Yoga corpse pose is the most beneficial part of the practice. This is when all the energy and nutrients are channeled throughout the body from the asanas. As to meditation, the whole yoga practice is meditation in motion. As to martial arts practice, meditation is a major part of that too. None of these have anything to do with religion. This is an exercise that benefits the mind and body. The whole objective for yoga practice is calming of the mind. As a practicing Roman Catholic, I find that yoga enriches my chosen religion. I do study all the world's religions and try to keep an open mind. I have practiced yoga over 10 years and find that my posture is great, and I have excellent flexibility;all of this as a result of yoga practice.

So Saint Peter's going to shut me down over a few Downward Dogs?
Damn(ation)!

First, I don't want to begin a religious debate not do I want to step on anyone's toes. I'm not knocking anyone's religious beliefs, and honestly yesterday was the first I had ever heard about yoga being against someone's religious beliefs. So I went digging around online and pretty much what I found was that since yoga has grounds in Hinduism, uses visualization and imagery, that it is anti-Christian. All the following information came from this site:http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/yoga.htm

"Every Yoga teacher is, in effect, a Hindu or Buddhist missionary, even though "he or she may wear a cross, insist that Jesus was a great Yogi, and protest that Yoga is not a religion, but science. This is the most blatant of lies."
This is a statement throwing all yoga instructors in the same basket. I don't agree with this at all. Yoga is what you make it.

"Yoga is also associated with imagery, visualization, hypnosis, mind magic, chanting of mantra, positive thinking, and Silva mind techniques, which are not only unbiblical, but are potentially dangerous."
During Lamaze classes, pregnant women are taught to use imagery and visualization as an aid to childbirth. Is there a difference? During childbirth, a woman turns inward to complete the task at hand...is that unbiblical as well?

"Consider the following portion of an article from a secular newspaper:
"It is estimated that there are 10,000 yoga teachers in the United States, who teach between 4 and 5 million students a week. Yoga is a program that involves conscious stretching, deliberate movements, controlled breathing and relaxation exercises. Its purpose is to develop strength, flexibility, balance, body alignment, body awareness, muscular balance, calmness and controlled breathing. Yoga originated from a school of thought in the Hindu religion, which suggests that postures can isolate the soul from the body and the mind."
"In the Western world, yoga is used mainly as a form of exercise. Yoga comes from the original Sanskrit word, 'joga,' which means 'to join.' Yoga means to join body, mind and breath; to get them to work together in harmony [This is a lie!]. It's very gentle, slow and meditative; but it requires concentration. Yoga instructors say they have received a handful of complaints from people who believe yoga is intertwined with mysticism and the occult. [We] acknowledge that yoga does indeed come from a portion of India's Hindu religion, but [our] classes deal mainly with the physical aspects of yoga, and do not in any way coerce people to become involved in Eastern religion" [another lie]. (Source: The Bloomington Herald-Times, 1991.) (Emphasis added.)"

So the person writing this article feels that everyone that practices yoga is becoming involved with Eastern religion. It is not possible to practice yoga and not become immersed in the occult? I'm sorry, but I find that a little hard to swallow. What this is saying to me is that people have no inner strength and are too stupid to be able to differentiate exercise from mysticism. Yoga IS very slow and meditative, and does require immense concentration. When I am going from downward dog to plank, trust me, I am not thinking about worshipping Buddha, I'm thinking about my arms burning and how long I'm going to have to hold that pose.
I am a practicing Christian, and while I do agree that yoga has roots in Hinduism and Eastern religions, I see nothing wrong with it personally. I just cannot see what is so bad about relaxing your body, learning to control your breathing, gaining strength and flexibility. It is in the Bible that the human body is a temple:
1 Cor. 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body," (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
So if our bodies are temples of the Lord, how is yoga not a benefit? I just do not understand how taking and holding various poses and focusing on what your body (temple) is doing is bad. Can you not use yoga as a route to honoring God with your body? After all, He made it, is it not our responsibility to take care of it the best we can?

Nice try junkie, but you're going down with the rest of us. As if being a junkie wasn't bad enough!
Brings whole new meaning to Tony's "Bu-Bur-Burn" schitck, doesn't it?
Reminds me, I have a copy of Bill Maher's "Religulous" at home I haven't watched yet. No joke.

runningjunkie,

Thanks for confirming my recommendation that each of us look with discernment to see if there are any concerns about Yoga.

Kevin

Your welcome...I think. I really hope that I didn't offend anyone with my post, and if I did, I apologize. I just don't understand, that's all.

