Two weeks ago, EWTN’s Women of Grace aired a series of shows detailing many of the lesser-known facts about the current mindfulness craze. We received the following letter from a woman who said that at the time of the show’s airing, she was grappling with whether or not to quit teaching yoga. After watching just the first half of the first show, she immediately knew what had to be done.
The consciences of some people are pricked by the idea of engaging in the Hindu practice of yoga, which makes Christianizing the practice seem like the perfect fix. But a closer look reveals that attempts to Christianize a Hindu spiritual practice is nothing more than syncretism and many of today’s most popular versions – such as Brooke Boon’s Holy Yoga – are riddled with theological errors. The following note is from a reader who now sees the light.
Just days before the hotly anticipated first goat yoga class was scheduled to launch in New York City last week, officials forced the event to close due to permit complications.
There are a lot of valuable lessons to be learned by the ongoing “yoga wars” – the decades long battle between Christians who believe yoga is just exercise, and those who believe it’s a Hindu spiritual practice. One side has a tendency to look down on yoga enthusiasts as somehow less Christian then they are, while the other sees anyone who opposes their yoga workouts as “religious fanatics.” Thankfully, the Bible gives us clear instruction about how to conduct ourselves charitably when confronting conflict - regardless of what side we’re on.
NC's letter is indicative of what Christians are encountering in the real world when it comes to yoga and stretching exercises. Like so many of us, her doctor (a Catholic) recommended yoga, then sent her to a physical therapy establishment that also offered Reiki (HUGE red flag). She's looking for alternatives and we've got a few recommendations.
Opus Sanctorum Angelorum, (OSA) founded by Father William Wagner and under the direction of the Order of the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross, say yoga is part of the Hindu religion and any claims that it can be used as physical exercise are misleading.
Many people who want to avoid the religious baggage of yoga and are searching for non-yoga based exercises ask me what is the difference between isometric exercise and yoga.
During a hilarious rant about the gym, this little girl talks about yoga at the gym, which she describes as “hineys in your face” and innocently reveals exactly what the teacher said about this so-called “exercise” class.
In spite of all the hype about the health benefits of yoga, a new study has found that the injury rate of yoga is 10 times higher than previously reported.
Two weeks ago, EWTN’s Women of Grace aired a series of shows detailing many of the lesser-known facts about the current mindfulness craze. We received the following letter from a woman who said that at the time of the show’s airing, she was grappling with whether or not to quit teaching yoga. After watching just the first half of the first show, she immediately knew what had to be done.
