Yoga and Catholicism

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Ro_A said:
Why is yoga dicouraged by the Church? :confused:
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Is yoga discouraged? I know that it is traditionally a part of another religion ( Hindu isn’t it?) And that would make sense to discourage becoming entangled in that , but if you just do the exercises Is that a problem? I don’t know. I do a program which includes some yoga. I often skip it because it takes more time than the other exercises that I do. But on the few occasions when I did do it I got a good workout and I prayed to my own God as I always do.Have you heard something that I should know about?
 
The physical part of yoga, when used for exercise, is not an issue.

Aside from the physical exercises as just exercises however, they form an integral part of the meditative and philosophical part of yoga. This philosophy runs counter to Catholic teachings, as it has it’s basis in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

So, it you are just doing the yoga to get fit and limber (maybe while watching EWTN), it is cool. If you are doing the yoga as part of your delving into Eastern religious practices, that is uncool and what the Church warns against (as she warns against embracing any false religion).
 
TheDoctor said:
This philosophy runs counter to Catholic teachings, as it has it’s basis in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism…
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You should provide more specific information to support your claim. Can you share what, exactly, runs counter to Catholic teachings? Just naming other religions doesn’t cut it (and p.s it’s should be its in your post). Thanks.
 
TheDoctor said:
The physical part of yoga, when used for exercise, is not an issue.

Aside from the physical exercises as just exercises however, they form an integral part of the meditative and philosophical part of yoga. This philosophy runs counter to Catholic teachings, as it has it’s basis in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

So, it you are just doing the yoga to get fit and limber (maybe while watching EWTN), it is cool. If you are doing the yoga as part of your delving into Eastern religious practices, that is uncool and what the Church warns against (as she warns against embracing any false religion).
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Well, I must go a little further and say that the physical part can be an issue. It is not merely the religious aspect of Yoga – we are not allowed to blend religions, nor adopt religious practices meant for pagan gods, which are described in scripture as demons.

The physical postures themselves are part of the religious ritual and occult energy manipulation, and so, if one were to perform a sufficient number of them, even without any intent, it could be considered as communication or invitation of the occult.
 
“*You should provide more specific information to support your claim. Can you share what, exactly, runs counter to Catholic teachings? Just naming other religions doesn’t cut it *”

This is a very good policy, but it wold be a difficult one to treat in such a small space. Generally, the word “yoga” means “yoke” in nearly the same sense as “religion” in English means “to tie back to.” It refers to the root idea of nearly all faiths that there is a relationship of the individual with Divinity. The ancient culture of India has many branches of belief and practice that stem from this rather universal idea. Even the three forms mentioned in the post in question are but some of the main divisions of yogic traditions, which over centuries developed to some extent be most helpful to particular temperaments. In this regard “Yoga” as a general catch all phrase can include everything from medicine, to exercises, to forms of meditation, all associated with a source tradition reaching back some 5000 years.

Generally, the fundaments of many of these traditions, while actually embodying useful and admirable practices, are not founded on principles either acceptable or familiar to most practitioners of the Abrahamic family of religions. That is to say that while certain healing practices, diets, exercises, meditations, etc, might be universally beneficial for any person, the explanations for how and why these work may not agree with standard Catholic teaching.

The most striking difference in these explanations is that the Abrahamic religions tend to be ascending in nature, while the Eastern religions and philosophies tend to be descending in nature. The ascending religions tend to teach that man is separate from God and needs to do work to achieve merit against a future reward, whereas the descending religions presuppose Union with God and require work to discover how this is already so. The balance between these two is usually found in the esoteric or hidden teachings of many of the world religions. There is some evidence that even Christianity is founded on a public version of one of these esoteric systems which is often mistaken for Gnosticism but is not. The difference here is in the experiential approach of finding answers to the great questions, not as a matter of faith, but Self Knowledge. That is put with capitals due to the unfortunate nature of English which would have one mistakenly believe that Self Knowledge in that sense has anything to do with person or personality.

So, the recommendations to avoid yoga other than as a physical exercises or perhaps in the Ayurvedic healing practices might come as a concern about exposure to ideas other than those on which the Church is founded.
 
