Is it okay for a Catholic to practice Yoga?

followingtheway · #1 Jun 17, '12, 9:08 am

What are your thoughts

triumphguy · #2 Jun 17, '12, 10:05 am

Yoga as in Stretching and exercise. Yes.

feargalmac · #3 Jun 17, '12, 10:18 am

Here's a good article on it.

Hope it helps.

aicirt · #4 Jun 17, '12, 10:29 am

I don't know exactly what the pollster means by "practice yoga". I've done yoga to stretch as a form of exercise. I have never done it to participate in a Hindu religious meditation to a diety.

agnes therese · #5 Jun 17, '12, 12:41 pm

Physical yoga, yes, it's okay. It can be very good for arthritis.

BettyBoop416 · #6 Jun 17, '12, 2:41 pm

I attend a weekly yoga class that is offered in our parish hall. There is usually at least one priest in attendance.

One of the instructors is just a bit on the "new-agey" side. If your faith cannot withstand that little bit of nonsense it doesn't have a whole lot of substance to it.

dimentichisimai · #7 Jun 17, '12, 3:39 pm

I think Yoga is very beneficial for keeping the body supple and reducing stress, but I do understand some qualms people have with the movements. For example, towards the end of every session I've ever done, there is some kind of "corpse" pose, followed by a fetal-like position, and then a seated-buddha-type position. If that doesn't sound like death, rebirth, and reaching nirvana, I don't know what does.

I guess my 2 cents is that so long as you don't take the symbolism to heart, it's fine as an exercise. I've sometimes meditated upon the Sorrowful Mysteries during some of the more difficult stances. It is very powerful--and distinctly Catholic.

manualman · #8 Jun 18, '12, 10:54 am

Such a poll needs a definition of the term.

My position is that using avariety of stretching routines and positions is not, by themselves, Yoga. Yoga is a spiritual and religious expression of eastern mysticism which by its very nature denies that there is any separation between the physical and spiritual (and by the way, catholics should have no problem with that part).

Yoga includes the spiritual belief that one can alter the flow of one's spiritual "energies" (I'm mangling the vocabulary here) via physical manipulation of the body, thus altering one's soul and enabling one to manipulate the energies of the universe to achieve things you otherwise couldn't. It is a worldview incompatible with the catholic understanding that God is God and we aren't. We attempt to gain mastery over the spiritual realm at our own mortal peril (read Exodus sometime to comprehend the principles at play and the dangers of adopting "a little bit" of other religions).

So for those who attempt to redefine yoga as "just stretching" please pay a little bit more respect to those who hold that religious view and refrain from participating in the confusion. If you don't subscribe to their religion, don't use their word. Just call it stretching excercises. Avoid even the appearance of violating the First Commandment.

Catholics calling their stretches "yoga" is rude and confusing. Its the same sort of disaster of comprehension as when Mormons or 'oneness pentecostals' call their initiation "baptism". It isn't and they don't even believe it is the same thing we believe, so why attempt to appropriate the word?

Viviphilia · #9 Jun 19, '12, 12:42 am

Yoga isn't an independent religion. One can meditate on Christ's teachings while practicing yoga.

Qoeleth · #10 Jun 19, '12, 3:19 am

The practice of Yog is a theme of the Bhagavad Gita. It provide a wonderful insight into the Deity, dealing with issues such as the non-duality of faith and works, the innerness of God, etc. The bits about the divinity of Krishna talk beautifully about the mystery of the Incarnation. I encourage anyone who wants to deepen their faith to read it.

As Catholics, we can grow from anything which is true, sacred and insightful in other religions and cultures.

**Holly3278** · #11 Jun 19, '12, 10:15 am

I am going to say no because Yoga has Hindu roots.

aicirt · #12 Jun 19, '12, 11:22 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qoeleth

The practice of Yog is a theme of the Bhagavad Gita. It provide a wonderful insight into the Deity, dealing with issues such as the non-duality of faith and works, the innerness of God, etc. The bits about the divinity of Krishna talk beautifully about the mystery of the Incarnation. I encourage anyone who wants to deepen their faith to read it.

As Catholics, we can grow from anything which is true, sacred and insightful in other religions and cultures.

I have difficulty with a Catholic using yoga to find insight into "the Deity". For us, the Deity is God not a Hindu god. I don't know I'd be able to deepen my Catholic faith by reading about Krishna's incarnation. Know what I mean?

manualman · #13 Jun 19, '12, 12:47 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qoeleth

The practice of Yog is a theme of the Bhagavad Gita. It provide a wonderful insight into the Deity, ... the innerness of God, etc. The bits about the divinity of Krishna talk beautifully ....

Thanks for providing Exhibit A.

The insidious thing about many eastern religions is their insistence that mutually incompatible ideas are compatible. Catholicism is inherently a religion based on objective truth. The philosophy that underlies many eastern faiths is on that rejects objective reality and subjectivizes everything.

We REFLECT God, we do not contain him (i.e. He is not found "inside" us, though He does offer to dwell within us, an entirely different thing.). God is not an impersonal force which we refer to as "the Deity", he is our Father, a personal and loving God. These are not trivial differences, they are incompatibly different visions of who God is and how we fit into His plan. Again, catholics should read Exodus a few times before oohing and aahing over the shiny golden calves (or Buddhas).

Qoeleth · #14 Jun 19, '12, 2:26 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by manualman

Thanks for providing Exhibit A.

The insidious thing about many eastern religions is their insistence that mutually incompatible ideas are compatible. Catholicism is inherently a religion based on objective truth. The philosophy that underlies many eastern faiths is on that rejects objective reality and subjectivizes everything.

We REFLECT God, we do not contain him (i.e. He is not found "inside" us, though He does offer to dwell within us, an entirely different thing.). God is not an impersonal force which we refer to as "the Deity", he is our Father, a personal and loving God. These are not trivial differences, they are incompatibly different visions of who God is and how we fit into His plan. Again, catholics should read Exodus a few times before oohing and aahing over the shiny golden calves (or Buddhas).

Other religions reflect different cultures conceptions of God- there is only one God, therefore it is always ultimately the same God. Nostra Aetate (Vatican II) says: "In Hinduism, men contemplate the divine mystery and express it through an inexhaustible abundance of myths and through searching philosophical inquiry. They seek freedom from the anguish of our human condition either through ascetical practices or profound meditation or a flight to God with love and trust." Note, the Fathers of the Council say, "flight to God", not "flight to an idol", or even "flight to a god."

The idea that God is inside of us is one of the oldest and most orthodox ideas of Christian mysticism. Is this not like the idea of the Atman, the deepest self, which is the same as Brahman, the transcendental God?

tomarin · #15 Jun 19, '12, 2:29 pm

I had a conversation this weekend with some acquaintances from India who said that yoga is not particularly religious in nature, nor is Ayurvedic medicine. They believe these are based on scientific principles.