Hey guys,

This makes for an interesting topic. I'm not hear to ruffle anyone's feathers, and just so you know, I'm not offended in any way. We each have our beliefs, and that's alright.


Just to educate you a bit more on yoga and how the Orthodox Faith views it. I got this from the following page:
http://www.bibleteacher.org/Dm063d.htm#Eastern

Yoga
I'm sure you've seen it on television. Some good looking woman or even better looking man, well built, wants to show you how to stay in shape. They sit down on the floor, stretch, fold themselves into some type of position, then with a "Ommmmmm" begins to exercise. You've just seen the eighth wonder of the world, the miraculous healing exercise of Yoga.

People assume that Yoga is only a method of exercise, nothing more an nothing less. My favorite comedienne, Carol Burnett, claims that it's the best thing since sliced bread. Yoga practices are held in the YWCA, YMCA, health spas, and (Lord Forbid) Churches. Yet few people know that the word "Yoga" means union with God, and is an ancient Hindu tradition that goes back nearly 5000 years.

The basic principle of Yoga is that God is an impersonal force that runs through the universe. Yoga teaches that the spiritual body is held in check by the physical body. When the skeletal and muscular structure of the physical body is manipulated in certain ways the spiritual body is released so that it can come in union with this God-force. Swami Vishnudevananda (don't these people have short names?) said in his book The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga:

"It is the duty of each developed man to train his body to the highest degree of perfection so that it may be used to pursue the spiritual purposes. The expression of the spirit increases in proportion to the development of the body and mind in which it is encased. The aim of all Yoga practice is to achieve truth wherein the individual soul identifies itself with the supreme soul of God."

Contrast this with the Word of God, which teaches:

1 Timothy 4:7-9 "But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation."

Can a Christian involve himself in Yoga and not be polluted by the world? Well, in the words of Swami Vishnudevananda, "Many people think that Hatha Yoga [focuses on the non religious aspects of Yoga] is merely physical exercise. But in reality there is no difference between Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga [focuses on the Hinduistic aspects of Yoga, with its false gods]". Even the Swami says "No!". The Bible tells us:

James 4:4 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

2 Corinthians 6:17 "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you"

God does not tolerate such things, even if they are seemingly innocent.


And here is another wonderful link that will hopefully answer your questions:
http://www.pastornet.net.au/response/catalog/section/yoga1.htm

There is nothing wrong with stretching, or relaxing your body after a workout. Allot of the positions they have you do in yoga mean something. I personally, choose not to do them, and am ok with that.

Please forgive me, I'm not hear to start any trouble, just merely wanted to know of an alternative to doing yoga....I'll stretch on my own.

Thank you,
cats.

just wanted to add this:


- So if someone's interested in physical exercises that are designed to help one's body, he should not take Yoga, which is designed for death, and teaches how to reach this state of consciousness* where one gets a better reincarnation. Even the physical positions in Yoga come right out of the Hindu scriptures, and are designed to put one into this state of consciousness where you imagine that you're God. Therefore, Christians who think they think they're getting relaxation and/or exercise, are really getting Hinduism! They think they're getting science, but they're getting religion. It's mislabeled and it's dangerous! (Summarized from Dave Hunt's comments on a 1988 John Ankerberg Show program, "The New Age in Society."

You can read the full article at:
http://www.pastornet.net.au/response/articles/18.htm

cats

Cats, Sri Guru Vishnu Divananda taught yoga through the Sivananda Yoga Center here in the US in NY and California,and you have misunderstood his writings. There is only ONE God.
Prem,
Ganesha

I know there is only one God, Jesus Christ.

I don't understand what you mean, what have I misunderstood?

Thanks....

Christ said I am the way, I am with the Lord, I am the Lord. And you are correct Jesus Christ is Lord. However a Jew will disagree. Hinduism does not disagree with you in that Vishnu devananda believed Jesus Christ is God, and Jesus is placed at his alter in the Ashrams in North America. Sri Guru Vishnu Divananda's God is the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. As a Roman Catholic I believe in God and we have Saints that we pray to, which does not indicate we believe in many gods. We have Faith in the Lord. The Hindu believe One God, same God just different paths or religious beliefs to the Truth.

I have to agree with Ganesha. As I said before, I am a practicing Christian, and in the years I have been doing yoga, I have never once imagined that I was God. Honestly, until now, I never put yoga in the same sentence as religion. It just never crossed my mind.

