven’t personally looked into yoga enough to know what all the little things are that may need to be tweaked (e.g. especially regarding what one is told to visualize when doing each pose, including visualizing ‘energy’ moving within them or from them)… but especially because (apparently?) there’s also a risk that no matter what intent you have in doing a pose, others might interpret a specific pose as an expression of worship to a specific Hindu god that pose was designed for… other ‘stretching’ practices seem less problematic to begin with. E.g. Pilates. I know nuns who do pilates. Haha.

 

[Shakuhachi]

Intention is the key here.

People seem to miss that. As if one could worship or honor without intending. Impossible.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I think that’s because this is among the questions that is still being, sort of, ‘sorted out’ right now?

It’s not being “sorted out”. Yoga with religious practice, meditation, any kind of religious thought attached to it is not permissible for Catholics. Yoga as pure exercise devoid of any religious practice is just exercise. If somebody doesn’t want to do it, fine, but it’s not like if I put my body in a certain position with no thought of religion, I’m going to get zapped by some pagan god.

As someone else pointed out, yoga poses include laying flat on your back. We don’t worry about laying on our backs to sleep or relax or rest our back if we have a bad back.

There are such things as overthinking or seeing a sin under every bush.