Is yoga demonic or no?

[Chantal25]

Sweet heart, you are so right we cannot condemn anyone and the church forbid anyone to do so. Jean Paul II has been clear of not judging and this message bring warms to my heart.

you are dearly loved and blessings to you!

 

[John_of_Woking]

I was informed that there is no teaching in the church against yoga.

I discovered that even if the Hindu’s claim that yoga is offered up to their gods, there really is only one God, The Holy Trinity.

I started a yoga class last night at myyogaonline.com and the teacher kept speaking of the body healing itself, and finding that inner divine. I completely ignored her teachings but I followed the movements and physical aspects of what she was teaching.

I strangely woke up in the middle of the night last night and was wide awake.

Im wondering if yoga affects the mind more than it affects the spirit, or vice versa, or neither. They speak of teaching the body how to fix itself. Somewhat like a neural reboot. I felt this might have affected my spiritual life. Or maybe I was just being paranoid.

Again, I completely ignore the philosophies of yoga. I merely focus on what they tell me to do physically. But sometimes when Im in a relaxed laying down position it seems like they start bombarding me with their philosophies. In a calm voice they say, “let that inner divine come out.” Or something along those lines.

I have experienced some troubles in the past with evil spirits so I was definitely worried when I entered into it. But I woke up this morning and felt this great soreness on my muscles that I was looking for. I have a lot of injuries from football and yoga seems like it can really help.

Any advice? (sorry for such a long post)

The Vatican has counselled against yoga. I think it is inadvisable. I doubt it’s demonic though

 

[VivienneJ]

The Vatican has counselled against yoga.

Really?

Searching CAFs AAA thread for ‘vatican and yoga’ gives this result:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=14225&highlight=vatican+yoga

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=39690&highlight=vatican+yoga

Seems to me that the exercises are just exercises and fine to do. The spirituality is not fine and that is what is to be avoided.

 

[John_of_Woking]

Jesus Christ the water bearer of life. 2003 Vatican released document counsels against yoga. Peace

 

[John_of_Woking]

I am a formal Reiki Master Teacher, did yoga and other modality … After praying and asking Mother Mary to guide me with my wrong doing, it didn’t take much time that i got ride of anything to do with new age. I had to pray to have remorse because i couldn’t see the wrong in that. After going to the confession and the priest prayed for me, all of my ability vanished. If this would have been from God, it wouldn’t have been affected.

Kudalini use a serpent energy. Are you sure, you want that in you? It is very dangerous to get caught up in yoga or any new age modality and thinking you are working for God, since this is about love but i can assure, you aren’t serving God at all. You may think you are helping others but you are helping them to lose their soul instead.

New age tendency is to discredit the bible, certainly the Catholic church, discredit the desire to be humble, discredit charity because of all this manifestation and abundance craziness etc… I can name you many other flaws.

Anything that isn’t taught by Jesus, stay away from it. When human will be ready to learn more, Jesus will do so, but until then, our task is to do God’s will and follow Jesus’s teaching without forgetting the Blessed Virgin Mary. We do this with staying close to the Catholic church and her sacrements, charity, being humble and keep desiring to do God’s will while loving him with all of our heart and loving others.

New age is seeking for external power and it worshiping another God that you like it or not, i didn’t think i was but trust me, i was without realizing this. Only grieve and deep regrets come from this, the thought of all the soul that i misguided is unbearable but thankfully, i know that i can pray for them now and you bet i do.

Anyway, don’t get involve with yoga.

I would pray simply Mother Mary if i was you and ask for guidance, clarity and protection. Pray to have remorse once you suspect what you do isn’t Jesus’s teaching, then go to the confession.

Beside praying everyday, i recommend to simply go in nature and go for a nice walk. Doing nice thing for others bring also peace and joy within.

Ditch the yoga or anything new age period. Go back to read the bible

All the best!

Thanks for sharing. I agree. Stay away from yoga.

