PeaceLikeaRiver
Inactive
I read something that surprised me earlier, that a Christian should not do yoga. I wonder why? Is there something anti-Christian about it? I don't know much about its origins.
Yoga
- Thread starter PeaceLikeaRiver
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HisManySongs
Passed on, February 28, 2022
Again, it's all about how you do it.
If you are using the exercises to help your body, fine. If you meditate on God while you're doing it, fine.
If you are using the exercises to help your body, fine. If you meditate on God while you're doing it, fine.
PeaceLikeaRiver
Inactive
Isn't that yoga in a nutshell though? That was my understanding.
HisManySongs
Passed on, February 28, 2022
Pretty much from what I understand. It's the meditation part that causes problems for Christians.
PeaceLikeaRiver
Inactive
I'm very intrigued. My aunt was very Christian and into yoga. The fact she was meditating on God as she did so I think was the aspect that appealed most to her. I wonder why there'd be any opposition to it. Or does it specify a middle eastern faith or something?
The poses are meant to be forms of worship. That in conjunction with the meditation can make it dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Like Chinese food, we have Americanized it.
PeaceLikeaRiver
Inactive
I take serious issue with the gotquestions.org website actually. They are extremely anti-Catholic.
And what is the relationship with Yoga?
PeaceLikeaRiver
Inactive
The website is extremely conservative, far too strongly for my liking, and it has no credibility due to its rather extreme and judgmental nature.
In my opinion yoga is a sin, and so is crossfit.
Its origins are from before Christ and derrive from the Buddhist teachings. It was all part of achieving nirvana.
G
guest4
Guest
I forget the name of the spirit but yoga meditation is supposed to envoke an unclean spirit into you. We are. To abstain even from the appearance of evil. Yoga is not for christians. If you want to strech and become more flexible or whatever people say is the benifit, there are other methods you can take to achieve this. The bible tells us not to even learn of thier ways. Stay away from yoga. Even if you are not doing it to bring a spirit in you someone in your yoga class maybe.
PeaceLikeaRiver
Inactive
Is there something about Yoga that expressly contradicts Christian teaching? If not, I fail to see the problem. It's like saying not to dine with a Muslim couple because they might invoke an unclean spirit in you. In neither case are you being instructed by anyone.
"Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive.
We should never look at these things from legalistic perspective..
There's nothing wrong with Yoga itself -- it's just a series of stretches and positions as a means of exercise and health.
Though sometimes it can be a little strange, but it's not so much Yoga itself, but certain individuals who practice it. For example, my wife who is a devout Catholic used to work as a yoga instructor at a studio. She eventually left the studio because the head instructor used to very sneakily try to express that my wife needs to teach about how power can only come from within, that we must only turn to ourselves, and that nothing exists but ourselves and our own energy. Basically, stuff my wife doesn't agree with at all.
But despite this one person, that doesn't mean the physical aspect of it is bad. Nothing wrong with yoga. My friend's mother just recently passed away to cancer -- I've known her ever since I was five. She was a lovely, caring, devout Presbyterian woman who always had the biggest smile on her face. During her fight, she continued to find refuge in God, and part of her most intimate moments were during yoga where she could focus and meditate on Him.
I spoke with her about 7 or 8 months ago and she seemed at peace with everything. Is it because of yoga? No, it was clearly peace she received from God, but she used yoga as a way to get away from the distractions and focus on Him.
Though sometimes it can be a little strange, but it's not so much Yoga itself, but certain individuals who practice it. For example, my wife who is a devout Catholic used to work as a yoga instructor at a studio. She eventually left the studio because the head instructor used to very sneakily try to express that my wife needs to teach about how power can only come from within, that we must only turn to ourselves, and that nothing exists but ourselves and our own energy. Basically, stuff my wife doesn't agree with at all.
But despite this one person, that doesn't mean the physical aspect of it is bad. Nothing wrong with yoga. My friend's mother just recently passed away to cancer -- I've known her ever since I was five. She was a lovely, caring, devout Presbyterian woman who always had the biggest smile on her face. During her fight, she continued to find refuge in God, and part of her most intimate moments were during yoga where she could focus and meditate on Him.
I spoke with her about 7 or 8 months ago and she seemed at peace with everything. Is it because of yoga? No, it was clearly peace she received from God, but she used yoga as a way to get away from the distractions and focus on Him.
Saying its okay to do yoga is kinda like saying its okay to do cocaine only once. Sure if you're careful it might not be dangerous. But what are the chances of it causing harm? For yoga spiritual harm.
Another example. Me raising my middle finger at you. Maybe in your mind you believe it's bad, which would be understandable because the history of it. But what if I decided to say I believe it means God bless you, I changed what it means. So in my humble opinion, I don't think we can ignore the history of yoga and try to turn it into something good. I don't think any good can come out of yoga. We can't take away what yoga represents. "It's just stretching" is the same as "it's just me raising my middle finger up"
PeaceLikeaRiver
Inactive
I'm just wondering out loud - this is all very fascinating to me - but from the way some people are talking about yoga it's as though some dark spirit is going to attack the practitioner Exorcist-style and take root in their body like a cancer. Is there something specific about Yoga that discourages or openly opposes Christianity?
Some Christians would agree with you on that. They're under the position that if something has a dark origin, then that origin will remain in it and it must be rejected entirely. This is why people insist on celebrating Christmas and especially Easter.
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