YOGA...ooer!

[AnnieHall]

I suppose the difference between us is that I look to top professionals for peer-review level articles for the research and certainly before doing something that could alter in any way the spine, its nervous system, energy waves through the system, and impulses to the brain; an activity such as this for me would need to be looked at first by top medical professionals (surgeon-level not alternative-therapy-certificate level!), and for the spiritual side of things the top religious theologians, and certainly from the Vatican. I’ll stick to sitting quietly in God’s presence that way I won’t risk my mental faculties being destroyed and maybe a run for fitness - Yoga is different to running and kickboxing because it is bringing the mental, the mind, into the framework of the bodily exercise more so due to the ‘channelling’ aspect.

Anyway, I hope you get to check the link. If not, never mind.

I also hope that you don’t run into problems later on whatever you decide. Either way, it doesn’t hurt to be aware.

All the best and thanks for your posts!

God bless!

I think I must have skimmed over your links earlier in reading this thread (it has grown to be quite a long one! ) and missed what you’re referring to. A quick Google search led me to a few articles about people injuring themselves by pushing too hard, doing more advanced poses than they were physically ready for (mostly inversions were mentioned - headstands, handstands, one sounded like a backbend supported only by the head (which sounds terrifying, no matter what you’re calling it) - and also a few references to strict classes when it sounds like people are almost bullied into stretching deeper than what their bodies are ready for.

Again, it’s an issue of many many different things all being referred to by the same name of “yoga”. If the above deception is someone’s interpretation, then I agree, not many people should be doing that, because not many people are in the right kind of shape to be able to handle that and listen to what their body is telling them in situations like that. (Listen to the body as in knowing when to take a break or slow it down.) Pushing a body beyond it’s breaking point is dangerous and cam cause injury, I 100% agree with that. However, I think every experience I’ve had with it, I’ve been told to take breaks when needed, bend your knees to make it easier, drop down to knees when you’re in a plank position to make it easier (think “girl push-ups” and to take it easy if you’re ever feeling sore or if anything is hurting.

 

[friardchips]

You give way more credit to Yoga than I do, and I do exercised based “yoga” on occasion.

Hi Jilly! Thanks for joining the thread and for your comment! Fortunately, my credit is still yet to be spent!

 

[friardchips]

I think I must have skimmed over your links earlier in reading this thread (it has grown to be quite a long one! ) and missed what you’re referring to. A quick Google search led me to a few articles about people injuring themselves by pushing too hard, doing more advanced poses than they were physically ready for (mostly inversions were mentioned - headstands, handstands, one sounded like a backbend supported only by the head (which sounds terrifying, no matter what you’re calling it) - and also a few references to strict classes when it sounds like people are almost bullied into stretching deeper than what their bodies are ready for.

Again, it’s an issue of many many different things all being referred to by the same name of “yoga”. If the above deception is someone’s interpretation, then I agree, not many people should be doing that, because not many people are in the right kind of shape to be able to handle that and listen to what their body is telling them in situations like that. (Listen to the body as in knowing when to take a break or slow it down.) Pushing a body beyond it’s breaking point is dangerous and cam cause injury, I 100% agree with that. However, I think every experience I’ve had with it, I’ve been told to take breaks when needed, bend your knees to make it easier, drop down to knees when you’re in a plank position to make it easier (think “girl push-ups” and to take it easy if you’re ever feeling sore or if anything is hurting.

Hi. Thanks for the reply, Annie. Sorry for the length of my posts. I’ll keep it short. You sound as if you know what you’re doing. So IMO being careful is really important. But I’d be watchful if any instructor ever says about energy release or Kundalini. Seriously, either spiritually or mentally and physically - they don’t have the authority to mess around with your psyche and nervous system. If alarm bells ring then listening to your good sense as well as body, or both, at that precise moment might well be advisable. Please just think twice, think it over, that’s all, if you ever hear anything about it.

 

[AnnieHall]

Yoga is different to running and kickboxing because it is bringing the mental, the mind, into the framework of the bodily exercise more so due to the ‘channelling’ aspect.

Can you explain or expand on this thought at all for me? I’ve read it a few times and I am not sure exactly what you meant.