 

[Shamati]

I can also testify to having had what in yoga-terms is called a “kundalini-awakening” but which i at time considered an awakening/enlightening experience in which the Holy Ghost deacended upon my & opened my eyes. It was only later i found out its called kundalini in the East but what they mean about it is probably what we in the west know as the Holy Ghost. Such an awakening for sure makes one susceptible for the spiritual world and I definitivt agree in that one should think hard about it & if its done, that one followed a stricter life in pursuit o holiness by Love.

All powers & gifts endowed upon man by God are neutral in nature. Yoga is not evil in itself but it is serious business since it often produces actual spiritual results one can feel and that changes you, and is not merely an intellectual treatise of what might be there as is so dominant within western christianity.

To ban yoga for catholics would be a grace mistake imho as it seems to offer some meaning. One cannot simply ban a spiritual exercise and offer no adequate substitute. People are turning to yoga from within christendom because their souls are hungry for God. This hunger is a blessing in these dark days in which we live & the Holy See should take the requests of these hungry souls very seriously indeed and maybe educate their priests & monks & nuns in educating the people who dont know why, only THAT they are hungry for God. Why not construct a spiritual program such as st. ignatius de loyola’s spiritual exercises, updated for modern times and incorporating all the spiritual riches of catholicism (especially hesychasm)?

All many of these people know is that for some reason they are no longer content with the fact that there is a God or the dogmas that are printed in the cathecesis. They want to be WITH God and will strive for it at all costs. This is a blessing that needs guidance or else it can turn out to be a curse upon the individual who may become so desperate in their lack of answers and the perceived shallowness of their religious tradition will leave their religion and dull the thirst of their soul with sex, drugs, violence etc.

“Neurosis is a soul who have not yet found its meaning” Carl Gustav Jung

 

[draco_cupri]

As a matter of fact i am about to do just that. I’m only a potential convert to catholicism from swedish lutheran church & in that church many evil deeds are considered virtues, such as homosexuality, trans-gender sentiments, abortions up until labor, pre-marital sex is no longer an issue. Its a microcosm of what happens right now in the larger macrocosm that is western christianity.

I believe that we can not rebuild christianity by simply condemning all these actions that are essentially matters of the flesh and this world and get all Christian churches to reject these values in puirsuit of holiness without spirituality.
At the very center of the crisis of western christendom is a crisis in the soul. A majority of Christians, at least in Sweden, seem to be only concerned with the outer meanings of the bible, the amount of money and prestigious goods they can get and their looks.
Meanwhile the leaders of the churches sits idle & can offer little spiritual guidance & see their only function as wedding and burying. No wonder the apostasy to new age is so great since it demands no commitment to dogmas & instead offer the whole worlds practical spiritual techniques.

I cant see how the 8 limbs of yoga can be bad?
Yama : Universal morality
Niyama : Personal observances
Asanas : Body postures
Pranayama : Breathing exercises, and control of prana
Pratyahara : Control of the senses
Dharana : Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness
Dhyana : Devotion, Meditation on the Divine
Samadhi : Union with the Divine

Union with God is also the goal of christianity & the path Jesus showed us. I just dont see where these 8 limbs of Yoga in its most basic sense contradict the Word of God or serve Evil? I appreciate your prayers & will pray for you also but i cant find the anti-christian teachings of these 8 limbs of what yoga is at its roots.

In the eastern churches there developed a discipline named hesychasm whose ultimate goal also is union with God. We already have the tools needed within world christendom but the inability of leaders to sense that te peoples souls are in hunger has lead many to believe there simply is nothing there but dogmas.

I believe that if christianity does not find its soul & teach its people the path towards sainthood, the religion will keep shrinking.

Holy Love - An Ecumenical Ministry & Shrine

Holy Love Ministries Messages of Truth Maranatha Spring and Shrine The Spirituality of The United Hearts The Rosary of the Unborn Upholding the Ministry, Mission, and Apparitions

www.holylove.org

The above web site contains a road map, as it were, to authentic Union. The Way is prayer, much prayer. Jesus said to pray “unceasingly.”

