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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Exercise and Prayer	Jeremiah	Saturday, February 7, 2009
Question: I am not sure how to clearly ask this question, but I will give it a shot. I find that it is often helpful for me to say prayers ( i.e.- Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Jesus Prayer) during my exercise sessions. One of the things I often do is stretching exercises which some might say resemble some Yoga movements. Most are clearly not yoga postures and others I do not consider them Yoga as I do not include any kind of Eastern Spirituality or mind emptying techniques such as Transendental Meditation or centering prayer, but as I indicated the use of such prayers such as the Jesus Prayer or Divine Mercy Chaplet allow me to concentrate during the stretches and of gives me a continous prayer during normal daily activities. I also include these prayer when driving or walking. Am I out of line on this thinking?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Jeremiah: I think it is great to say such prayers while you are exercising. But, why use yoga movements? There are plenty of exercise and stretching techniques that does not involve yoga postures. The problem is that according to yoga masters and former yoga masters who have converted to Christianity have stated that it is impossible to remove the Hinduism from yoga even if you so not practice any Hindu spirituality in doing it. The very movements and postures themselves are designed to create states of consciousness that a Catholic should not be messing with. Since these postures are inherently tied to the Hindu spirituality we take a risk in practicing them. Especially since using yoga postures are utterly unnecessary and other exercises can do what it needed, why take the risk? Here is a warning from none other than Carl Jung, who's psychology was intertwined with the occult: quote: "One often hears and reads about the dangers of Yoga, particularly of the ill-reputed Kundalini Yoga. The deliberately induced psychotic state, which in certain unstable individuals might easily lead to a real psychosis, is a danger that needs to be taken very seriously indeed. These things really are dangerous and ought not to be meddled with in our typically Western way. It is a meddling with Fate, which strikes at the very roots of human existence and can let loose a flood of sufferings of which no sane person ever dreamed. These sufferings correspond to the hellish torments of the chönyid state..." --C. G. Jung, Introduction to The Tibetan book of the Dead I have had a couple of deliverance clients who have been harmed by the "Kundalini Awakening". I think anyone interested in Yoga ought to read an article by Subhas R. Tiwari, a professor at the Hindu University of America. He is a graduate of the famed Bihar Yoga Bharati University with a master's degree in yoga philosophy. The article is Yoga Renamed Is Still Hindu Also of interest are the words in an Open Letter to Evangelicals about Hindu evangelization: quote: Hindus everywhere are becoming stronger and more assertive: ... 2) The West is clearly open to the Hindu message, ready to hear about yoga, meditation, mysticism, healing and the ancient ways. Such "products" were too sophisticated for public consumption 30 years ago, but today they're the hottest item on the shelf. Not a small part of this phenomenon is related, indirectly, to the coming of age of the New Age movement... Consider these words a warning: quote: A small army of yoga missionaries - hatha, raja, siddha and kundalini - beautifully trained in the last 10 years, is about to set upon the western world. They may not call themselves Hindu, but Hindus know where yoga came from and where it goes. This letter was written in 1991. Since then the "missionaries" have already set upon us and in large part have converted many, even those in the Church. The Hindu writer made a factual error, however, is saying the Vatican permitted the practice of yoga. He misinterpreted the document. A Christian reflection on the “New Age” mentions yoga negatively as a list of practices inconsistent with Christianity. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Exercise and Prayer

Jeremiah

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Question:

I am not sure how to clearly ask this question, but I will give it a shot. I find that it is often helpful for me to say prayers ( i.e.- Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Jesus Prayer) during my exercise sessions. One of the things I often do is stretching exercises which some might say resemble some Yoga movements. Most are clearly not yoga postures and others I do not consider them Yoga as I do not include any kind of Eastern Spirituality or mind emptying techniques such as Transendental Meditation or centering prayer, but as I indicated the use of such prayers such as the Jesus Prayer or Divine Mercy Chaplet allow me to concentrate during the stretches and of gives me a continous prayer during normal daily activities. I also include these prayer when driving or walking. Am I out of line on this thinking?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Jeremiah:

I think it is great to say such prayers while you are exercising. But, why use yoga movements? There are plenty of exercise and stretching techniques that does not involve yoga postures.

The problem is that according to yoga masters and former yoga masters who have converted to Christianity have stated that it is impossible to remove the Hinduism from yoga even if you so not practice any Hindu spirituality in doing it.

The very movements and postures themselves are designed to create states of consciousness that a Catholic should not be messing with. Since these postures are inherently tied to the Hindu spirituality we take a risk in practicing them.

Especially since using yoga postures are utterly unnecessary and other exercises can do what it needed, why take the risk?

Here is a warning from none other than Carl Jung, who's psychology was intertwined with the occult:

quote:
"One often hears and reads about the dangers of Yoga, particularly of the ill-reputed Kundalini Yoga. The deliberately induced psychotic state, which in certain unstable individuals might easily lead to a real psychosis, is a danger that needs to be taken very seriously indeed. These things really are dangerous and ought not to be meddled with in our typically Western way. It is a meddling with Fate, which strikes at the very roots of human existence and can let loose a flood of sufferings of which no sane person ever dreamed. These sufferings correspond to the hellish torments of the chönyid state..."
--C. G. Jung, Introduction to The Tibetan book of the Dead

I have had a couple of deliverance clients who have been harmed by the "Kundalini Awakening".

I think anyone interested in Yoga ought to read an article by Subhas R. Tiwari, a professor at the Hindu University of America. He is a graduate of the famed Bihar Yoga Bharati University with a master's degree in yoga philosophy.

The article is Yoga Renamed Is Still Hindu

Also of interest are the words in an Open Letter to Evangelicals about Hindu evangelization:

quote:
Hindus everywhere are becoming stronger and more assertive: ... 2) The West is clearly open to the Hindu message, ready to hear about yoga, meditation, mysticism, healing and the ancient ways. Such "products" were too sophisticated for public consumption 30 years ago, but today they're the hottest item on the shelf. Not a small part of this phenomenon is related, indirectly, to the coming of age of the New Age movement...

Consider these words a warning:

quote:
A small army of yoga missionaries - hatha, raja, siddha and kundalini - beautifully trained in the last 10 years, is about to set upon the western world. They may not call themselves Hindu, but Hindus know where yoga came from and where it goes.

This letter was written in 1991. Since then the "missionaries" have already set upon us and in large part have converted many, even those in the Church.

The Hindu writer made a factual error, however, is saying the Vatican permitted the practice of yoga. He misinterpreted the document. A Christian reflection on the “New Age” mentions yoga negatively as a list of practices inconsistent with Christianity.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum