Some Christians Can't Leave Yoga Alone
Thursday, April 27, 2006 | Original Musings by
Jen
Oh for pete's sake..... are you serious? (for the record, I am not making fun of fundamentalists, everyone has a right to their beliefs, I just find this a silly thing to split hairs over. that's all.... my opinion, nothing more, nothing less.).
Here's a link to the article (article in full below): Yoga with a Christian Bent
Because something is steeped in a religious tradition other than your own, you stand a chance of committing a crime against God and your values? Is this what they are really suggesting?
Could these close-minded group consider for a moment that Learning from other traditions while staying within your own is totally possible?
Contrary to what they might fear about the perils of integrating Eastern disciplines and attitudes, within another tradition, they might discover what they are seeking - - centeredness (is that a word?). The various Hindu and Buddhist practices give very basic and effective ways to quiet agitation in his body and mind. In turn, that tranquility allows a deeper kind of awareness to surface and awakened a natural sense of love and compassion. Stilling the mind will never drew you away from Jesus Christ; it draws you closer.
After all, the body itself is neither Hindu nor Baptist nor Catholic nor Muslim.
Most of us don't realize that the various religions we engage in have been influenced and enlivened in some way by different beliefs and practices around them. None of them has existed in a vacuum. In a similar way, what we learn as individuals from a spiritual tradition other than our own can infuse vitality into our path. Do you think these Christians realize that many of our traditions coincide with pagan festivals?
Coming from a fundamentalist upbringing (and I am now considered a "bad" Christian by many family members due to my open-mindedness on many subjects), I know this attitude expressed in this article is not held only by a select few.
Honestly, if these people were secure in their faith, they would not worry about something like meditation interfering.
Ok, this rant is done....
Article in Full :
April 25, 2006 The poses may be the same as in the Hindu version of yoga, but the philosophy associated with the practice has been reinvented by those of a different faith.
"I approach each class as a way to share with people something great about their faith," said Christian yoga instructor Susan Bordenkircher.
Her class, "Outstretched in Faith," is a switch from traditional yoga, which has its roots in the Hindu religion and predates Christianity.
The original goal of Yoga was to develop self-awareness and help individuals find divinity within themselves.
But those Hindu ideals offend some Christians. Bordenkircher said that as a devout Methodist, when she first tried yoga she loved the exercise but not the Hindu-based chanting.
"It made me feel uncomfortable. It made me feel as if those were elements that I certainly did not want to participate in," Bordenkircher said.
So she joined a growing trend of modifying traditional yoga by replacing many of the chants with biblical phrases or Christian themes. While breathing in, she speaks of inhaling the holy spirit.
Still Yoga? Purists Disagree
There are clear physical benefits to this activity regardless of the philosophy, as it stretches the muscles and relaxes the body.
But yoga purists say that without Hinduism this simply isn't yoga.
"If you take a tree and chop off its roots, then you don't have a tree, do you?" said Subhas Tiwaris, a professor of yoga philosophy.
"Yoga is mind, body, spirit. You want to make those separations," he said.
But Bordenkircher bristles at this charge and defends her practice.
"There is no way that you can take a posture that is from a body that God created and say this can only be used for the Hindu faith," Bordenkircher said
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