There is a very great difference, actually, between the “union” that one can obtain following a naturalistic path like yoga, and real Union that one obtains only through Eucharistic Devotion and through prayer. The prayer of the Rosary is most highly recommended, and it is the one prayer that Our Blessed Mother continually requests at every single one of her authentic apparitions. The Rosary can be prayed at any time, you don’t need a priest, the way you need a priest for, for example, Mass. The Rosary will lead you to Eucharistic Devotion, and the Rosary — rosary after rosary after rosary — will bring you to authentic Union.

The “union” that is Samadhi is natural only, not supernatural, and as such, it isn’t even union with God, but rather union with the image of God in your own soul. We are made in God’s image, and there is a spiritual reality to our souls that is accessible to us when we take up certain spiritual practices. Many mistake their experience of the spirituality of their own soul for an experience of God. But God is Supernatural, not merely natural, and naturalistic practices like yoga can only lead you to experience the natural. To experience the supernatural, you have to come to Jesus, and Jesus is Present in the Blessed Sacrament.

Google “Penitential Rosary Crusade,” and begin to participate in that. I can testify that if you do so, you will quickly see results, real results, and you will be led on a way that is Infinite, because it leads to God, who is Infinite.

 

[Chantal25]

Really?

Searching CAFs AAA thread for ‘vatican and yoga’ gives this result:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=14225&highlight=vatican+yoga

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=39690&highlight=vatican+yoga

Seems to me that the exercises are just exercises and fine to do. The spirituality is not fine and that is what is to be avoided.

Your reference are from a forum. I found two articles where the church says that it isn’t suitable for anyone practicing the Catholic faith. Read my previous post to find them

 

[VivienneJ]

Your reference are from a forum. I found two articles where the church says that it isn’t suitable for anyone practicing the Catholic faith. Read my previous post to find them

Umm, you did note which forum, didn’t you?

Which articles? The links I found in your posts are:

cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=16643 This is about Reiki - yes I would not go near that

rootofjesse2.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/yoga-reiki-catholics-why-not/ This is a blog

catholicassociates.com/leaflets/Hidden%20dangers%20New%20Age.pdf And this is not from The Vatican, it is the opinion of a particular web publisher.

I’d still take the answers of two different Catholic Answers Apologists more seriously.

 

[Shamati]

holylove.org

The above web site contains a road map, as it were, to authentic Union. The Way is prayer, much prayer. Jesus said to pray “unceasingly.”

There is a very great difference, actually, between the “union” that one can obtain following a naturalistic path like yoga, and real Union that one obtains only through Eucharistic Devotion and through prayer. The prayer of the Rosary is most highly recommended, and it is the one prayer that Our Blessed Mother continually requests at every single one of her authentic apparitions. The Rosary can be prayed at any time, you don’t need a priest, the way you need a priest for, for example, Mass. The Rosary will lead you to Eucharistic Devotion, and the Rosary — rosary after rosary after rosary — will bring you to authentic Union.

The “union” that is Samadhi is natural only, not supernatural, and as such, it isn’t even union with God, but rather union with the image of God in your own soul. We are made in God’s image, and there is a spiritual reality to our souls that is accessible to us when we take up certain spiritual practices. Many mistake their experience of the spirituality of their own soul for an experience of God. But God is Supernatural, not merely natural, and naturalistic practices like yoga can only lead you to experience the natural. To experience the supernatural, you have to come to Jesus, and Jesus is Present in the Blessed Sacrament.

Google “Penitential Rosary Crusade,” and begin to participate in that. I can testify that if you do so, you will quickly see results, real results, and you will be led on a way that is Infinite, because it leads to God, who is Infinite.

