Yoga and the Christian faith=a big mess

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Angels_Eyes

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I have recently given up Yoga. I am a Catholic Revert and am happy with my journey back to God. I have done a lot of research into Yoga as I struggled with it for a long time whether to continue it or not, as I am now Christian. When I called myself pagan, it didn’t matter, but after everything I have learnt about it…it really is scary!!!:eek::eek::

Yoga is a Hindu spiritual practice. Something I recently saw on YouTube spoke of a yogi master being shocked to hear that people in the west practice yoga for exercise and wellbeing. He apparently laughed and said they don’t know what they are doing as it’s a Hindu spiritual practice that through certain postures calls on the Hindu gods.

I found this to be very interesting. I have given up ‘Christian Yoga’ also. I am happy with my decision to give up, but just wanted to put it out there the dangers of Yoga.

Please research yoga to find out the real truths out there. It is dangerous and should not be practiced by Christians.
 
Hello,
Did this yogi master give any details on just how a certain posture would summon a Hindu God?
 
There must be a dozen threads here on yoga. But you know those darn pagans also burn insence, fast, abstain from lying and stealing, sometimes even abstain from sex as part of their Hindu worship to gods. But of course they also view all those gods as manifestations of the one God, Brahman.
 
Actually, yoga history research has determined that modern yoga all derives from Western (and specifically Danish) exercise, gymnastics, and calisthenics programs, from Victorian times. These exercise programs were brought to India by British officers and the YMCA.

They were then adopted by Indian nationalists, as exercise programs pointed toward armed revolution or at least better conditions, because they were worried about Indian men not being as fit as British soldiers and officers. In order to ensure that these nationalist exercise programs would be popular, they put a veneer of Hindu names on them and tried to associate them with the yogis and with old Sanskrit texts.

But the old medieval Hindu practices in the Sanskrit texts were all about breathing and silence (as is pretty typical meditation practice in many cultures), with nothing about postures, especially postures invoking gods.

Later, when people had forgotten the origins, you get all this crazy stuff like associating it with better sex and spiritual enlightenment. (Any conman trying to sell you something will try that. And some of the Victorian exercise guys and gals claimed this kind of stuff too.)

But it is still just a bunch of Danish Victorian exercises. And you can thank a Danish guy named P.H. Ling, as well as another later Scandinavian guy called Niels Bukh. (The latter guy lived on into the twentieth century, and was tangled up in the gymnastics done by the Hitler Youth. So yeah, Westerners aren’t pure, either.)

Postures = Danish guy.
Funky breathing = sometimes Danish guy, sometimes Indian meditation.

So basically, my advice is that you can do exercises with no moral qualms, as long as you think of them as exercises. The yoga world seems to include a lot of silliness and worldliness as well as paganism, so you’re probably well out of that. (And yeah, nothing like being trapped in a web of old lies to make things work out badly for people.)

But if doing old-fashioned Danish exercise programs keeps you fit, then go for it. You might want to learn the boring old Danish names for the moves, and then you will have everything clear in your mind about what you are doing.
 
I first read yoga as “yoda” haha. A big mess that would be
 
Mintaka, I read about that Danish influence also, very interesting. But we must also remember the Hathayogapradipika of the late 15th century dealing with asanas as well as breathing, mudras and meditation. So. I think the Danish guy might have gotten it from India first, perhaps reorganized or revitalized it.
 
I can say from my own experience that I have never been troubled by evil spirits when I stretch my back every morning with moves identical to those found in Yoga, but I have noticed that the spirit who moves Christians to tell other Christians not to do Yoga is especially active here at CAF!
 
I also note that we had Harry Potter a few days ago and now Yoga - again. All we need is an SSPX thread and we’re back to the Groundhog Day loop that CAF sometimes truly resembles. 😃
 
christofirst said:
I can say from my own experience that I have never been troubled by evil spirits when I stretch my back every morning with moves identical to those found in Yoga, but I have noticed that the spirit who moves Christians to tell other Christians not to do Yoga is especially active here at CAF!
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The Catholic theology of the body deals with the sacredness and gift of the body but then seem to deal mostly with sexuality. I think so much more can be said. I know when I feel good physically it is easier to pray and God seems closer. Even a few simple stretches to relieve tension have a powerful effect. I would like to see us do more positive theology and use the body more in prayer beyond just kneeling and sanding. The are some Christian attempts to do this. They rebrand yoga with Christian meaning. The result is the same though, feeling better and more prayerful, a sense of the sacred dwelling within the body. It truly is the temple of God.
 
RPRPsych said:
I also note that we had Harry Potter a few days ago and now Yoga - again. All we need is an SSPX thread and we’re back to the Groundhog Day loop that CAF sometimes truly resembles. 😃
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True! 😉
 
Angels_Eyes said:
Please research yoga to find out the real truths out there. It is dangerous and should not be practiced by Christians.
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“It is important for Catholics to know that yoga should neither be hallowed nor damned.” - Michelle Arnold, CAF Apologist

Yes there are people who use spiritual practices in yoga that are not compatible with Catholic teaching. This should definitely be avoided!

However, there are other people who simply use it for a form of exercise. We all need to look in to our own practices and consciences to determine what we are doing in our yoga practices, and if it is good for our souls.
 
RPRPsych said:
I also note that we had Harry Potter a few days ago and now Yoga - again. All we need is an SSPX thread and we’re back to the Groundhog Day loop that CAF sometimes truly resembles. 😃
Click to expand...
Does Harry Potter come up a lot on CAF? Never noticed myself, but then again i’m not really attuned to such things.

Regarding Yoga - having seen a number of these threads since the first time i got here, i’'ve always wanted to ask - has any Catholic here actually gone to ask what a Hindu thinks about what the West calls Yoga?