Now, I will probably tick off or offend some people here, and if I do, I apologize in advance. As Christians, who are we to say that our religion is superior over all others? I believe in God, Hindus believe in whomever they believe in, Native Americans believe in the Great Spirit, Jews believe in God but not Jesus...to other religions, their God (whomever that is) is superior to all others and the only one that is right. There are more ways to believe in God in this world than anyone will ever know. Even 2 Christians don't believe the same...for example, Ganesha is a Roman Catholic, I am a Methodist. Do we both believe in God and Jesus? Of course. Do we believe the same way about every aspect of our faith? Of course not. That is what makes us human. I don't feel that I am destined for damnation because I am open to other cultures and ways of thinking. When it comes right down to it, we all essentially worhip the same God...religions have a supreme being they revere, we call this being God, other religions call Him something else. Nobody disputes the existance of a higher being, the only thing that changes is what we choose to call Him.

What does this have to do with yoga? I was digging around the other day and came across this: http://www.beliefnet.com/Holistic-Living/Yoga/How-To-Yoga/Learning-From-Other-Traditions-While-Staying-Within-Your-Own.aspx?p=1

None of the yoga videos I do mention God, Hindu, Buddha or Santa Claus. They are exercise videos directed at strengthening the body and clearing the mind. Here is a link to some scenes from the first yoga video I ever did: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLZ2WHodLqQ
I do not do yoga that involves chanting, praying, or anything of that nature. The purpose of me doing yoga is purely physical.
This is a link to a Christian yoga video I found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_t5jApEYJ0
The only difference I see is that the one I do takes place on a cliff overlooking the ocean with the narrator speaking in a calm, soothing voice, while the other takes place in a church with crosses in the background and a woman repeating bible verses. The poses are the same, the methods are the same. There is no difference.

Again, I don't want to step on any toes, and Ganesha is surely more educated than I am when it comes to yoga. For me, yoga is purely physical...I don't reach altered states of conciousness, start believing in other Gods, or that I am God, or any of that. I am relaxed, my mind is clear and I am able to focus on the rest of my day. My yoga is a part of my physical regimin, my faith is part of my spiritual regimin. They are totally different and seperate from one another.

My goal with these posts is not to try to change anyones mind about the benefits of yoga, it is just to educate about the other side of the story.

For the record though, there is quite a bit of yoga incorporated throughout P90x.

"I know there is only one God, Jesus Christ."

Wait...isn't J.C. supposed to be the SON of God? I'm confused.

It gets complicated but he's supposed to be God...and his son J.C all at the same time.

The Holy Trinity...3 in 1.
The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost (Spirit)

Is Yoga a Religion?
by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

Yoga is in Religion. Religion is not in Yoga.
-------
While Yoga may be in Religions, the many
Yoga practices with body, breath and mind, along
with their transcendent goal of direct experience,
are generally neither characteristic of Religions,
nor typically practiced by the adherents of Religions.

Yoga means union. It is the joining together
the aspects of ourselves which were
never divided in the first place.
-----
To say that the word Yoga itself is a religion
makes as much sense as saying
that the words Union or Holistic
are themselves religions.

I have become so dedicated to working out daily P90x that some may now believe exercise and fitness is my religion. Today after Ab Ripper X and Back and Triceps, I drove home from the gym with the windows down, sun shining, spring weather breaking though last night's freeze and thought this is heaven. Thank God for this moment. The back muscles and core had that recovery warmth which is indiscribable.

I dreaded yoga at first, the 1:32 on the screen really throws you off. However, I'm in week 11 now and while I don't look forward to it, I don't dread it either. It's a nice change of pace in the workout and once you get into it, you don't even notice the clock. After I complete the 90 days, I'm going to incorporate yoga into my workout routine. I may not do the whole 90 minutes, but I'll use the disc again.

As for the whole religious thing.....ehhh. It is what you make it out to be, what you believe. To me, it's just a workout routine. I'm not that religious anyway.

I have been reading Tony H.'s corner and noticed he is doing more and more yoga, jump throughs and jump backs and incorporating a push up in between, using his patented push up stands. On his latest Beach Body corner video he was floating back from standing forward bend into plank. On the beach teaching coaches he was doing handstand and entering boat pose while on the parallel bars. he has even mentioned Yoga is ideal for him as he pushes up in age.

I hate the balance postures will they ever get easier? i am currently 235 I have no desire to loose more than a couple pounds and balance postures kick my but (whole lower body actually). will it ever get easier (not easy just easier).

Just a short reply on yoga it seems the problem for religious types is really just word association it's only an effective tool call it and the moves something else if you want. perception interprets reality see it as a tool and not as a betrayal and god will accept it.