How do you know that the mystical union brought by Yoga is not the true union with God? Does allmighty God confine his salvation only to those brought up in an western culture or only to those who use spiritual exercises or techniques invented by catholics? I personally cannot believe this.
Yoga is neutral in its powers & will only lead you where your true intentions wants it to lead you. After I do Yoga, i meditate on the Jesus prayer, the our father, the crucifiction or scriptures. The 8 paths of yoga as valid virtues cant be off-limits becaus they have been translated from a sanskrit text written by men not exposed to Christ and into english. Why not construct a catholic yoga system with latin prayers, the rosary & the whole bit. Lets face the truth here: Yoga wont simply go away from the west & will continue to conquer souls in the name of New Age from christianity because christianity it seems to the people have no answers to the questions, no relevance for “me, personally, here and now”. Christianity is not used to being challenged in this way where it cannot resort to scripture quotes and its infallability to persuade people to stay. This question of yoga is to be taken very seriously indeed and the Catholic church needs a modern alternative that has RELEVANCE for people today in that is should be applicable to life in modern society.

Many catholics today seems to not be interested in guiding seekers through spiritual exercises.

Look, I live in Europe and here is a chilins fact about the west Today which means Anerica tomorrow: 81% of europeans believe there is a God. 20% consider themselves practicibg christians according to CBN news.

So, what shall we as Christians do to convince western people which have the blessing of a soul hungering for God that the religion that built the west is superior in guidance towards true spiritual progress when so many catholic churches simply is no longer on the level of spirituality anymore but concentrated on social gatherings & dilemmas of modern life being true to the scripture and dogmas?

The eastern orthodox seems far superior in this quetion right now and I believe it is because Roman Catholicism is now in shambles, no difference in lithurgy from lutheranism , infested by moral relativism & attempts to liberally politicize its organisation.

I think i’m the exception around the crowd called spiritual seekers in that I choose Roman Catholicism. Ask yourselves why would anyone who dont believe Christ started One church & that one needs to join it choose the Catholic church? As a Christian spiritual seeker one is more likely to choose Orthodoxy I believe with its Divine Lithurgy if St John Chrysostom, its teachings about meditations & organic structure. What catholics needs to realize is that protestantism is Dead or Dying & that emulating anything originating in it will lead to suicide. Go back to the roots & construct a spiritual exercise program consisting of all the very best of Catholic and Orthodox spiritual exercises. Make it applicable in todays hectic life while keeping sound doctrine intact. Take the system if Yogas 8 limbs (which in their basics are comptible with catholicism) & adjust their teachings to the virtues, commandments, sacraments etc. and exchange the eastern symbolism for christian (rose instead of lotus etc)
Its just a proposal but I wholeheartedly believe that for Christianity to prosper & have an effect on society people needs to be able. Both GROW IN THEIR FAITH & IN THEIR SPIRITUAL PATH. The 2 cannot be mutually exclusive.

Yoga is now so common in the west that continued condemnation will only alienate them with christian roots that have found significant spiritual growth in Yoga.

The inability to keep up with the longing of the peoples soul was what brought down paganism.
What is christianity for if not this? What rating does it give the church of today that this problem even exists?

Could it be that all focus on the problems of “the world” & how to be relevant in its affairs have caused the church to lose touch with “the heavenly world” and its divine mission to lead people there?

Bless you

 

[John_of_Woking]

Umm, you did note which forum, didn’t you?

Which articles? The links I found in your posts are:

cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=16643 This is about Reiki - yes I would not go near that

rootofjesse2.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/yoga-reiki-catholics-why-not/ This is a blog

catholicassociates.com/leaflets/Hidden%20dangers%20New%20Age.pdf And this is not from The Vatican, it is the opinion of a particular web publisher.

I’d still take the answers of two different Catholic Answers Apologists more seriously.

If you want the views of THE Catholic Answers apologist on New Age…then see what Sharon Lee Giganti has to say about yoga. She is full square against it…as are the Vatican

 

[VivienneJ]

If you want the views of THE Catholic Answers apologist on New Age…then see what Sharon Lee Giganti has to say about yoga. She is full square against it…as are the Vatican

Thank you for that. Through Sharon Lee Giganti’s site I found a link to this (vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html) Vatican document. Now this is more the sort of proof I’d like to find, however, this document is clearly referring to New Age Spirituality and that is obviously something no Catholic should become involved with. It does not say anywhere that performing yoga stretches in your own home as part of your fitness regime is forbidden to Catholics.

