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J
jimmydiggs
Guest
Yes, Yoga is a Hindu practice.
Yoga - Practices for union with the true Self (Living Religions, Eighth Edition - Mary Pat Fisher P. 120)
"From ancient times, people of the Indian subcontinent have practiced spiritual disciplines designed to clear the mind and support a state of serene, detached awareness. The pratcies for developing this desired state of balance, purity, wisdom, and peacefulness of mind are known collectively as yoga. It means "yoke" or "union" refering to union with the true SElf, the goal described in the Upanishads.
The sages distinguished four basic types of people and developed yogic practices that are particularly suitable for each type, in order that each can attain the dsired union with the Self. For meditative people, there is a raja yoga, the path of mental contenctration. For rational peaple, there is jnana yoga, the path of rational inquiry. For naturally active people, there is karma yoga, the path of right action. For emotional people. there is bhakti yoga, the path of devotion.
[skipping a few pages]
Karma yoga In contrast to these ascetic and contemplative practices, another way is that of helpful action in the world. Karma yoga is service rendered wtihout any interest in fruits and without any personal sense of giving. The yogi know that the Absolute performs all actions, and all actions are gifts to the Absolute. This consciousness leads to liberation from the self in the very midst of work.
Bhakti yoga The final type of spiritual path is the one embraced by most Hindus. It is the path of devotion to a personal deity, bhakti yoga. For the bhakta (devotee) the relationship is that of intense love. Bhakta Nam Dev described this deep love in sweet metaphors:
Thy Name is beautiful, Thy form is
beautiful, and very beautiful is Thy
love, Oh my Omnipresent Lord.
As rain is dear to the earth, as the
fragrance of flowers is dear to the black
bee, and as the mango is dear to the
cuckoo, so is the Lord to my soul.
As the sun is dear to the sheldrake,
and the lake of Man Sarowar to the swan,
and as the husband is dear to the wife, so
is God to my soul.
As milk is dear to the baby and as
the torrent of rain is to the mouth of the
sparrow-hawk who drinks nothing but
raindrops, and as water is dear to the fish,
so is the Lord to my soul."(Ibid. 81-84)
Yoga - Practices for union with the true Self (Living Religions, Eighth Edition - Mary Pat Fisher P. 120)
"From ancient times, people of the Indian subcontinent have practiced spiritual disciplines designed to clear the mind and support a state of serene, detached awareness. The pratcies for developing this desired state of balance, purity, wisdom, and peacefulness of mind are known collectively as yoga. It means "yoke" or "union" refering to union with the true SElf, the goal described in the Upanishads.
The sages distinguished four basic types of people and developed yogic practices that are particularly suitable for each type, in order that each can attain the dsired union with the Self. For meditative people, there is a raja yoga, the path of mental contenctration. For rational peaple, there is jnana yoga, the path of rational inquiry. For naturally active people, there is karma yoga, the path of right action. For emotional people. there is bhakti yoga, the path of devotion.
[skipping a few pages]
Karma yoga In contrast to these ascetic and contemplative practices, another way is that of helpful action in the world. Karma yoga is service rendered wtihout any interest in fruits and without any personal sense of giving. The yogi know that the Absolute performs all actions, and all actions are gifts to the Absolute. This consciousness leads to liberation from the self in the very midst of work.
Bhakti yoga The final type of spiritual path is the one embraced by most Hindus. It is the path of devotion to a personal deity, bhakti yoga. For the bhakta (devotee) the relationship is that of intense love. Bhakta Nam Dev described this deep love in sweet metaphors:
Thy Name is beautiful, Thy form is
beautiful, and very beautiful is Thy
love, Oh my Omnipresent Lord.
As rain is dear to the earth, as the
fragrance of flowers is dear to the black
bee, and as the mango is dear to the
cuckoo, so is the Lord to my soul.
As the sun is dear to the sheldrake,
and the lake of Man Sarowar to the swan,
and as the husband is dear to the wife, so
is God to my soul.
As milk is dear to the baby and as
the torrent of rain is to the mouth of the
sparrow-hawk who drinks nothing but
raindrops, and as water is dear to the fish,
so is the Lord to my soul."(Ibid. 81-84)
In essence, since Hinduism is not of God, we should not be partaking in anything that is part of Hinduism or related to it, including yoga.
A
AnandaHya
Guest
J
jimmydiggs
Guest
Which one of those is a process in which one worships a deity or seeks to become unified with the Brahmin?
As a note: I think some of the obsession with sports in our culture is absolutely demonic in origin. David Wilkerson talked about it in one of his sermons. I can try to find it if someone wants it.
