I call them surface christians and I will certainly NOT be spending eternity with them! Robert de Nobili adopted certain customs from the East in order to proclaim Christ to the people there. Maybe you should read more of Pauls letters to get a better sense of the freedom our faith affords us. At all. They take Yoga poses, call them something else, and pretend that its not Yoga. If youre not so sure about your sons meditation practice, your friends devotion to reiki, or if you can, in good faith, take that yoga class, your goal should be to wisely discern the answer. Nina,Thank you for the compliment about the thought that went into this article I suppose when I haphazardly tossed out the word garbage I was getting a bit fed up with the whole issue and let it show. There two equally problematic approaches to this question. Deanne Miller and Colleen Scariano explained that their new exercise movement is born from the desire to nourish both body and soul through exercise. I am protestant but have also struggled with this question. Jesus said I am the WAY. Any exercise, any passtime really, could become a stumblingblock or false idol if we spend too much time with it vs our faith. Im not much of a yoga-er myself, but I do love it when pregnant. Please provide an email address so that we can contact you about your feedback if necessary. Those roots are profoundly antithetical to a Christian understanding of God and the way he works in the world. I am sorry, but this is hitting a little to close to the Whore of Babylon, One World Religion of Revelations for me. Honestly, yoga most remind me of the considerable stretching I did before & after running as a distance runner in high school something I had found soothing. What if they only use it for stretching? See more of Katie Kimball, CSME in the Media. Still struggled. Logging in will also give you access to commenting features on our website. There has been a similar debate in Alabama, which this spring lifted its ban on yoga in schoolsbut only as long as teachers refrain from using traditional Sanskrit words like namaste or even om, terms many conservatives deem inseparable from yogas origins in South Asian religions like Hinduism. There is Christian mysticism and Eastern mysticism. . ) Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8. I agree with Sarah: I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. 5 Alternatives to yoga that Catholics can try - Aleteia Thats me. Never heard of Pagan Hindu. I respect your opinions, Liz, but your last statement really struck me so I hope you can clarify. any other god is Satan in disguise Could it be possible that Satan would use an exercise that people find pleasurable to lure people away from God? You will NOT go to hell for doing yoga. I agree with your take on the physical side of yoga. How did they suddenly know better than the Church which books should or should not be in the bible about 1500 years after Jesus? Does that mean that Christian girls shouldnt do gymnastics? Answer: A major trend in popular spirituality right now, mindfulness is a technique by which practitioners focus on the present moment and what they objectively experience through their senses. Is Eastern Orthodox Christianity against doing yoga or meditation? the attitude of the heart is what God is concerned about. Copyright 2009-2023 Kitchen Stewardship. do i worship nature as some catholics think ms. mason did? really! However, please explain how yogic practices are being justified in a way that is contrary to scripture. Is it possible that especially for those more shaky in their faith, that the practice of yoga could be a slippery slope into loss of faith? Or why do you treat them with contempt? Yoga is a pagan practice. There is a distinction that Catholics should be warned of. If the breathing and body positions are simply done for exercise and health then there is nothing wrong with it. This makes the true reality of the demonic hard to comprehend entirely. It therefore doesnt matter to me what the church says, just what the Bible says, but I do appreciate your consideration of the topic. If Jesus did not do it, we should not even contemplate it. You can be sure the Yogi considers you one of his disciples, even if youve never heard of him. Yes! Jesus Christ, Son of God,have mercy on me, a sinner is actually in a very similar cadence to some of the Sanskrit phrases used in meditation, and works well with the breath. It is ridiculous and pretty arrogant to claim that you can say with any certainty that God does not condone meditation. I wear a rosary bracelet when I do it and it actually helps me find time to meditate on GOD and the beautiful blessing my body is experiencing carrying a child of God in my womb; it forces me to focus on my body (created by God), the miraculous concept of simply breathing that God created, and I have more energy and feel better about myself and can be a better, Godly, wife and mother when I take the time to do the yoga because I feel better afterwards. Its a form of exercise and balancing through movement and for me in many ways has strengthened my belief on the amazing intricacies that the Lord created within bodies. katie, Yes, because in the article it goes into where it originally came from and how it ties into hinduism and the yoga practice as a spiritual tool. I used to think that if I prayed with my hands folded instead of palms flat together, that I was praying to Satan because my fingers were pointing down, and only to God if the fingers were pointing to Heaven. The approach pairs core strengthening, stretching and isometrics with the prayers of the Rosary. It reminds me a bit about the issue of eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. i feel about yoga the same way i feel about home schooling. 