Christian Yoga?
Yoga is part of the New Age movement and the term "Christian yoga" is definitely an oxymoron, so why are so many Christians -- particularly Catholics -- seeking it out today? Exercise? Why not take a walk or go swimming? To attain inner peace? Why not go to Eucharistic Adoration and pour your heart out to Him -- the One who loves you? Contemplation, meditation? Why not read the scriptures and ponder on them? Why not dwell on the sacred mysteries of the rosary or the stations of the cross? Or if that's too advanced, how about viewing Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and reflecting on Our Savior's love for you? It takes no effort when one views this film. Why dabble in a New Age religion that can be destructive to the soul?
Fr. John Hardon, SJ, has written an excellent article which explains why yoga is incompatible with Catholicism.
I recently came across a pamphlet put out by a religious order that pictured a young woman in a clinging low cut leotard performing her yoga
exercises. There was no mention of God on the cover of this pamphlet. When I showed it to a well-educated, seasoned priest, solid in the faith,
he was quite shocked that material like this would be displayed in a Catholic church.
Johnette Benkovich's latest series of interviews with a former yoga teacher who previously dabbled in the New Age Movement on EWTN's The Abundant Life has been eye-opening and enlightening to me and has validated what my own suspicions about yoga have been.
A few years ago, upon the advice of my doctor, I enrolled in a yoga class to stretch my tight muscles and to learn to relax. It was supposed to be effective in relieving some of the pain of fibromyalgia, which I had been struggling with for many years.
When I met the teacher of the small daytime class, she was very pleasant and seemed quite down to earth to me. The first few classes seemed initially harmless, but when she began speaking about God and seeking out God in the middle of the exercises, something didn't seem quite right. I began to wonder who her god was. Was he the same God that I worshipped? Why did she attempt to subtly equate God with feeling so good about oneself during stretching exercises? Why did God seem to suddenly appear when one began to feel in control of her body? Where had he been prior to that?
When I spoke with her about my concerns after class, she assured me that I had nothing to worry about as she held classes of 150 students or more in a Christian Church located in a nearby town. Now, that really freaked me out! After consulting with my Spiritual Father (A priest who was my Spiritual Director) on this, I discontinued this class. The Lord had answered my prayers for discernment in this matter but how many other Christians are duped by this subtle manipulation of their soul?
Yoga is part of the New Age movement and the term "Christian yoga" is definitely an oxymoron, so why are so many Christians -- particularly Catholics -- seeking it out today? Exercise? Why not take a walk or go swimming? To attain inner peace? Why not go to Eucharistic Adoration and pour your heart out to Him -- the One who loves you? Contemplation, meditation? Why not read the scriptures and ponder on them? Why not dwell on the sacred mysteries of the rosary or the stations of the cross? Or if that's too advanced, how about viewing Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and reflecting on Our Savior's love for you? It takes no effort when one views this film. Why dabble in a New Age religion that can be destructive to the soul?
Fr. John Hardon, SJ, has written an excellent article which explains why yoga is incompatible with Catholicism.
I recently came across a pamphlet put out by a religious order that pictured a young woman in a clinging low cut leotard performing her yoga
exercises. There was no mention of God on the cover of this pamphlet. When I showed it to a well-educated, seasoned priest, solid in the faith,
he was quite shocked that material like this would be displayed in a Catholic church.
Johnette Benkovich's latest series of interviews with a former yoga teacher who previously dabbled in the New Age Movement on EWTN's The Abundant Life has been eye-opening and enlightening to me and has validated what my own suspicions about yoga have been.
A few years ago, upon the advice of my doctor, I enrolled in a yoga class to stretch my tight muscles and to learn to relax. It was supposed to be effective in relieving some of the pain of fibromyalgia, which I had been struggling with for many years.
When I met the teacher of the small daytime class, she was very pleasant and seemed quite down to earth to me. The first few classes seemed initially harmless, but when she began speaking about God and seeking out God in the middle of the exercises, something didn't seem quite right. I began to wonder who her god was. Was he the same God that I worshipped? Why did she attempt to subtly equate God with feeling so good about oneself during stretching exercises? Why did God seem to suddenly appear when one began to feel in control of her body? Where had he been prior to that?
When I spoke with her about my concerns after class, she assured me that I had nothing to worry about as she held classes of 150 students or more in a Christian Church located in a nearby town. Now, that really freaked me out! After consulting with my Spiritual Father (A priest who was my Spiritual Director) on this, I discontinued this class. The Lord had answered my prayers for discernment in this matter but how many other Christians are duped by this subtle manipulation of their soul?
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