I guess I characterize different exercises in different ways, kickboxing, Zumba, step aerobics, etc are kind of more “jump around” high energy, just try to focus enough on choreography and kicking the right way kind of thing. Then for me (and I think this can be different for different people), things like running, yoga, pilates for me are more “mind over matter”, where if I think about it too much, there’s no WAY I can run another half an hour, or no way I can stay in downward dog for another 2 breaths, but if I focus more on the breathing, or on getting a better posture, or the music that’s playing, suddenly I can do the thing I didn’t think I could do, and if I did that, maybe I can do another half a mile, or maybe I can stay balanced in this lunge positron now.

Again, that’s just me, and how I’ve come to sort things in my brain, “jump around” isn’t any official exercise grouping of course, and everyone’s experiences are different, and will struggle and improve in different ways.

But I am curious about how yoga is more mental than other things, and what you mean by channelling.

 

[AnnieHall]

Hi. Thanks for the reply, Annie. Sorry for the length of my posts. I’ll keep it short.

Oops, I didn’t mean to come across like that’s what I meant! I’d be a huge hypocrite if I was asking you to shorten the length of your posts!! I meant more just trying to sort back through all the pages of posts was not an easy task to try to find the links you were referring to, and that is just as much my fault as anyone else’s. I was more giving an excuse for stopping my search than trying to blame anyone or requesting any changes!

You sound as if you know what you’re doing. So IMO being careful is really important. But I’d be watchful if any instructor ever says about energy release or Kundalini. Seriously, either spiritually or mentally and physically - they don’t have the authority to mess around with your psyche and nervous system. If alarm bells ring then listening to your good sense as well as body, or both, at that precise moment might well be advisable. Please just think twice, think it over, that’s all, if you ever hear anything about it.

Can’t say I’ve ever heard that term before. One instructor mentioned energy, but used it as a synonym to awareness, like for example, in a standing pose, bring awareness to your feet and maker sure they’re spaced right and you’re using equal pressure throughout, then bring that energy up your legs and into your core, check your posture here, then up through the top of your head, standing tall with head stacked over heart and hips tucked forward and directly over feet.

I guess I’m not all that familiar with energy in the body meaning more than awareness or tightening/relaxing muscles in a conscious way, thinking about other energy flowing through the body that can be controlled with thought sounds more like something new age, like related to chakras or something like that. I do admit a lot of ignorance in this area though.

As far as physical exercise, I’ve had short conversations with my primary care physician about exercise routines, trying to find a mix of running, yoga, and calisthenics to balance out, and she has been nothing but encouraging, especially as I’m all but guaranteed to have some health issues in my life (thanks mom&dad) that will be greatly reduced by leading an active lifestyle. I’d hope that if yoga was a concern for the average Joe, pcps would give guidance to their patients about it!

 

[friardchips]

Can you explain or expand on this thought at all for me? I’ve read it a few times and I am not sure exactly what you meant.

I guess I characterize different exercises in different ways, kickboxing, Zumba, step aerobics, etc are kind of more “jump around” high energy, just try to focus enough on choreography and kicking the right way kind of thing. Then for me (and I think this can be different for different people), things like running, yoga, pilates for me are more “mind over matter”, where if I think about it too much, there’s no WAY I can run another half an hour, or no way I can stay in downward dog for another 2 breaths, but if I focus more on the breathing, or on getting a better posture, or the music that’s playing, suddenly I can do the thing I didn’t think I could do, and if I did that, maybe I can do another half a mile, or maybe I can stay balanced in this lunge positron now.

Again, that’s just me, and how I’ve come to sort things in my brain, “jump around” isn’t any official exercise grouping of course, and everyone’s experiences are different, and will struggle and improve in different ways.

But I am curious about how yoga is more mental than other things, and what you mean by channelling.

Your posts are fun but exhausting! I feel as if my eyes are doing keep fit sessions every time I read your sentences! To be honest, I’m going to stop here as it sounds as if you are well into the fitness to such a degree that you couldn’t possibly even fit in a cup of coffee in between, let alone mind-burning your body into red alert. Don’t worry about it, seriously. I’m not here to advertise Yoga or the depths, or lack of depth, to alternative therapy, but to suggest ways it is not coherent with Catholic practice which I have already done.

Take care.