'yoke' or 'union' pronounced ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciousness untouched by the mind and mundane suffering ().There is a wide variety of schools of yoga, practices, and goals in . If you have to give that warning, or justify it in anyway that is contrary to scripture, I would mark it down as a stronghold and turn from it.. So what about that yoga practice? I dont think the posture is evil, assuming that you mean only the exercise, like watching a DVD and stretching. Ill live my life without a Rosary and among people who are drinking and doing yoga all day long, but I will never see pre-marital sex as not important. Catholics should not participate in any of the "spiritual" aspects associated with yoga, but technically can do the actual physical exercises. What's going on here? 4. However, I have done Bikram yoga for quite a while and do not feel its the same. For example, the warm-up stretches are done while reciting the Apostle's Creed, and pushups are . It became an area of conviction. But that was one iffy experience in years and years of different yoga studios and classes. i did it because it felt right, then later learned that it had a name, the charlotte mason method. Catholic Online Saints - thousands of saints bios. Once again, if you get offended by someones simple statement ie yoga does not line up with scripture then maybe the topic bears more scrutiny. Prayer IS closeness to God. Some how putting others on one side of the line and of those people that do those things Christs love transforms our hearts from the inside. There is no God but one Lord, and any other god is Satan in disguise. Hopefully youve been able to read the Church documents without my commentary getting in the way of your own decision-making process. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. If you are doing yoga and feeling just peachy about it, carry on. Does that make sense?Ive often wondered about how yoga exercise and Catholicism could work together or clash. Just as playing a ouija board innocently is opening a door.I have chosen to listen to these wise people when it comes to yoga. For those who are doing hatha yoga just as an exercise, they too will get the benefits of stimulation of spiritual awareness and relief from negative karmic burdens though they may not recognize these as such and instead call it wellness or being at peace with oneself or just feeling stress free. I used it simply as a tool to gain flexibility and strength and found it hugely helpful when pregnant with my children. Thank you for your insights on this topic! Why yoga, specifically? As far as a child (or any new believer) asking questions, I would be delighted. The whole book of James is very good, speaking to our heart attitudes, but especially chapter 1. Also, have you heard about the Praise Moves DVDs? As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. No one branch of Christianity has a monopoly on the truth. In New Age there is no real concept of sin, but rather one of imperfect knowledge. The Greek Orthodox Church isn't the only faith to have frowned upon yoga. Amanda,The first commandment had to speak to the people of the time, surrounded by other (wrong) religions with their own gods. Thats fantastic, Sarah. Is our future in the stars or do we help to construct it? I was attacked by a Christian brother for this, and accused of legalism. I was raised protestant, but am definitely leaning towards more catholic and liturgical traditions as I get older. I think that if we overanalyze everything, we will end up with nothing outside the church that is God approved. We are no worse off if we do not eat, nor are we better off if we do. I dont condemn others or think poorly of them for not feeling the same because that is obviously not something God has convicted them of. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Its better to err on the side of caution. How much better would it be to go to a Christian based yoga class? Nov 9, 2019. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited. But yogic philosophy cannot be reduced to these three tracks of religion. I had the opportunity to try out SoulCore and it is intense and rejuvenating at the same time. That doesnt mean we should condemn and fear what we do not understand, but arm ourselves with prayer and study of the truth, and embrace all that is good. Alabamalifted its ban on yoga in schoolsbut only as long as teachers refrain from using traditional Sanskrit words like namaste or even om.. And for me thats what this particular practice is about the heart. Do we save ourselves or is salvation a free gift from God? Here's the full legal disclaimer. Daily Readings - viewed over 100 million times worldwide. Red flag. Please contact us at members@americamedia.org with any questions. Those practisisms are NOT Orthodox. I think its much more important for those who profess to follow Christ to actually follow him and love everyone. (. In our town the city offers, as part of their health and leisure programs, non-meditative yoga. We ask readers to log in so that we can recognize you as a registered user and give you unrestricted access to our website. While I agree with your conclusion, I have watched many of my friends and relatives walk the path towards New Age with seemingly innocuous beginnings. He did what was appropriate for the common man during his time. This makes me think about what happens when we try to separate the procreative and unitive aspects of sex.. oh, and labyrinth walks and all that stuff is a covert infiltration of the church by new age and mystic mumbo jumbo. For me personally, a few years back I chose to change my diet to that of a kosher one. Are we encouraged to reject or accept suffering and death? Katie, Your husbands analogy does make me stop to think, so thank you for sharing it. Ive practiced for nearly 20 years. No. If someone is engaging in non-Christian spirituality then that is a problem. And to NOT dwell on the fact that we could burn in hell is bonkers. Disobeying something that God has spoken to you is a sin, regardless of what that conviction pertains to. Archdeacon Mark Butchers of Barnstaple, who oversees churches in North Devon, told news site Devon Live that Church of England parishes aim .
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