Is yoga demonic or no?

  • Thread starter Thread starter maxdouglas402
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Evania said:
Okay, then if I innocently play with an Ouiji board, does it just depend on my intentions and motivation? What if my intention was simply to have fun with friends and I honestly don’t believe it can do any harm?
Click to expand...
Great point, yes, it makes sense. No matter how your rationalize it in your mind, it isn’t safe at all to play with this board if anything, it is very dangerous.
 
Evania said:
Ok, you posted that the Seer resides in himself, resting in it’s own True Nature. (Your caps, not mine), which is called Self-realization. According to their philosophy what would that be?
Click to expand...
Good question, Evania, because in the earliest it was a realization of oneness of the self with the universe. But Patanjali applied yoga to Sankhya philosophy where there is a duality between consciousness and matter. But later and mostly it is back to the pantheistic view. That is the goal, that self realization, liberation, that is their view of salvation… It does not have to be ours. Yoga is a means, not an end. That is why it can be applied to different philosophies and theologies.
Evania said:
Multiple people say that they feel ultra-relaxed, and then the gurus start spouting the eastern philosophy. A friend of mine has been practicing yoga for years, and says there’s more to yoga than stretching. You are seeking self-growth and enlightenment. Ok, maybe you aren’t SEEKING it, but it’s part and parcel of the practice in and of itself.
Click to expand...
Is there a problem with self growth?
Can’t “enlightenment” be akin to what Christians call “illumination”?

And yes, maybe a lot of yoga teachers are into the Eastern philosophy, start talking about chakras and all that. It is nothing but theory. What is real is flexibility, strength, balance and a calm mind. With that the “seer” (person doing the exercise) can either pray or focus thier attention on whatever they want or nothing at all.
Evania said:
The word yoga means “union,” and the goal is to unite one’s transitory (temporary) self with the infinite Brahman, the Hindu concept of “God.” This god is not a literal being, but is an impersonal spiritual substance that is one with nature and the cosmos. This view is called “pantheism,” the belief that everything is God and that reality consists only of the universe and nature. Because everything is God, the yoga philosophy makes no distinction between man and God. That would explain positions in yoga such as “Mountain”, “Tree” or “Fish”.
Click to expand...
You are right about the pantheistic philosphy which is nothing more than an interpretation of life & the universe. A Hindu seeks an experience, a realization of that unity. We do not need to share that interpretation. The positions in yoga really have no meaningful connection to the name other than they may slightly resemble them. Trikonasana, for example the name means three corner or triangle posture. No need to worship triangles or imagine a triangle god.


Evania said:
Hatha yoga is the aspect of yoga which focuses on the physical body through special postures, breathing exercises, and concentration or meditation. It is a means to prepare the body for the spiritual exercises, with fewer obstacles, in order to achieve enlightenment. The practice of yoga is based on the belief that man and God are one. It is little more than self-worship disguised as high-level spirituality. Cue the talk on “Reaching your Inner Divine”.
Click to expand...
It doesn’t really matter since it is a means, not an end. Otherwise you have to condemn the other aspects of yoga as well, don’t you? Seeking peace, telling the truth, not steeling, purity, cleanliness, contentment, etc. They are all even more important yoga than the postures. Since they also are pagan hindu yoga you must condemn them.

hinduism.about.com/od/basics/a/yamas_niyamas.htm
Evania said:
The dog’s not dangerous? Seems to me if everything is “god”, then so is the dog. And yes, that would be dangerous. The philosophy behind yoga suspiciously sounds like a certain false promise made by the serpent in the Garden,“Ye shall be like gods…”.
Click to expand...
I appreciate your caution but again that is the Hindu interpretation of the goal, not ours.
Reject the philosophical bathwater but we can keep the baby.
I have been doing it for 38 years and it has been nothing but a blessing.

If one really reads JESUS CHRIST THE BEARER OF THE WATER OF LIFE:A Christian reflection on the “New Age”vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html

and LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON SOME ASPECTS OF CHRISTIAN MEDITATION
ewtn.com/library/curia/cdfmed.htm

The warnings are all about interpretation, intention and belief.
 
