Posted on 11/11/2017 7:43:21 AM PST by Salvation
Msgr. Charles Pope November 5, 2017
Yoga position?
Question: Does the Catholic Church disapprove of yoga for exercise or to assist meditation?— Rita Malone, Norwood, Massachusetts
Answer: The Church generally distinguishes between physical postures of yoga and the philosophy or religion from which they come (see the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “On Some Aspects of Christian Meditation,” Nos. 26-28). The adoption of a physical position, even if originating in a religious system other than Christianity, is permissible provided the posture is sought apart from the religious tradition from which originated it. There is a custom by which the Church has “baptized” even pagan practices down through the centuries that were not intrinsically linked to paganism.
So each person must ask if the yoga postures can be independent of non-Christian religious teaching. Perhaps they use them for physical health or to reduce stress while not embracing to any degree the religious teaching behind the posture. If so yoga is theoretically possible.
However, many who have experience with yoga indicate that this complete severing of yoga from its roots is difficult. The main point of yoga is to manipulate internal forces in order to achieve a particular physical or mental state. Some supporters of yoga reply by saying: “These are just natural forces.” But the existence of these forces is dubious from a natural perspective and are said to exist because a non-Christian religious tradition says so. It is seldom a good idea to seek to manipulate “forces” that are not taught to us by the Lord or even by natural law.
While the question of yoga has not been definitely answered by the magisterium, prudence would likely advise against the use of yoga. The saints got along fine without it, and if one seeks to find a good prayer posture, a little experimentation on one’s own should suffice. The key point in prayer is to be comfortable so as to focus on the Lord, not on our body or on certain “forces” said to exist by non-Christian philosophies and religions.
**The key point in prayer is to be comfortable so as to focus on the Lord**
Any thoughts out there?
OSV column by Monsignor Pope Ping!
Downward facing dog bump.
I do yoga as an exercise and calming routine. I’m not praying to anyone when I do. It’s a good form of exercise, especially for a weightlifting man who is 30+.
That's it.
My wife is at yoga right now....4 days a week
I love it
She is like incredible bod and it relaxes her and soothes natural female angst and fear and jitters
You can do yoga without becoming a satanist
And they have Christian yoga which uses verses instead of Swami lingo
My wife does do Traditional yoga frequently because the instructors are at the top difficulty wise and she is a journeyman class yoga practitioner since 1995
Her only issue is hand stands....she has limited shoulder strength
In the south where we live other than describing the poses and breathing there is no Hindu mentioning and certainly no proselytizing
But freepers gotta scold
This I knows
>>**The key point in prayer is to be comfortable so as to focus on the Lord**
“It’s just stretching” Right?
Hmm, I think Yoga can be a gateway to mysticism...
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Contemplative+Prayer
http://www.wayoflife.org/free_ebooks/downloads/Evangelicals_and__p.php
My thoughts are pass the popcorn. (I also consider yoga to be prayer in motion.)
I’d be okay if they banned fat women in yoga pants.
Who says they’re praying while doing yoga? There are more important issues the church should be considering.
Some instructors, who were trained under Hindu teachers,
Will admix Hindu religious concepts and practices
As always, what God are you focusing your mind on?
I have found that praying to God will bring about the peace of God as promised in Philippians 4:6-8.
My wife started doing yoga 2 X week a short while ago. She enjoys it ... and she looks great in her yoga pants!
It’s funny video yoga girls often wear pink sheer and tight tank tops for effect
It’s called yoga porn
I told wifey she could make etc money from home just put on your gear and play cool music and camera and go in YouTube and start gathering hits
With her diminuative stature and sweet accent she’d be a hit and she’s very good at it
She scoffed
I was mostly joking
She will not wear yoga gear except to and from yoga and not around the house unless I beg or bribe and there are no sleepover boys around which is rare
She looks great in her gear
One day she ran to store to pick up some Cope for our oldest boy and neglected to change
It was lunch time and about 30 mex and local redneck house builders getting lunch from the store
Cat calls and whistles ensued
She came home with I told you so on her lips of course
Lotta women wear them out though and you can see how they are packing
Good for you
It’s really been instrumental for my wife
She does hot now mostly because she likes the instructor
She generally goes where it’s the hardest
She could easily teach she just doesn’t have the time to go off to get qualified which takes weeks
She’s a mom to five with three still at home
Yoga will make the body of a woman who watches her weight as perfect as God made it
Yoga swimming and serious tennis are the three I like
Tennis causes it makes the legs look nice
There is no Hinduism without yoga and no yoga without Hinduism.
I do it to relax and stretch the muscles in my hip and back. It works wonders as an exercise. It has nothing to do with religion to me.
I reject your fallacy.
“It is for freedom Christ has set you free.” Gal 5
Goat yoga is the way to go.
Is mixing of the castes allowed in yoga?
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