 

[friardchips]

Oops, I didn’t mean to come across like that’s what I meant! I’d be a huge hypocrite if I was asking you to shorten the length of your posts!! I meant more just trying to sort back through all the pages of posts was not an easy task to try to find the links you were referring to, and that is just as much my fault as anyone else’s. I was more giving an excuse for stopping my search than trying to blame anyone or requesting any changes!

It’s okay. To be honest, my posts are getting longer and longer. It had to stop! I understand you were on your phone so it was not so easy to read the large chunks of text. I reckon people spend ages on phones. Will be much cooler when smart watches becomes the norm instead and people use them for all their messaging and internet etc…

Can’t say I’ve ever heard that term before. One instructor mentioned energy, but used it as a synonym to awareness, like for example, in a standing pose, bring awareness to your feet and maker sure they’re spaced right and you’re using equal pressure throughout, then bring that energy up your legs and into your core, check your posture here, then up through the top of your head, standing tall with head stacked over heart and hips tucked forward and directly over feet.

Yes, but then you said that he did say about “energy up your legs and into your core”. It might be the only branch of Yoga he does, only vaguely touching on the subject. I think Yoga is all about so-called “energy” directing, focussing and balancing etc…in order to achieve calm or connection through breathing and posture and eventually emptying the mind. But I wouldn’t go looking for it. Ignorance is real bliss in this case, IMHO! I’m worried now that I might have inadvertently introduced someone to a new aspect of Yoga which is not what I intended. Oh well!

I guess I’m not all that familiar with energy in the body meaning more than awareness or tightening/relaxing muscles in a conscious way, thinking about other energy flowing through the body that can be controlled with thought sounds more like something new age, like related to chakras or something like that. I do admit a lot of ignorance in this area though.

It is written under New Age in the Catechism. My links on this page mention occult practice. Yes, I know one can concentrate on a body part to relax it etc…and also to bodybuild - weight lifting, if one concentrates on the muscle consciously it makes a difference, and when I have a stomach ache I put the palms of my hands on my stomach for a good twenty minutes and the warmth gets rid (tip!)…but certainly chakras and channelling of energy and connecting is a big part of non-Christian Eastern meditation as well what you and I would understand in more familiar fashion as New Age Cosmic Spandex Crystal Healing. Or something. Or Pandora’s boxer shorts.

As far as physical exercise, I’ve had short conversations with my primary care physician about exercise routines, trying to find a mix of running, yoga, and calisthenics to balance out, and she has been nothing but encouraging, especially as I’m all but guaranteed to have some health issues in my life (thanks mom&dad) that will be greatly reduced by leading an active lifestyle. I’d hope that if yoga was a concern for the average Joe, pcps would give guidance to their patients about it!

Well…okay, as much respect as I have for the healthcare profession, there are as many ups as downs. Healthcare is secular and doesn’t really give a rat’s whisker if what they do might pull people away from their faith. That is not what they are there to worry about. Anyhoo…! They probably mean well!

 

[Gary_Sheldrake]

I think I must have skimmed over your links earlier in reading this thread (it has grown to be quite a long one! ) and missed what you’re referring to. A quick Google search led me to a few articles about people injuring themselves by pushing too hard, doing more advanced poses than they were physically ready for (mostly inversions were mentioned - headstands, handstands, one sounded like a backbend supported only by the head (which sounds terrifying, no matter what you’re calling it) - and also a few references to strict classes when it sounds like people are almost bullied into stretching deeper than what their bodies are ready for.

Again, it’s an issue of many many different things all being referred to by the same name of “yoga”. If the above deception is someone’s interpretation, then I agree, not many people should be doing that, because not many people are in the right kind of shape to be able to handle that and listen to what their body is telling them in situations like that. (Listen to the body as in knowing when to take a break or slow it down.) Pushing a body beyond it’s breaking point is dangerous and cam cause injury, I 100% agree with that. However, I think every experience I’ve had with it, I’ve been told to take breaks when needed, bend your knees to make it easier, drop down to knees when you’re in a plank position to make it easier (think “girl push-ups” and to take it easy if you’re ever feeling sore or if anything is hurting.

Good Evening Annie: I agree with much of what you’re saying. I have been doing yoga for about twenty years. A lot of instructors push people, and being products of the society we are brought up in, we feel compelled to compete. No one wants to be the least among those assembled. Other instructors can be like the ones you’ve had and are sensible. Personally, after years of training, I only do it on my own, because having other people around is a distraction. I just do it to feel good and I have gotten into my own flow over the years. Being in a room with a bunch of other people sort of ruins my ability to get deep into what I’m doing. Yoga is kind of like my private space, but I’m not sure if I’m really expressing it all that well.