Evania said:
Was basketball rooted in eastern mysticism? I don’t quite get your connection between that and yoga which has a Hindu philosophy of pantheism (belief that everything is God). I absolutely agree that it isn’t the end all, your example with the Pope is correct. However, the OP has had a similar experience that many well-meaning Christians who practice yoga experience. Yoga is designed to prepare you for spiritual exercises. The very word Yoga means Union. It prepares you for that by physical stretches to mimic their gods, whether it’s a tree, bird, mountain, whatever. The point is that you are to feel one with nature as you focus on breathing and meditation. If you are practicing it correctly, then usually there are the New-Age messages such as seeking your Inner Divine…such as what was reported by the OP.

Although I do see your point with the Pope, the difference is this: In one case a pagan custom was used to glorify God. How is this possible if you correctly follow Yoga? If you are not practicing Yoga as it was designed, then maybe you aren’t practicing Yoga at all and are simply stretching…
Click to expand...
My point with bball is that practices can evolve into something quite different, with quid a different purpose, than what was originally intended. And yes this inclides yoga.

How on earth does bending over and touching my toes mimic a Hindu god? Or lying flat on my back? Or standing on tiptoe? Unless there are Hindu gods of proctology, lazy people and ballet dancers that I’ve never heard of? 🤷

And yoga can indeed b transformed into something entirely Christian in the exact same way Pont Max was. By a simple shift in focus.

Instead of building bridges to the Roman gods, now Pontiffs build them to our God. In precisely the same way, instead of seeking union with, or to be yoked to, any false deity, we seek union with the blessed Trinity - which has always been the goal of every Catholic mystic - and to take on Christ’s own yoke. Instead of saluting the physical sun or some pagan sun-god, we are inviting into our hearts the Sun of Righteousness, the Daystar - Christ Himself.

And instead of thinking that we are imitating Hindu deities, we are literally and simply relaxing our minds and bodies by stretching as would a cat, a dog, a snake - or an archer, a warrior or a dancer - or whatnot.
 
Evania said:
If you are not practicing Yoga as it was designed, then maybe you aren’t practicing Yoga at all and are simply stretching…
Click to expand...
But again, I thought your point was that a yoga stretch is a pagan yoga activity regardless of intention or belief.

IF you want to say Yoga requires a specific intention and belief then I would agree we are just stretching. But that is not what I read you saying. Am I wrong?
 
Michael_Mayo said:
But again, I thought your point was that a yoga stretch is a pagan yoga activity regardless of intention or belief.

IF you want to say Yoga requires a specific intention and belief then I would agree we are just stretching. But that is not what I read you saying. Am I wrong?
Click to expand...
I never said stretching was the sole problem. Where did I say that?

What makes a stretch a “yoga” stretch?
 
LilyM said:
My point with bball is that practices can evolve into something quite different, with quid a different purpose, than what was originally intended. And yes this inclides yoga.

How on earth does bending over and touching my toes mimic a Hindu god? Or lying flat on my back? Or standing on tiptoe? Unless there are Hindu gods of proctology, lazy people and ballet dancers that I’ve never heard of? 🤷

And yoga can indeed b transformed into something entirely Christian in the exact same way Pont Max was. By a simple shift in focus.

Instead of building bridges to the Roman gods, now Pontiffs build them to our God. In precisely the same way, instead of seeking union with, or to be yoked to, any false deity, we seek union with the blessed Trinity - which has always been the goal of every Catholic mystic - and to take on Christ’s own yoke. Instead of saluting the physical sun or some pagan sun-god, we are inviting into our hearts the Sun of Righteousness, the Daystar - Christ Himself.

And instead of thinking that we are imitating Hindu deities, we are literally and simply relaxing our minds and bodies by stretching as would a cat, a dog, a snake - or an archer, a warrior or a dancer - or whatnot.
Click to expand...
So you are saying that when the guru spouts off the New Age nonsense, you’ll just pretend she’s referring to Jesus instead? When they try to get you to posture like their gods, you’ll go ahead and posture but with a different mindset?

Like Jesus said, “What relationship does darkness have with light?”

I guess this is where my confusion lies:

If you aren’t practicing what they say yoga is and what it’s purpose is (which is clearly laid out) then why the defense of it?

It sounds to me that you’re defending stretching…which I don’t have a problem with.
 
Evania said:
I never said stretching was the sole problem. Where did I say that?