And i don’t mean some random Hindu, I mean someone whose attached to an Ashram or a Hindu temple. You know, in the same way I might want to hunt down a priest instead of a lay person to ask about Catholicism.

Well, perhaps this is easier for me because I’m Indian but, on the occasion when I have spoken to such people about “Western Yoga” = Breathing Practices/Exercise moves using Asanas, new agey music in the background at your local gym. The reaction tends to be (depending on their temperament):

1.) Laughter

2.) Scowling

3.) Disbelief = ie: Disbelief that the Westerners (you guys), would actually mistake this for True Yoga.

Although my evidence is anecdotal, there seems to be a universal claim that the spiritual aspects of Yoga as traditionally practiced have been totally vacated from that… I guess you can call Exercise Routine that occurs in your Planet Fitness/Jack La Lane/Insert Favorite Gym.

That’s from a more…i Guess you can call it “Traditional” Hindu perspective.

However, the thing about Hinduism is that because of its wide diversity in thought, certain variations do bleed and mix into the Western “New Age” movement - which does find some purchase in claiming that those exercises in the gym are somehow spiritual.

Although like the “Kabbalah Water” craze afflicting Beverly Hills, I sometimes wonder if such claims to spirituality are simply yet another marketing tool for the “New Age-y” Gurus to attract followers to buy stuff. 🤷
 
TheAtheist said:
Does Harry Potter come up a lot on CAF? Never noticed myself, but then again i’m not really attuned to such things.

Regarding Yoga - having seen a number of these threads since the first time i got here, i’'ve always wanted to ask - has any Catholic here actually gone to ask what a Hindu thinks about what the West calls Yoga?

And i don’t mean some random Hindu, I mean someone whose attached to an Ashram or a Hindu temple. You know, in the same way I might want to hunt down a priest instead of a lay person to ask about Catholicism.

Well, perhaps this is easier for me because I’m Indian but, on the occasion when I have spoken to such people about “Western Yoga” = Breathing Practices/Exercise moves using Asanas, new agey music in the background at your local gym. The reaction tends to be (depending on their temperament):

1.) Laughter

2.) Scowling

3.) Disbelief = ie: Disbelief that the Westerners (you guys), would actually mistake this for True Yoga.

Although my evidence is anecdotal, there seems to be a universal claim that the spiritual aspects of Yoga as traditionally practiced have been totally vacated from that… I guess you can call Exercise Routine that occurs in your Planet Fitness/Jack La Lane/Insert Favorite Gym.

That’s from a more…i Guess you can call it “Traditional” Hindu perspective.

However, the thing about Hinduism is that because of its wide diversity in thought, certain variations do bleed and mix into the Western “New Age” movement - which does find some purchase in claiming that those exercises in the gym are somehow spiritual.

Although like the “Kabbalah Water” craze afflicting Beverly Hills, I sometimes wonder if such claims to spirituality are simply yet another marketing tool for the “New Age-y” Gurus to attract followers to buy stuff. 🤷
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Here the secular Neighbourhood activities in the housing boards (HDB) promote Yoga. Thus is not looked as a religious activity. Just simple health promotion for the masses.

MJ
 
If you are interested in a stretching and strengthening program from a Catholic standpoint, check this out.

pietrafitness.com/

I eyed it for many months, finally bought it, and then had a tendon injury in my foot that has prevented me from using the DVD. But the part I did get through I really enjoyed!
 
Michael_Mayo said:
The Catholic theology of the body deals with the sacredness and gift of the body but then seem to deal mostly with sexuality. I think so much more can be said. I know when I feel good physically it is easier to pray and God seems closer. Even a few simple stretches to relieve tension have a powerful effect. I would like to see us do more positive theology and use the body more in prayer beyond just kneeling and sanding. The are some Christian attempts to do this. They rebrand yoga with Christian meaning. The result is the same though, feeling better and more prayerful, a sense of the sacred dwelling within the body. It truly is the temple of God.
Click to expand...
I agree the theology of the body should be about much more than sex, and also include fitness and venerating and caring for the body that God gave us. The one thing my wife (a family doctor) always prescribes, is more exercise.

I’m an avid cyclist (summer) and mountain hiker (winter) to keep fit, ward of the effects of hereditary type II diabetes, and keep a step or two ahead of the grim reaper.

I also pray the Liturgy of the Hours in my small oratory and while it is sometimes tough after a gruelling bike ride, I like to do the postures (stand for hymns, doxologies, responsories, gospel canticles, bow at the doxologies, etc.). In a way at Vigils and Lauds they are my morning calisthenics, and help limber up this stiff and achy 58-y.o. body in the morning. Up, down, up bow, down, up…

If the yoga moves are helpful to some people, they should by all means use them guilt-free. I know when we are new to the Church we tend to want to get things right down to the last detail; I was no different when I reverted, but it took a while to realize the Church doesn’t operate like that and just because some aspects of something are wrong doesn’t mean we can’t embrace those aspects that aren’t. If one reads the patristic readings at the LOTH, one realizes that the Church even uses writings from Church Fathers who eventually went heretic. Origen, for instance, was anathematized as a heretic at one point.
 
I recall reading that the word Yoga comes from or means yolking. So we should ask, … what are you yolking to? 😉
 
As a former Yoga instructor I really don’t see the practise of Yoga… particularly Hatha Yoga which is basically a series of exercise for stretching and keeping the body limber … as a problem.
You are quite free to employ the routines for your benefit.

Generally I taught Yoga for free in various venues from Community Center to YMCA and at a Hindu Temple as well as a Baha’i summer school… I’ve taught Hindus, Christians, Muslims, atheists…every one can benefit.
 
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