Thank you very much for the kind-hearted advice, and I will do more reading on the subject
Currently though, I am not Christian (though I believe in Christ’s basic teachings as a philosophy) and personally hold many eastern spiritual beliefs, try to practice them often, and find them to be, well, awesome and fulfilling. But I’m always happy to learn more and keep an open mind
Does the RCC teach anything about Pilates? Is it acceptable to members?
I’m not an expert, but based on what I read, it’s very similar and I would be hesitant about it. I don’t usually use Wikipedia, but it had the most concise description I could find:
*Principles
Pilates claimed his method has a philosophical and theoretical foundation. It claims not merely to be a collection of exercises but a method developed and refined over more than eighty years of use and observation. One interpretation of Pilates Principles: Centering, Concentration, Control, Precision, Breathing, and Flowing Movement, similar to yoga.
[edit]Mind over matter
According to practitioners, the central element of Pilates is to create a fusion of mind and body, so that without thinking about it the body will move with economy, grace, and balance; using one’s body to the greatest advantage, making the most of its strengths, counteracting its weaknesses, and correcting its imbalances. The goal is to produce an attention-free union of mind and body, the method requires that one constantly pays attention to one’s body while doing the movements. Paying attention to movement is so vital that it is more important than any other single aspect of the movements or the method.
*
(from:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilates)
I would just caution you, and anyone, to carefully consider the following before starting a yoga or Pilates regimen.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say regarding meditation:
*II. MEDITATION
2705 Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking. The required attentiveness is difficult to sustain. We are usually helped by books, and Christians do not want for them: the Sacred Scriptures, particularly the Gospels, holy icons, liturgical texts of the day or season, writings of the spiritual fathers, works of spirituality, the great book of creation, and that of history the page on which the “today” of God is written.
2706 To meditate on what we read helps us to make it our own by confronting it with ourselves. Here, another book is opened: the book of life. We pass from thoughts to reality. To the extent that we are humble and faithful, we discover in meditation the movements that stir the heart and we are able to discern them. It is a question of acting truthfully in order to come into the light: “Lord, what do you want me to do?”
2707 There are as many and varied methods of meditation as there are spiritual masters. Christians owe it to themselves to develop the desire to meditate regularly, lest they come to resemble the three first kinds of soil in the parable of the sower.5 But a method is only a guide; the important thing is to advance, with the Holy Spirit, along the one way of prayer: Christ Jesus.
2708 Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.
2724 Contemplative prayer is the simple expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, an attentiveness to the Word of God, a silent love. It achieves real union with the prayer of Christ to the extent that it makes us share in his mystery.*
If you are meditating (as in yoga), your focus isn’t on God, and that’s one of the reasons it can be dangerous. You can open yourself up to things other than God, which we shouldn’t do.
God bless, and hopefully we can all lose some weight and celebrate here together!
, and I thought maybe a thread where we can discuss and support our efforts would be helpful.