So I still contend that doing yoga exercises (not meditation, or any of the other ‘disciplines’ attached to yoga) is no different from any other exercises.

 

[BroomWagon]

In the USA we get Veria TV, sort of a health channel, anyway, many people know Pilates and Pilates seems a lot like Yoga except it doesn’t have the so-called “Meditation Aspect” to it but save that… I have commented on this before, if I repeat myself sorry.

Father DeChanet of France wrote Christian Yoga post World War II. He may be the Father so to speak of Modern Christian Yoga.

I read his book Christian Yoga.

He talked about how Yoga unified his body and soul and how it seemed to dull the more base desires of human beings.

Some links: christianspracticingyoga.com/wp/spirituality-of-the-body/father-jean-marie-dechanet/

There are different disciplines of Yoga.

The one to stay away from according to a guest on Catholic Relevant Radio** is Kundalini Yoga. **

I’ve seen yoga called exercise, philosophy as this page says: asktheyogateacher.com/classes-seminars/faq

It’s also called a science? So which is correct?

But if it really bothers someone, Pilates seems real similar to Yoga, Pilates to me is just not as strenuous, not nearly so.

 

[BroomWagon]

If you want the views of THE Catholic Answers apologist on New Age…then see what Sharon Lee Giganti has to say about yoga. She is full square against it…as are the Vatican

*In 1989 and 2003, the Vatican issued two documents: Aspects of Christian meditation and “A Christian reflection on the New Age,” that were mostly critical of eastern and New Age practices. The 2003 document was published as a 90 page handbook detailing the Vatican’s position.[163] The Vatican warned that concentration on the physical aspects of meditation “can degenerate into a cult of the body” and that equating bodily states with mysticism “could also lead to psychic disturbance and, at times, to moral deviations.” *Such has been compared to the early days of Christianity, when the church opposed the gnostics’ belief that salvation came not through faith but through a mystical inner knowledge.[159] The letter also says, “one can see if and how [prayer] might be enriched by meditation methods developed in other religions and cultures”[164] but maintains the idea that “there must be some fit between the nature of [other approaches to] prayer and Christian beliefs about ultimate reality.”[159] Some fundamentalist Christian organizations consider yoga to be incompatible with their religious background, considering it a part of the New Age movement inconsistent with Christianity.[165]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_therapy

This keys on the “New Age” aspect. There are valid points relating to a New Age aspect indeed.

 

[Shamati]

In the USA we get Veria TV, sort of a health channel, anyway, many people know Pilates and Pilates seems a lot like Yoga except it doesn’t have the so-called “Meditation Aspect” to it but save that… I have commented on this before, if I repeat myself sorry.

Father DeChanet of France wrote Christian Yoga post World War II. He may be the Father so to speak of Modern Christian Yoga.

I read his book Christian Yoga.

He talked about how Yoga unified his body and soul and how it seemed to dull the more base desires of human beings.

Some links: christianspracticingyoga.com/wp/spirituality-of-the-body/father-jean-marie-dechanet/

There are different disciplines of Yoga.

The one to stay away from according to a guest on Catholic Relevant Radio** is Kundalini Yoga. **

I’ve seen yoga called exercise, philosophy as this page says: asktheyogateacher.com/classes-seminars/faq

It’s also called a science? So which is correct?

But if it really bothers someone, Pilates seems real similar to Yoga, Pilates to me is just not as strenuous, not nearly so.

All yoga is first and foremost designed to first improve the flow of Kundalini, which is the sanskrit term for The Holy Ghost & ultimately experience Mystical Union. It it this aspect the yogis claim to be impossible to separate from the mere physical exercises. Improvement of spirit and soul just comes as a plus if engaged in yoga only for physical pleasures.