All this said, you can certainly hurt yourself doing yoga, just like you can riding a bike or swimming or doing most any activity. You can also mess your head up pretty good getting too deep into Vedic or Eastern philosophy, but you can get pretty messed up getting too deep into any sort of spiritual path, including Christianity - it really just depends on the person. The right sort of person can go astray in just about any venue, which is why I always have to keep a close eye on Gary

All the best,
Gary

 

[jilly4ski]

All this said, you can certainly hurt yourself doing yoga, just like you can riding a bike or swimming or doing most any activity. You can also mess your head up pretty good getting too deep into Vedic or Eastern philosophy, but you can get pretty messed up getting too deep into any sort of spiritual path, including Christianity - it really just depends on the person. The right sort of person can go astray in just about any venue, which is why I always have to keep a close eye on Gary

All the best,
Gary

Indeed, I had a pretty devastating injury to my achilles tendon cross country skiing. It is now a recurring injury and I cannot roller blade or ski without a risk of re-injury. I have also witnessed people get pretty messed up in the head getting too deeply involved with sport’s culture. Skiing, cycling, running, football, soccer, etc. People start to eat, breathe, live their sport, and it is very unhealthy and damaging.

 

[Beircheart]

Those questions have absolutely nothing to do with yoga.

They have everything to do with it.

Interesting example of where the real difference of opinion lies. If I am understanding correctly Agnes Therese, as are many of the “pro-yoga” faction, seem to be going from the intent of the practitioner to the practice of yoga (micro to macro, if you will). Friardchips and the “be wary of yoga” camp appear to be taking their position from the original and historical intent of the practice and blanketing that over the practitioner (macro to micro).

As Mr. Spock would muse, “Fascinating!” (R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy).

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Interesting example of where the real difference of opinion lies. If I am understanding correctly Agnes Therese, as are many of the “pro-yoga” faction, seem to be going from the intent of the practitioner to the practice of yoga (micro to macro, if you will). Friardchips and the “be wary of yoga” camp appear to be taking their position from the original and historical intent of the practice and blanketing that over the practitioner (macro to micro).

As Mr. Spock would muse, “Fascinating!” (R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy).

Good observation.

 

[friardchips]

Interesting example of where the real difference of opinion lies. If I am understanding correctly Agnes Therese, as are many of the “pro-yoga” faction, seem to be going from the intent of the practitioner to the practice of yoga (micro to macro, if you will). Friardchips and the “be wary of yoga” camp appear to be taking their position from the original and historical intent of the practice and blanketing that over the practitioner (macro to micro).

Not quite but an interesting “observation”. I’m attempting to take in all aspects and don’t belong to any camp accept approaching the subject from a Catholic viewpoint without exception.

(R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy).

Thanks for the post!

 

[Contarini]

Interesting example of where the real difference of opinion lies. If I am understanding correctly Agnes Therese, as are many of the “pro-yoga” faction, seem to be going from the intent of the practitioner to the practice of yoga (micro to macro, if you will). Friardchips and the “be wary of yoga” camp appear to be taking their position from the original and historical intent of the practice and blanketing that over the practitioner (macro to micro).

As Mr. Spock would muse, “Fascinating!” (R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy).

Except that friardchips hasn’t displayed any actual knowledge of the history of yoga, and seems to be proceeding from the premise that anything Hindu is demonic.

The official Catholic position as expressed in Nostra Aetate appears to be quite different:

1. From ancient times down to the present, there is found among various peoples a certain perception of that hidden power which hovers over the course of things and over the events of human history; at times some indeed have come to the recognition of a Supreme Being, or even of a Father. This perception and recognition penetrates their lives with a profound religious sense.