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i do a christian version of yoga which doesn't even call itself yoga due to the extremely strong connections of that exercise with hinduism. (but it uses most of the same poses)
i believe the exercises themselves are not bad. but beneficial to one's health.
if any prayers to foreign gods are made while doing them that is bad. and using your body to pray to foreign gods is obviously about the worst form of adultery there is. but if you use it for exercise, or even pray to Yeshua, i see nothing wrong with it.
as long as we are able to separate in our spirits what our bodies are doing and who our spirit is communing with. the word yoga means unity.
i want my body to be in unity. just not unity with demons.
there are several christian versions of that kind of exercise. they usually use scripture to meditate on.
and they steer clear of the hindu names of the poses or anything that goes along with it.
just my thoughts.
maybe i'll get to heaven one day and Jesus will look me in the eye and say "yoga is demon worship" and i will fall on my face and repent. but right now i just really like it. and i can't see how exercise in itself can be wrong.
i believe the exercises themselves are not bad. but beneficial to one's health.
if any prayers to foreign gods are made while doing them that is bad. and using your body to pray to foreign gods is obviously about the worst form of adultery there is. but if you use it for exercise, or even pray to Yeshua, i see nothing wrong with it.
as long as we are able to separate in our spirits what our bodies are doing and who our spirit is communing with. the word yoga means unity.
i want my body to be in unity. just not unity with demons.
there are several christian versions of that kind of exercise. they usually use scripture to meditate on.
and they steer clear of the hindu names of the poses or anything that goes along with it.
just my thoughts.
maybe i'll get to heaven one day and Jesus will look me in the eye and say "yoga is demon worship" and i will fall on my face and repent. but right now i just really like it. and i can't see how exercise in itself can be wrong.
That's what I'm thinking, Dude. I've just never done yoga because of the negative connotations related to it...well, that and the fact that I just don't stretch that way. lol I think as long as you don't go all zen and meditative about it that it is fine just to stretch. I'd have to see what takes place in an actual yoga class to know if I was ok with it, or not. If they're all zenning out and opening their minds to, "whatever," well, I'd rather spend my time with a hot fudge sundae. 
W
wwjd_kilden
Guest
by all means, stretch and do all the funny poses you want, just make sure you stay away from the
"proper" yoga, which involves mantras, chanting, controlling your breathing and, uh, I think being "One with the universe"
yoga in it's intended form is definitely not something Christians should do
"proper" yoga, which involves mantras, chanting, controlling your breathing and, uh, I think being "One with the universe"
yoga in it's intended form is definitely not something Christians should do
L
LovingtheLord
Guest
Well if you are not sure it is better to look extensively into it rather than being ignorant with dire consequences.
Read Hosea 4:6 seems appropriate.
1 Timothy 4:8
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.
Read Hosea 4:6 seems appropriate.
1 Timothy 4:8
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.
Yoga is not just stretching and it just can't be made into Christian versions. Saying so, is just ignorant of Yoga, it's roots, and it's goal. The following was submitted by Marcia Montenegro to help believers grasp the reality of what we are associating ourselves with in Yoga.
Why would we, as followers of the One True God, ever want to associate with something so blatantly pagan and anti Christ? It's just stretching? Read on. You'll find the links below.
"Christian Yoga" is an oxymoron. If one removes the core aspects of Yoga to make it into something acceptable to Christians, then the breathing techniques (pranayama) and specific positions (asanas) need to be removed, which means there is then little or no Yoga at all. Changing the terms does not change Yoga, either. Just as there is no Christian Ouija board and no Christian astrology, so there is no Christian Yoga that is either truly Yoga or truly Christian."
"The poses themselves are often depictions of Hindu deities, and the hand positions mimic the hand positions seen on the statues of Hindu gods. These hand positions are called mudras and are thought to help manipulate and channel prana, a supposed divine force or breath of the universe."
As Christians, we have access to so many other spiritually and physically healthy options to Yoga, and should consider the New Age and occult spirits that we are aligning with, even if we are thinking of Scripture or playing worship music when doing the poses. We have been deceived.
"Yoga has become so well packaged as an exercise that people even believe this was the original intent of yoga, often calling yoga "stretching exercises." People in the U.S. and other Western countries often do not realize that the yoga they call an exercise is just one of many forms of yoga designed for specific spiritual purposes.
Although one may become more fit and flexible from doing yoga, that is not the goal of yoga, which is part of a complex spiritual system:
With celebrities doing yoga, yoga on TV, glossy magazine ads of beautiful people doing yoga, yoga videos, yoga CD's, yoga mats, and yoga wear, yoga has become glamorized and trendy, an appeal that rarely fails to draw in the masses.