These things are painfully obvious in Europe:

1. Yoga is definitely in the west to stay.
2. The continued condemnation from Christian circles and lack of functioning genuinely Christian alternatives has lead to christianity not only losing the agnosticts and atheists to the great apostasy. (Apostasy to New Age often leads to the apostate engaging in genuinely occult activities as its a core doctrine in New Age)
   But christendom is now also losing the spiritual seekers (potential saints) to New Age.
3. This is a more dangerous situation for christianity than the reformation or gnosticism.

What should be done to solvenit and again make people hunger for The Trinity?

 

[Michael_Mayo]

1. The continued condemnation from Christian circles and **lack of functioning genuinely Christian alternatives **has lead to christianity not only losing the agnosticts and atheists to the great apostasy. (Apostasy to New Age often leads to the apostate engaging in genuinely occult activities as its a core doctrine in New Age)

Yes, suppose one wants to involve every muscle, every fiber of ones being in prayer.
That is what it does for me. Then it is not just my mind and spirit in prayer. It is my body also. It is total. What alternative does conservative Christianity offer? Prostration, kneeling, arms outstretched. Why not more?

 

[BroomWagon]

All yoga is first and foremost designed to first improve the flow of Kundalini, which is the sanskrit term for The Holy Ghost & ultimately experience Mystical Union. It it this aspect the yogis claim to be impossible to separate from the mere physical exercises. Improvement of spirit and soul just comes as a plus if engaged in yoga only for physical pleasures.

These things are painfully obvious in Europe:

1. Yoga is definitely in the west to stay.
2. The continued condemnation from Christian circles and lack of functioning genuinely Christian alternatives has lead to christianity not only losing the agnosticts and atheists to the great apostasy. (Apostasy to New Age often leads to the apostate engaging in genuinely occult activities as its a core doctrine in New Age)
   But christendom is now also losing the spiritual seekers (potential saints) to New Age.
3. This is a more dangerous situation for christianity than the reformation or gnosticism.

What should be done to solvenit and again make people hunger for The Trinity?

Kundalini may be a Sanskrit word but it is also just one unique discipline of Yoga as others are, Vinyasa, Hatha, etc.

People need activities, it be baseball, cycling, Yoga has the postures, the positions, the Asanas.

I don’t know if doing something simple like the Tree Pose, etc. by itself is wrong.

 

[TheWarriorMonk]

What alternative does conservative Christianity offer?

Not much that I’m aware of that is a fully developed system. There are various systems that are simply self-defense or weapons oriented. Krav Maga is one of the most well known. I’m also aware of attempts to recreate, or form, systems based on Christian medieval fighting techniques.

There is a Jewish martial art that may fit the role, but it’s not as widespread as other arts:

abirwarriorarts.com/en

FWIW, many of the movements in that system look a lot kung fu movements.

 

[glamourdollxoxo]

I regularly practice hot yoga where your in a 95 degree room and it’s never been centered around any religious beliefs, but pure fitness and stretching.

 

[BroomWagon]

I regularly practice hot yoga where your in a 95 degree room and it’s never been centered around any religious beliefs, but pure fitness and stretching.

I agree! Let’s see better arguments if we are to believe there is something untold with the Yoga most of us might practice.

Also Like I said, I read a book called Christian Yoga and there’s another book with that same name too.

If one sounds the alarm too much, then they won’t be taken serious, I’ve heard Yoga practices where someone might say “the mind’s eye”, that I don’t like. But I heard that from only one teacher some years ago. Sometimes I’m not sure if people talk about “Chakras” as well but these don’t really enter into my yoga practice.

Channel 218 on Dish Satellite if anyone has that, is called Veria TV, they have a number of Yoga shows on and one Pilates show on numerous times a week. Those shows on Veria at least by Kurt Johnson and Sadie Nardini are total exercise and stretching.

Of course, there are other shows on tv too, websites on the net. Wai Lana comes on our educational station, she’s okay, more entertaining to watch than to follow.