Religions, however, that are bound up with an advanced culture have struggled to answer the same questions by means of more refined concepts and a more developed language. Thus i**n Hinduism, men contemplate the divine mystery and express it through an inexhaustible abundance of myths and through searching philosophical inquiry. They seek freedom from the anguish of our human condition either through ascetical practices or profound meditation or a flight to God with love and trust. **Again, Buddhism, in its various forms, realizes the radical insufficiency of this changeable world; it teaches a way by which men, in a devout and confident spirit, may be able either to acquire the state of perfect liberation, or attain, by their own efforts or through higher help, supreme illumination. Likewise, other religions found everywhere try to counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own manner, by proposing “ways,” comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites. The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself.(4)

The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men.

Friardchips’ posts about Hinduism seem quite sharply at odds with the official Catholic teaching I have bolded above.

Edwin

 

[friardchips]

Except that friardchips hasn’t displayed any actual knowledge of the history of yoga, and seems to be proceeding from the premise that anything Hindu is demonic.

The official Catholic position as expressed in Nostra Aetate appears to be quite different:

Friardchips’ posts about Hinduism seem quite sharply at odds with the official Catholic teaching I have bolded above.

Edwin

Hello. Could you please give the Vatican source for this document?

If you had bothered to read most of thread, rather than making a extremely general statement based on a few posts at the end, thus taking my viewpoint well out of context with wild misinterpretation and therefore making incorrect judgements, you would see that I have approached this subject with views that are absolutely in line with the Roman Catholic perspective. I have given links to documents that were rewritten by Catholic priests and the CCC in many posts.

I will repost these and cite them in my posts as you are obviously not able to view previous pages yourself on your computer thus enabling you to view and read, and learn, all that I have expressed so far from a true premise. All views of which are taken from Catholic sources initially. I do appreciate that there are various branches stemming from the Catholic faith it seems nowadays that people wish to follow instead of sticking to what we are taught and only serve to undermine the true Catholic faith with their misinterpretations of Vatican documents - as you have seemingly done here. The Church is of course always under attack from those who wish to make Christianity what they would like it to be rather than what it is - a challenge - and often entering into dialogue with one whose intention appears to be only to win an argument rather than realise the truth of a topic and to make assertions about the intentions of others is an all too regular occurrence.

So please don’t presume please to think you can sum up my intentions as you do not have this knowledge or right to do so. And I am entitled to speak against such practices if I so please IF I believe I have authoritative Roman Catholic sources which enable me to do so, which I do believe I have.

If Pope Francis has said NOT TO seek spiritual answers in Yoga then that is good enough for me. And I would presume that for people who have respect for the line of Popes in succession to St. Peter to assume the same pious love for the HOLY Church of Christ.

If you have personal stories for or against then you are welcome to post and please try at least to be objectively constructive in your analysis.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

Hello. Could you please give the Vatican source for this document?

(…)

Let me google that for you.

 

[friardchips]

As has been pointed out to me in a funny way, I have found the document previously referred to. I missed the title given. I will go through this document. Thank you for this, Contarini. It was written in 1965 and there has since been another Vatican document I have already given the link to in this thread that is of greater significance to the thread. Although I do understand that there are many who find it hard to embrace all that has been given, or revealed, to the Church since 1965.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Let me google that for you.

Well that was just too awesome how you did that.

 

[friardchips]

Beircheart and Contarini, I am trying to outline the need for awareness that not everything one can do as an optional spiritual outlet is necessarily advisable as a Catholic.

I have taken a quote, not out of context with the document as a whole, and might quote more in a while, eloquently outlining the views from the New Age perspective.

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html

'There are moderate, but quite generalised, visions of a future where there will be a planetary spirituality alongside separate religions, similar planetary political institutions to complement more local ones, global economic entities which are more participatory and democratic, greater emphasis on communication and education, a mixed approach to health combining professional medicine and self-healing, a more androgynous self-understanding and ways of integrating science, mysticism, technology and ecology. Again, this is evidence of a deep desire for a fulfilling and healthy existence for the human race and for the planet. Some of the traditions which flow into New Age are: ancient Egyptian occult practices, Cabbalism, early Christian gnosticism, Sufism, the lore of the Druids, Celtic Christianity, mediaeval alchemy, Renaissance hermeticism, Zen Buddhism, Yoga and so on.(15)Here is what is “new” about New Age. It is a “syncretism of esoteric and secular elements”.(16) They link into a widely-held perception that the time is ripe for a fundamental change in individuals, in society and in the world. There are various expressions of the need for a shift:

– from Newtonian mechanistic physics to quantum physics;
– from modernity’s exaltation of reason to an appreciation of feeling, emotion and experience (often described as a switch from ‘left brain’ rational thinking to ‘right brain’ intuitive thinking);
– from a dominance of masculinity and patriarchy to a celebration of femininity, in individuals and in society.