Shorn of its association with hippies, with those who made pilgrimages to India seeking out gurus, and with what was once seen as the far-out New Age movement, yoga is now vigorously embraced, linked to health and hipness
How have the edges of the spiritual component of yoga been so well rounded off? One method has been to change the language so that blatant Eastern terms are replaced with words that seem to refer to health or the physical body. YogaFit Training Systems, a company that trains teachers to bring "demystified" yoga "to the masses," states that it is "fitness oriented," although it does draw on the Hindu based Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Kundalini yoga practices.
YogaFit admits that yoga was originally designed to prepare for meditation, but that "Meditation is simply the ability to focus on one thing for an extended period of time." Actually, Eastern meditation involves much more than that, and is a spiritual practice with a specific purpose.
Yoga was designed to prepare the body for Eastern meditation, which involves techniques to go beyond the mind so that one can be prepared to unite with the Absolute (God, Brahman, the One). To describe this meditation as simply focusing "on one thing" is misleading and does a great disservice to the teachings of Hinduism and yoga."
Try skipping rope instead
Marcella
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:1-2
Who is Marcia Montenegro? The following is from her bio: "She is a former astrologer and being involved in the New Age/occult community gave Marcia a diversity of friends and astrological clients including witches/pagans; New Age healers; psychics; palm readers and card readers; Sufis; followers of Rajneesh, Sai Baba, Muktananda, Maharaji, and other gurus; Hare Krishna devotees; est and Silva Mind trainees; and others. Through these contacts and her own experiences, she became familiar with a wide spectrum of beliefs and practices that were an intrinsic part of the New Age and occult community.
Marcia was involved with various New Age, occult, and Eastern beliefs and practices, including Inner Light Consciousness, Tibetan Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Hindu teachings and meditation, and psychic development classes. During these years, she also participated in past life regression, numerology, Tarot cards, spirit contact, seances, astral travel, and received a spirit guide through a guided visualization."
I found the above excerpts from the following articles:
http://www.christiananswersforthenewage.org/Articles_ChristianYoga.html
http://www.christiananswersforthenewage.org/Articles_YogaHippies1.html
Why would we, as followers of the One True God, ever want to associate with something so blatantly pagan and anti Christ? It's just stretching? Read on. You'll find the links below.
"Christian Yoga" is an oxymoron. If one removes the core aspects of Yoga to make it into something acceptable to Christians, then the breathing techniques (pranayama) and specific positions (asanas) need to be removed, which means there is then little or no Yoga at all. Changing the terms does not change Yoga, either. Just as there is no Christian Ouija board and no Christian astrology, so there is no Christian Yoga that is either truly Yoga or truly Christian."
"The poses themselves are often depictions of Hindu deities, and the hand positions mimic the hand positions seen on the statues of Hindu gods. These hand positions are called mudras and are thought to help manipulate and channel prana, a supposed divine force or breath of the universe."
As Christians, we have access to so many other spiritually and physically healthy options to Yoga, and should consider the New Age and occult spirits that we are aligning with, even if we are thinking of Scripture or playing worship music when doing the poses. We have been deceived.
"Yoga has become so well packaged as an exercise that people even believe this was the original intent of yoga, often calling yoga "stretching exercises." People in the U.S. and other Western countries often do not realize that the yoga they call an exercise is just one of many forms of yoga designed for specific spiritual purposes.
Although one may become more fit and flexible from doing yoga, that is not the goal of yoga, which is part of a complex spiritual system:
Pranayama (breathing techniques) and the asanas (specific positions) are designed to enhance and induce meditative states in which one can transcend mental fluctuations and bypass rational thinking.
Hatha yoga teaches how to control the body and the senses so that the yogin (yoga student) can control the mind (Raja Yoga). Gradually, the body and mind are filled by the Atman (Pure or Supreme Universal Self) and through the death of the body, as it were, is the resurrection of the Higher Self accomplished.
The aim of Patanjali Yoga is to set man free from the cage of matter. Mind is the highest form of matter and man freed from this dragnet of Chitta or Ahankara (mind or ego) becomes a pure being.
In the 1970's and even 1980's, yoga was associated with Eastern spirituality. However, in the last several years those who market yoga have successfully airbrushed out the spiritual roots of yoga and marketed yoga as an exercise.Hatha yoga teaches how to control the body and the senses so that the yogin (yoga student) can control the mind (Raja Yoga). Gradually, the body and mind are filled by the Atman (Pure or Supreme Universal Self) and through the death of the body, as it were, is the resurrection of the Higher Self accomplished.