What makes a stretch a “yoga” stretch?
Click to expand...
The same thing that makes a Parma ham a Parma ham - the stretches were invented by practitioners of yoga just as the ham was first produced in Parma, Italy.

Eating Parma ham doesn’t mean I reside in Parma, or can speak perfect Italian (or indeed any Italian). Or ever will. In other words the association of the ham with Parma does not in any way particularly open up the path for other associations.
 
I went to a yoga class last night and the only things I could think were “Dear God, please let his be over soon” and “Pigeon position? I’ve never seen a pigeon do this!”.
Apparently, the mysticism is lost on ones such as I…
 
LilyM said:
The same thing that makes a Parma ham a Parma ham - the stretches were invented by practitioners of yoga just as the ham was first produced in Parma, Italy.

Eating Parma ham doesn’t mean I reside in Parma, or can speak perfect Italian (or indeed any Italian). Or ever will. In other words the association of the ham with Parma does not in any way particularly open up the path for other associations.
Click to expand...
I think stretching existed from the beginning of time. I doubt it was discovered by the Hindus and copyrighted as “Yoga”.

So if I lift my arm over my head I’m practicing yoga?
Touching your toes is solely a “yoga” stretch?
I don’t think so.
 
Then tell us, Evania, what is a yoga stretch and how does it differ from a non-yoga stretch.
 
Evania said:
I think stretching existed from the beginning of time. I doubt it was discovered by the Hindus and copyrighted as “Yoga”.

So if I lift my arm over my head I’m practicing yoga?
Touching your toes is solely a “yoga” stretch?
I don’t think so.
Click to expand...
So has ham.

An analogy might be the way ‘Kleenex’ is commonly used to refer to any brand of tissue. AFAIK Kleenex did not invent facial tissues (I believe the Chinese were at least a few centuries ahead of them) but the product became so associated with that company that tge company name serves as a shorthand for the item.
 
Here’s where your analogy doesn’t make much sense. If I bend down to touch my toes, I can assure you that I’m NOT practicing yoga.

That goes with any of my other stretching exercises.

Like I said before, when I stretch my arm over my head, I’m no more practicing yoga than conversing with dead spirits when I do my novena to St. Therese. One is rooted in mysticism, the other to Christianity.
Hmmm…Much like yoga and Christianity.
There is a difference.
 
Evania said:
Here’s where your analogy doesn’t make much sense. If I bend down to touch my toes, I can assure you that I’m NOT practicing yoga.

That goes with any of my other stretching exercises.

Like I said before, when I stretch my arm over my head, I’m no more practicing yoga than conversing with dead spirits when I do my novena to St. Therese. One is rooted in mysticism, the other to Christianity.

There is a difference.
Click to expand...
But you are still apparently imitating a Hindu deity (still haven’t told us which one, nor how exactly touching your toes imitates them). 🤷
 
Really, since I’m Christian and don’t do yoga, and you apparently do…maybe you can tell me which one I’m imitating when I stretch my arm to reach for a can of corn on the top shelf. Would that be the mountain god???
 
Michael_Mayo said:
You mean Padangusthasana

yogajournal.com/media/originals/padangustasana_1.jpg
Click to expand...
So every movement we make is linked to yoga? I can’t bend down to pick a piece of lint off my shoe?

I like to think ALL of my actions are used to glorify God…You don’t feel the same?
Why the fixation of every movement of your body being Yoga in nature?
I would say that you’re pulling my leg…but then you’ll come back and say that’s a yoga stretch too.

Seriously though, I don’t have, and never had a problem with stretching. For some readon you keep saying that is my sole argument. That doesn’t diminish the fact that they were made after Hindu gods. However, if you KNOW that and yet still do it, that’s on you…

Me…if I’m stretching my arm up above my head, it’s probably because I’m short and having trouble reaching something.
 
Evania said:
Really, since I’m Christian and don’t do yoga, and you apparently do…maybe you can tell me which one I’m imitating when I stretch my arm to reach for a can of corn on the top shelf. Would that be the mountain god???
Click to expand...
No, more like a version of virabhandrasana (Warrior pose)
 
Evania said:
So every movement we make is linked to yoga? I can’t bend down to pick a piece of lint off my shoe;)

I like to think ALL of my actions are used to glorify God…You don’t feel the same?
Click to expand...
Pretty much.
Actually I do, including yoga.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top