In these contexts the term “paradigm shift” is often used. In some cases it is clearly supposed that this shift is not simply desirable, but inevitable. The rejection of modernity underlying this desire for change is not new, but can be described as “**a modern revival of pagan religions with a mixture of influences from both eastern religions **and also from modern psychology, philosophy, science, and the counterculture that developed in the 1950s and 1960s”.(17) New Age is a witness to nothing less than a cultural revolution, a complex reaction to the dominant ideas and values in western culture, and yet its idealistic criticism is itself ironically typical of the culture it criticizes.’

Unlike some posts I have read in this thread so far, I have not cited the document out of context, as this would be to take it out of the Roman Catholic perspective and so undermine its message.

 

[Contarini]

Hello. Could you please give the Vatican source for this document?

Sorry. Here it is.

If you had bothered to read most of thread, rather than making a extremely general statement based on a few posts at the end, thus taking my viewpoint well out of context with wild misinterpretation and therefore making incorrect judgements, you would see that I have approached this subject with views that are absolutely in line with the Roman Catholic perspective. I have given links to documents that were rewritten by Catholic priests and the CCC in many posts.

I haven’t read every post on the thread, but I’ve read a good deal of it. You do persistently speak as if “Hindu origins” equated to “demonic.” Are you denying this?

and often entering into dialogue with one whose intention appears to be only to win an argument rather than realise the truth of a topic and to make assertions about the intentions of others is an all too regular occurrence.

Your irrelevant ad hominem is noted.

I’m not criticizing your intentions. I’m describing the message I have seen in post after post of yours on this thread, and I’m pointing out that you seem completely unaware of the single most authoritative and relevant document produced by the Catholic Church on this subject.

I’m sure your intentions are good.

If Pope Francis has said NOT TO seek spiritual answers in Yoga then that is good enough for me. And I would presume that for people who have respect for the line of Popes in succession to St. Peter to assume the same pious love for the HOLY Church of Christ.

If you have personal stories for or against then you are welcome to post and please try at least to be objectively constructive in your analysis.

So a casual remark by Pope Francis trumps a conciliar document? Interesting.

And why would I discuss this based on “personal stories”? If I say that I have good personal experiences with yoga (which I do), you can quite legitimately say that I am deceived or something of that sort.

What I’m challenging is your assumption that Hinduism is demonic. That is not how the Council spoke. (Of course there are demonic elements in Hinduism–I’m not disputing that. There are demonic elements in every religion–including Christianity if by “Christianity” we mean the historical phenomenon and not just the divinely revealed truth.)

Edwin

 

[Contarini]

As has been pointed out to me in a funny way, I have found the document previously referred to. I missed the title given. I will go through this document. Thank you for this, Contarini. It was written in 1965 and there has since been another Vatican document I have already given the link to in this thread that is of greater significance to the thread. Although I do understand that there are many who find it hard to embrace all that has been given, or revealed, to the Church since 1965.

The other document was not produced by an Ecumenical Council.

And are you suggesting that this other document simply contradicts Vatican II? That you don’t have to discuss Vatican II?

The other document is a pastoral warning against the New Age movement taken as a whole. It does not in fact condemn the practice of yoga, but warns against a generalized “New Age” approach to life.

I cited Nostra Aetate because of the basic attitude to Hinduism expressed in that document.

If we take NA and “Jesus Christ Bearer of the Water of Life” together and harmonize them instead of using the lesser document to dismiss the greater as you are doing, then we would come to the conclusion that the Hindu origins of yoga make it more worthy of respect and consideration, while the New Age context in which yoga is often presented should be regarded with more suspicion. That is to say, generally speaking the Church seems to regard “real” Eastern religions with more respect and less suspicion than it does Westernized adaptations rooted in a “touchy-feely” spirituality lacking the discipline and tradition of the Eastern originals.

And, of course, your most obvious riposte is that NA doesn’t speak specifically of yoga as one of the good things in Hinduism. But it does speak respectfully both of Hindu philosophy and of Hindu ascetic practice.

Edwin