The aim of Patanjali Yoga is to set man free from the cage of matter. Mind is the highest form of matter and man freed from this dragnet of Chitta or Ahankara (mind or ego) becomes a pure being.
With celebrities doing yoga, yoga on TV, glossy magazine ads of beautiful people doing yoga, yoga videos, yoga CD's, yoga mats, and yoga wear, yoga has become glamorized and trendy, an appeal that rarely fails to draw in the masses.
Shorn of its association with hippies, with those who made pilgrimages to India seeking out gurus, and with what was once seen as the far-out New Age movement, yoga is now vigorously embraced, linked to health and hipness
How have the edges of the spiritual component of yoga been so well rounded off? One method has been to change the language so that blatant Eastern terms are replaced with words that seem to refer to health or the physical body. YogaFit Training Systems, a company that trains teachers to bring "demystified" yoga "to the masses," states that it is "fitness oriented," although it does draw on the Hindu based Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Kundalini yoga practices.
YogaFit admits that yoga was originally designed to prepare for meditation, but that "Meditation is simply the ability to focus on one thing for an extended period of time." Actually, Eastern meditation involves much more than that, and is a spiritual practice with a specific purpose.
Yoga was designed to prepare the body for Eastern meditation, which involves techniques to go beyond the mind so that one can be prepared to unite with the Absolute (God, Brahman, the One). To describe this meditation as simply focusing "on one thing" is misleading and does a great disservice to the teachings of Hinduism and yoga."
Try skipping rope instead
Marcella
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:1-2
Who is Marcia Montenegro? The following is from her bio: "She is a former astrologer and being involved in the New Age/occult community gave Marcia a diversity of friends and astrological clients including witches/pagans; New Age healers; psychics; palm readers and card readers; Sufis; followers of Rajneesh, Sai Baba, Muktananda, Maharaji, and other gurus; Hare Krishna devotees; est and Silva Mind trainees; and others. Through these contacts and her own experiences, she became familiar with a wide spectrum of beliefs and practices that were an intrinsic part of the New Age and occult community.
Marcia was involved with various New Age, occult, and Eastern beliefs and practices, including Inner Light Consciousness, Tibetan Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Hindu teachings and meditation, and psychic development classes. During these years, she also participated in past life regression, numerology, Tarot cards, spirit contact, seances, astral travel, and received a spirit guide through a guided visualization."
I found the above excerpts from the following articles:
http://www.christiananswersforthenewage.org/Articles_ChristianYoga.html
http://www.christiananswersforthenewage.org/Articles_YogaHippies1.html
this is the verse they have us meditate on in my christian version of yoga that i do.
I think you may have missed my point it posting that verse. Don't you find it just a little ironic that you're meditating on a verse that says to not conform to things of this world, while adapting a pagan spiritual practice into a Christian meditation?
Sincerely,
Marcella
1
1still_waters
Guest
What's ironic is that many things people do in worship services now days actually mirrors eastern religions more than simply doing some stretching and breathing exercises.
X
xhuvixhe
Guest
yes. my body should be functioning in harmony and unity as God designed it to. the problem with the concpet of union is: what do you want to be in union WITH? i do not wish to be one with the universe, or with some demon, or with lots of demons.
nope!! ^_^ didn't miss your point. just thought i'd tell you how well i know that verse.
there are two companies i know of that don't even use the term yoga to describe their exercises. Wholyfit and praisemoves. check em out for yourself if you need to, but i see nothing wrong with my christian yoga.
there's a limited amount of ways one can move their body. there's a limited amount of ways one can stretch.
skip the demon feast and exercise! it's so good for us!
The point is, you can't take something of another culture and belief and be a partaker in it if you belong to Him. If it isn't pleasing to Him, walk away from it. As King Saul learned the hard way, you can't take parts of a culture that is not pleasing to God and use it to worship Him or incorporate it in your life. It's essentially tolerating things not of God and saying it's ok, even when you rename it.
W
wwjd_kilden
Guest
though I agree with all saying yoga is bad, to all of you who say do not be conformed to the world (in any way)
did you study at a public school?
do you work at a ordinary, bnot specifically christian work place?
yes we are to stay away from evil, but I can't run around saying shuuuuunnnnn as soon as I see something non- christian either
did you study at a public school?
do you work at a ordinary, bnot specifically christian work place?
yes we are to stay away from evil, but I can't run around saying shuuuuunnnnn as soon as I see something non- christian either