Yoga postures and stretching

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Fantastic standard of proof being assembled there…
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I know right … “I will talk in general.terms about bad yoga poses, won’t tell you what they actually are so you can, y’know, straight away avoid doing them.and being demon-possessed, , but here, spend some $$ on my guaranteed demon-free fitness DVDs”

Marketing 101 - manufacture a problem.and claim to have the solution - but only at a price. Worked for Listerine, which was never designed as a mouthwash and whose marketers IIRC Invented both the term “halitosis” and the idea.that bad breath was a problem in order to sell product.
 
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This is fascinating. I will definitely look up more about Fr. Dechanet.
I’m not surprised the Paulists picked up on it, as they’re known as a progressive order, but the fact that it came from an OSB to begin with is interesting.

My idea of yoga is similar to the body work I did for a couple years in dance class. which was about moving and positioning your body in a healthy way, as opposed to all the unhealthy ways we get in the habit of moving our bodies in Western society.
 
blackforest said:
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phil19034:
The goal of Yoga is to enter an altered state of mind.
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What do you think is the purpose of praying the Rosary? Arriving early to Mass to pray first? Taking a silent retreat?
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In fairness to Phil, he was not discussing the similarities in actions but about the end goal and spiritual risks that in-tale when attending and participating in yoga classes that incorporate spiritual education that is congruent to the yogis practitioner. While most are stuck on the term ‘pose’ it really is about the teachings that occur during the yoga session that is of concern. A altered state of mind in yoga teachings is incompatible with the Catholic Faith.

If you look into the linage of many yogis practitioners, they will include Patanjali , T. Krishnamacharaya, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois to name a few.

Below is Phil’s full comment.
phil19034 said:
The goal of Yoga is to enter an altered state of mind. When we are in an altered state we open ourselves up for suggestion from other people AND from demons.
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Catholic Answers talks about risks of taking interest in concepts that not in line with Catholic Teaching.

 
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I’ve read both of Dechanet’s books. They’re out of print now, but still around used. I think he also would have been considered by many to be progressive in his day, in that he did not consider the Hindu faith to be evil or demonic, just mistaken. As a vowed religious, he was especially concerned with not only doing yoga for physical conditioning, as many of us do now, but also with studying its non-Christian religious roots to see if it could be indeed be made compatible for a Christian.

As he wrote in the preface to Christian Yoga, “But Yoga was also joining with the Absolute. And here I had to be careful. It was essential that my exercises and especially my concentration should turn me not towards the Self, the It, the Absolute, the Wholly One, the vague “Ungraspable” of Hindu mystics, but towards the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the living God, three in one, the principle of all things, my Creator and Father, him in whom I had natural and supernatural life.”

I was a little surprised that his books received permission to publish in the days before Vatican II, and I learned that his abbot and bishop, Rev. Emiel-Jozef de Smedt, was also known for ecumenism and promoting interfaith dialogue.
 
I read his bio last night and was impressed with all that he had to overcome in order to become a monk and a priest with his epileptic condition. And having survived two wars and another violent conflict I can see why he became a hermit. I thought his death was rather sad.

Side note: The bios of him also led me to read about William of Saint-Thierry, on whom Fr. Dechanet was an expert and whose ideas may have inspired Dechanet to take up yoga. I am rather surprised Saint-Thierry is not a canonized saint and does not appear to have a cause, especially with Pope Benedict praising him.
 
thank you, it seems like some people here assume I am participating and saying chants or something when I am not and have no intention to do actual yoga 🤦‍♀️
 
just to be clear, I AM NOT PRACTICING YOGA NOR HAVE INTENTION TO- I asked about a pose, not the practice. I have no desire to become a yogi or guru or any of that, just tried a pose
 
Yes, I’m sorry your thread got a bit derailed here.

Unfortunately, the mere mention of the word “Yoga” tends to bring a strong response nowadays.
 
You know, for those of the scrupulous mind, even orthodox Catholic practices can be dangerous. We can get all wrapped up in novenas and rosaries and exact wording of specific prayers and then become judgmental of others who don’t meet our standards.

Anything can be abused. Anything an be distorted by demons.
 
There are lots of copies of his three books in English on ABEbooks used book site, for not very much money.
The Paulists are supposed to be republishing his works, but this hasn’t happened yet apparently.
 
While it’s dubious to think you can get possessed by holding your body a certain way, I wouldnt judge people who fear this too harshly. It’s also dubious that you are getting significant health benefits from stretching or doing yoga.

If you decide to stretch for 10-60 minutes and believe it’s changing your life, congratulations! you are in the enviable demographic that benefits highly from placebos. You also can unlock the unfathomable potential of essential oils and crystals! The downside is that you might also convince yourself you got possessed when you contorted your spine or decimate the world’s tiger population to benefit from eating their reproductive organs. The world is yours! The rest of us just have to live in it.
 
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Most Yoga that Americans do, is really “gym yoga,” and not traditional Yoga as in Hinduism in India. In fact, the guru’s there laugh at what we call Yoga.

I do this “gym yoga,” in my living room as I learned how to do it many years ago watching videos produced by Allan Finger.

I also studied martial arts and Tai Chi, which many Americans over react to both positively and negatively.

The bottom line is what is your purpose for doing yoga exercise ? For Christians, Christ is the center of our lives and our will is directed toward union with Him, nothing more.
 
RobertAdams said:
If you decide to stretch for 10-60 minutes and believe it’s changing your life, congratulations! you are in the enviable demographic that benefits highly from placebos. You also can unlock the unfathomable potential of essential oils and crystals!
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From exercise to crystals is one heck of a leap. If you don’t benefit from stretching, fine, don’t waste your time on it. But there’s no need to insult those who do.
 
Sorry, the leap I meant to make was not from exercise to crystals, but specifically from yoga (or yoga stretches called something else) to crystals 😬
 
RobertAdams said:
Sorry, the leap I meant to make was not from exercise to crystals, but specifically from yoga (or yoga stretches called something else) to crystals 😬
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Still a heckuva leap, still an insult to many of those who do yoga exercises. Doing exercises to help your arthritis doesn’t mean you’re gullible and/or new-agey.
 
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I agree, exercise is not a placebo. I am a fan. Nevertheless, I maintain my skepticism towards yoga specifically. Perhaps my op was a little too much. To clarify, if you like yoga I’m glad it works for you and hope you keep it up, I dont really think it means you would eat a rare tiger.
 
I’m also noticing that criticisms of my post have (inentionally?) focused on the crystals part rather than touching the third rail that is essential oils
 
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