Question to Conservative Catholics only: WHat are your thoughts about Yoga?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tried yoga last week. I didn't follow the whole thing of salute and namaste because I'm conservative Catholic and only tried yoga for the purpose of streching and alignment since I'm a very active athlete.

I mentioned to the instructor that I was just there to try out the streching technique; she was very cool and helped me out. the 2-3 ladies that attended the class that day were somewhat okay, a little weird and overly sensitive. One lady couldn't do much of the poses and she cried. The other one cried at the end of class for I guess some reason. I thanked the instructor for the class, then I departed.

I was just aware that the Catholic Church condemns yoga, what are your thoughts?

Many thanks in advance and God's blessings.

I'm not Catholic but have been taking yoga for 12 years. Never once did a salute or a namaste or an omm because I just don't like them so I ignore that part of the class. I'm there for a workout and a good stretch, that's what I'm getting. I don't care what the instructor does on that account, and it never occurred to me to seek their blessings for not namaste-ing.

[Anonymous]

This is ridiculous. It's what you make of it. Try Iyengar, they are all about alignment and don't do the spiritual stuff.

[Anonymous]

Op, I look at yoga as an exercise because Buddhism is not a religion, it is a philosophy. Buddha was not a god, he was a living man who created this philosophy. I don't see anything sinful in reading other philosophers, or taking hip-hop or ballet classes. Technically, you can get obsessed with anything in your life and begging to worship even a stone. God looks at your heart and not at the way how you blended your body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tried yoga last week. I didn't follow the whole thing of salute and namaste because I'm conservative Catholic and only tried yoga for the purpose of streching and alignment since I'm a very active athlete.

I mentioned to the instructor that I was just there to try out the streching technique; she was very cool and helped me out. the 2-3 ladies that attended the class that day were somewhat okay, a little weird and overly sensitive. One lady couldn't do much of the poses and she cried. The other one cried at the end of class for I guess some reason. I thanked the instructor for the class, then I departed.

I was just aware that the Catholic Church condemns yoga, what are your thoughts?

Many thanks in advance and God's blessings.

A previous Catholic poster here- just wanted to add that I don't think it's accurate to say that the church condemns yoga. Pope Francis and previously John Paul ll have both warned against viewing yoga as a pathway to God, but beyond that I don't think there's an official church position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, I look at yoga as an exercise because Buddhism is not a religion, it is a philosophy. Buddha was not a god, he was a living man who created this philosophy. I don't see anything sinful in reading other philosophers, or taking hip-hop or ballet classes. Technically, you can get obsessed with anything in your life and begging to worship even a stone. God looks at your heart and not at the way how you blended your body.

You have absolutely no clue what Buddhism is. All religions are philosophical paths. The Buddha doesn't have to be a "god" for Buddhism to be a religion - is Prophet Muhammad a god? Are the rishis of the Hindu Upanishads gods? No.

Buddhism is based on a dharmic spirituality that:
1) does allow for the existence of deities, and in fact those deities are actively worshipped in Tibetan Buddhism, especially the Gelugpa school (hello Saraswati, beloved goddess of the Tibetan Buddhists)
2) believes that consciousness is separate from the mind, and reincarnates from body to body, not only in the physical realm of Earth but also on 6 realms of existence, from the lowest hells to the celestial heavens (yes, Buddhism has heavens), with the ultimate goal to transcend heaven itself and enter the Void.


JFC I cannot stand it when people say "Buddhism isn't a religion". Ignorant as shit.

[Anonymous]

There are tons of yoga classes and videos that just use the exercises without all of the spiritual stuff. Just find the right class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tried yoga last week. I didn't follow the whole thing of salute and namaste because I'm conservative Catholic and only tried yoga for the purpose of streching and alignment since I'm a very active athlete.

I mentioned to the instructor that I was just there to try out the streching technique; she was very cool and helped me out. the 2-3 ladies that attended the class that day were somewhat okay, a little weird and overly sensitive. One lady couldn't do much of the poses and she cried. The other one cried at the end of class for I guess some reason. I thanked the instructor for the class, then I departed.

I was just aware that the Catholic Church condemns yoga, what are your thoughts?

Many thanks in advance and God's blessings.

If all you want is physical exercise, maybe you should try Pilates?

Yoga isn't meant for a physical workout, sorry.

It can be used that way and thousands of people do.

Sorry (not sorry) about your butthurt.

