vee Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 [quote name='Annie12' timestamp='1348785897' post='2487408'] okay, so yoga being offered at a parish is kinda weird but.... Yoga as an exercise isn't bad...right? [/quote] wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie12 Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selah Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 [quote name='Annie12' timestamp='1348786547' post='2487416'] why? [/quote] Because it's goal is Moksha, a theological teaching that is foriegn to Christianity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie12 Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 But what about if you just do it for stretching your muscles (while saying your rosary!!!!)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selah Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 [quote name='Annie12' timestamp='1348787107' post='2487420'] But what about if you just do it for stretching your muscles (while saying your rosary!!!!)? [/quote] Stetches are one thing, but Yoga Asanas are more than just stretches. Do you seek to stimulate your chakras? Or perform the Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutations)? The Asanas are accompanied by Mudras (hand gestures) Mantras and Pranayama (breath control) which ultimatly lead to Samadhi (enlightement). Adding the rosary to it would be like praying to Krishna in place of Jesus in Church. The two are not compatible. If you want to do stretches, try Pilates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 this whole yoga thing is pretty dicey.. where you draw the line. Example.. someone that's never done yoga in their lives (or at least thinks they haven't) outside, starts doing various stretches and things that look very similar to yoga but the word "yoga" farthest from their mind. Someone they know.. a devotional Catholic comes by and goes "You know, you shouldn't be doing this Yoga, it's evil" . was the person really inadvertently putting their soul in danger? is there some list of stretches that signify yoga and what aren't? Well of course there isn't but. you could see how nit picky it can get.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selah Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 [quote] is there some list of stretches that signify yoga and what aren't? [/quote] There are several hundred, thousand perhaps, Yoga asanas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie12 Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 okay maybe I'm completely dense but I always thought yoga was a bunch of stretches and whatever else was just extraneous nonsense that could be edited out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissyP89 Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 I think that it's very possible to separate the stretches and breath control from the spirituality. But the problem is that it can lead to a curiosity about the spirituality, especially in a formal classroom setting. It's best for the Church to just avoid it all together, I'd think. Not everyone is spiritually mature enough to know and recognize that gray area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selah Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 [quote]I think that it's very possible to separate the stretches and breath control from the spirituality.[/quote] Stretches and breathing, yes. Asanas and Pranayama, no. [quote]okay maybe I'm completely dense but I always thought yoga was a bunch of stretches and whatever else was just extraneous nonsense that could be edited out.[/quote] This is an unfortunate interpretation of Raja Yoga that has become popular in the West. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice_nine Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 So the modern conception of yoga is that it's about as Hindu as the Olive Garden is Italian? Other than reducing another religion's practice to exercise so our buns and thighs are really toned and we look really hot, I don't think going to a yoga class at some gym is all that spiritually dangerous because it's not even "real" yoga. Eating at the Olive Garden is more dangerous. Ever look at the nutrition facts? Scary stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 I am not going to even think about getting involved in this debate this time around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisa Marie Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Well, like others have mentioned, doing the stretches themselves aren't bad. I'm not sinning when I stand on one foot in a yoga pose to help improve my balance. But that's also not true yoga, as true yoga involves the meditation too. It's dangerous because if you're not careful, lots of people can get hooked on the spiritual side REALLY easily, which is why it's generally not recommended at all, even just as stretches. Plus why do yoga when you can do pilates? You get a lot of similar stretches, without any of the spiritual stuff. And that's also why the priest in the article was originally okay with the arrangement when it was just pilates. Some of the pilates moves come from yoga, but there is no spiritual connection to it, so it's fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 This has always been a topic of interest for me since I have done karate for eleven years. If you don't know, karate is from Okinawa, and real traditional karate has tons of spiritual stuff thrown into it. I know some black belts who claim to be Christian but adhere to many of the spiritual beliefs that are involved with traditional karate, such as the more you practice with a belt on the more "spiritual energy" is put onto it, and that is why used belts weigh more than new ones (Despite the fact that has nothing to do with it. It's a physical anomaly called "sweat" that has to do with the weight). Doing karate is sometimes a hassle as I have to cut out all of the spiritual stuff, and that can be a dangerous business when doing karate with an Army veteran who has the full capabilities of killing you and is known for his wicked temper. I remember the last time during my brown belt test I had to kneel down, close my eyes and "clear my mind, erasing all that I know" so I may learn with a new, fresh mind. Well, needless to say my mind wasn't very clear. All I could think of was "Should I be doing this...?" Karate can be dangerous and I was in fact warned by a Priest from Ireland about being careful when doing it, but it's a matter of simply doing the same thing without praying to the Sea God. This makes it unauthentic, but that shouldn't be a big deal for people. It's the same self-defense just not spiritually dangerous. It's the same for yoga, I think, though I don't know why anyone would do yoga as opposed to Pilates anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 (edited) [quote name='FuturePriest387' timestamp='1348810267' post='2487515'] This has always been a topic of interest for me since I have done karate for eleven years. If you don't know, karate is from Okinawa, and [b]real traditional karate has tons of spiritual stuff thrown into it.[/b] [/quote] This is highly debatable. Source: practiced karate for 15+ years. Edit: and still practice today. It is an ongoing thing. Edited September 28, 2012 by Nihil Obstat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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