I posted this in the Catholic Q&A and plenty of people read it but no replies. I would like to take a Yoga class for the fitness benefits but not if it is against the Catholic church. I know it’s origins lie in the New Age. I tried to find a reliable Catholic website for the answer, but haven’t found one. Can anyone out there help?
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The reason i posted this question is because a lot of my friends are into it and some are thinking about it. I have heard that Yoga and Catholicism does not mix well even for the sole purpose of exercise but cannot explain it to them.

I am seeking a simple and straight answer (if there is) so that i can explain the danger of participating in yoga classes to my friends.
 
Rosetaylor01, Yoga is 5000 years old. The excercise bit of it is called Hatha Yoga and was compiled in India in the 15th century. It is likely that there is not a competent Catholic website about it, because a Catholic website will tell you what Catholics think about Hatha yoga and it will therefor be a misunderstanding, except perhaps as an explication of Catholic doctrin.
 
rosetaylor01 said:
I posted this in the Catholic Q&A and plenty of people read it but no replies. I would like to take a Yoga class for the fitness benefits but not if it is against the Catholic church. I know it’s origins lie in the New Age. I tried to find a reliable Catholic website for the answer, but haven’t found one. Can anyone out there help?
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I am currently taking a yoga class. I had taken one years ago with friends and I found the the instructor began to delve more and more deeply into the religious/spiritual aspects of it as the class went on. I quit that class and did not do yoga again–even for exercise for these many years.

This class is through my community recreaction program and I am taking it because my dh needs to do limbering exercises for health, so we are doing it together. This teacher has not gotten into the spiritual aspects so far, mostly she’s just annoyingly chipper! lol

I will say that on yoga exercise DVDs, etc you’ll get more of the “emptying yourself” and “letting go” talk and supposedly soothing Eastern music than at a county rec class. I do understand why the Church might discourage yoga or similar practices based on non-Christian religions. However, yoga is so popular now that I think many classes have been watered down from a religious aspect because they are being sold as a product by gyms and rec centers that just want people in their classes.
 
I’ve taken Yoga classes at the YMCA, taught by a Greek woman. There was no element of religion in them at all. We did a lot of stretching and holding poses, and that’s pretty much all. Even the Catholic hospitals offer Yoga and Tai Chi classes these days.

If you go to a Hatha Yoga center, you would probably be exposed to some of the religious/philosophical aspects of Yoga. If you go to the community college or the Y, probabaly not.

There are several discussions here on the merits and problems of Yoga, with citations. Try doing a search.
 
Is there an official Church teaching on this matter? Or is it each man on his own? :confused:
 
Ro_A said:
Is there an official Church teaching on this matter? Or is it each man on his own? :confused:
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I don’t think there is. My (new convert) wife does it all the time. Fundamentalists are the ones who rail against it. It won’t turn you into a Hindu.
 
I like to use the Ouija board to exercise my fingers. I’m just doing it for the physical aspect of it all & I don’t apply any spiritual meaning to it. Even though I do this by myself somehow the little pointer moves and answers questions that I’m thinking about but I just ignore that little consequence. Consent is necessary for sin and I don’t consent that the pointer move around on it’s own so it can’t be of any harm to me.
 
RosaryCrusader said:
I like to use the Ouija board to exercise my fingers. I’m just doing it for the physical aspect of it all & I don’t apply any spiritual meaning to it. Even though I do this by myself somehow the little pointer moves and answers questions that I’m thinking about but I just ignore that little consequence. Consent is necessary for sin and I don’t consent that the pointer move around on it’s own so it can’t be of any harm to me.
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Heheheh. 😃
 
I don’t like yoga because there is about spirituality that is embedded with it. It’s not just about exercise. Eastern meditations are paganistic and/or atheistic. I don’t need the yin and yang to balance the forces within me to achieve harmony nor certain position and breathing of yoga to release bad energy or something. All that I need is the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life and in my prayers. So much so I don’t feel the need of yoga. A waste of time and money.
 
AFAIK Pilates and other exercise and stretching fads that having not to do with Yoga that they like to advertise have nothing occult to do with them. AFAIK that is. :eek:🤷😃
 
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