[Anonymous]

Cross posting this from the other yoga thread since you all seem to be some confused lost souls in need of some guidance and direction.



Love this article from 2009. I'm sure the numbers are even higher now.

Go on ladies, even if you can't bring yourself to admit it yet. You are very likely (GASP and reach for your crosses) Hindu!

http://www.newsweek.com/us-views-god-and-life-are-turning-hindu-79073

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cross posting this from the other yoga thread since you all seem to be some confused lost souls in need of some guidance and direction.



Love this article from 2009. I'm sure the numbers are even higher now.

Go on ladies, even if you can't bring yourself to admit it yet. You are very likely (GASP and reach for your crosses) Hindu!

http://www.newsweek.com/us-views-god-and-life-are-turning-hindu-79073

Yoga has been stripped of its religious context in most classes that I have attended, as has mindfulness meditation practices. Both are widely promoted by the health care industry as health interventions, not spiritual interventions.

You can practice the exercises without getting into the philosophy aspects. Thousands of people do. It's a bit late to insist that yoga is a Hindu religious practice in the US. It hasn't been a Hindu practice here for at least 50 years. If you wanted to fight the appropriation battle, you should have fought it in the 60s.

[Anonymous]

There'll be no yoga mats in hell. Instead, yo will be practicing the downward dog in the fiery pit!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cross posting this from the other yoga thread since you all seem to be some confused lost souls in need of some guidance and direction.



Love this article from 2009. I'm sure the numbers are even higher now.

Go on ladies, even if you can't bring yourself to admit it yet. You are very likely (GASP and reach for your crosses) Hindu!

http://www.newsweek.com/us-views-god-and-life-are-turning-hindu-79073

Yoga has been stripped of its religious context in most classes that I have attended, as has mindfulness meditation practices. Both are widely promoted by the health care industry as health interventions, not spiritual interventions.

You can practice the exercises without getting into the philosophy aspects. Thousands of people do. It's a bit late to insist that yoga is a Hindu religious practice in the US. It hasn't been a Hindu practice here for at least 50 years. If you wanted to fight the appropriation battle, you should have fought it in the 60s.

This is sort of like a KKK person telling African-Americans in the '60s, "Well if you didn't want us to use the n-word then you should've done something about it back in the nineteenth century. This is the 1960's, too late to change that now!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tried yoga last week. I didn't follow the whole thing of salute and namaste because I'm conservative Catholic and only tried yoga for the purpose of streching and alignment since I'm a very active athlete.

I mentioned to the instructor that I was just there to try out the streching technique; she was very cool and helped me out. the 2-3 ladies that attended the class that day were somewhat okay, a little weird and overly sensitive. One lady couldn't do much of the poses and she cried. The other one cried at the end of class for I guess some reason. I thanked the instructor for the class, then I departed.

I was just aware that the Catholic Church condemns yoga, what are your thoughts?

Many thanks in advance and God's blessings.

Sounds like a really fun class!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There'll be no yoga mats in hell. Instead, yo will be practicing the downward dog in the fiery pit!

It's called Adho mukha svanasana. Not "downward dog".

[Anonymous]

Contemplative, physical practice has long been a part of the Catholic tradition. Just think of monks or nuns walking a maze and saying the rosary; or kneeling in prayer.

"Namaste" means "the god in you." Basically the same as the holy spirit in Ezekial 36: " I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. "

The names of the poses are just words in Sanskrit. There's nothing non-Catholic about using Sanskrit words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tried yoga last week. I didn't follow the whole thing of salute and namaste because I'm conservative Catholic and only tried yoga for the purpose of streching and alignment since I'm a very active athlete.

I mentioned to the instructor that I was just there to try out the streching technique; she was very cool and helped me out. the 2-3 ladies that attended the class that day were somewhat okay, a little weird and overly sensitive. One lady couldn't do much of the poses and she cried. The other one cried at the end of class for I guess some reason. I thanked the instructor for the class, then I departed.

I was just aware that the Catholic Church condemns yoga, what are your thoughts?

Many thanks in advance and God's blessings.

A previous Catholic poster here- just wanted to add that I don't think it's accurate to say that the church condemns yoga. Pope Francis and previously John Paul ll have both warned against viewing yoga as a pathway to God, but beyond that I don't think there's an official church position.

You should read this :
http://www.catholic.org/news/health/story.php?id=59107