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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Christian Yoga	Susan	Friday, August 6, 2004
Question: Dear Br. Ignatius, Is there such a thing as Christian Yoga? This is being offered at a Jesuit Retreat Center. My feeling is, one cannot Christianize Yoga. This retreat center also has Christian Meditation (John Main, OSB). I quit going to retreats at this center after experiencing this so called Christian Meditation (World Community for Christian Meditation) there. Thank you and may God Bless you! Susan
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+ Dear Susan: The entire presumption behind Yoga, behind the specific movements and gestures and positions is based upon an Eastern Cosmology that is utterly inconsistent with Christianity. Yoga is designed to align the "energies" within the body with the "energies" of the universe. This is false cosmology and false philosophy. A former Yoga master said who converted to Christianity said once that it was impossible to translate Yoga for Christian purposes. I am always amazed at these people. The Catholic Church has nearly 2000 years of experience in mediation and yoga-like movements that are totally consistent with the Church, yet we seem to think we must go outside of the Church to find these things. There are elements of Eastern meditation that are useful, but the point is that anything that can be co-opted from the Eastern mediation technique has been co-opted and vetted over the last 1500 years. There is no new technique in the East to investigate. The Eastern Catholic monks have already found what can and cannot be used in the Church. If we wish to experience Mediation and even posture-style techniques we need not go one inch away from the Catholic Church. It is also best to stay with the Church to avoid possible contamination that can come from trying to coopt something from a different philosophy and worldview. My advice is to not participate. Unfortunately Retreat Center are notorious for adopting new age and other non-Catholic techniques and philosophies. Some of what many Retreat Centers do is outright occultic. I hate to say this, but the situation with Retreat Centers is so bad that I recommend that we automatically presume all Retreat Centers to be problematic unless demonstrable evidence proves otherwise. Now if one wish to go on a private retreat at a Retreat Center to take advantage of the pastoral and peaceful setting, this is not a problem. But beware of receiving Spiritual Direction from a Retreat Center, or in participating in any of its activities or courses, unless you thoroughly check out their orthodoxy AND orthopraxy. Thing like Enneagrams, Centering Prayer, Jungian psychology, Eastern mysticism, Eastern mediation and the like do NOT conform to the orthopraxy of the Catholic Faith. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Christian Yoga

Susan

Friday, August 6, 2004

Question:

Dear Br. Ignatius,

Is there such a thing as Christian Yoga? This is being offered at a Jesuit Retreat Center. My feeling is, one cannot Christianize Yoga. This retreat center also has Christian Meditation (John Main, OSB). I quit going to retreats at this center after experiencing this so called Christian Meditation (World Community for Christian Meditation) there.

Thank you and may God Bless you!

Susan

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+

Dear Susan:

The entire presumption behind Yoga, behind the specific movements and gestures and positions is based upon an Eastern Cosmology that is utterly inconsistent with Christianity. Yoga is designed to align the "energies" within the body with the "energies" of the universe. This is false cosmology and false philosophy.

A former Yoga master said who converted to Christianity said once that it was impossible to translate Yoga for Christian purposes.

I am always amazed at these people. The Catholic Church has nearly 2000 years of experience in mediation and yoga-like movements that are totally consistent with the Church, yet we seem to think we must go outside of the Church to find these things.

There are elements of Eastern meditation that are useful, but the point is that anything that can be co-opted from the Eastern mediation technique has been co-opted and vetted over the last 1500 years. There is no new technique in the East to investigate. The Eastern Catholic monks have already found what can and cannot be used in the Church.

If we wish to experience Mediation and even posture-style techniques we need not go one inch away from the Catholic Church.

It is also best to stay with the Church to avoid possible contamination that can come from trying to coopt something from a different philosophy and worldview.

My advice is to not participate.

Unfortunately Retreat Center are notorious for adopting new age and other non-Catholic techniques and philosophies. Some of what many Retreat Centers do is outright occultic.

I hate to say this, but the situation with Retreat Centers is so bad that I recommend that we automatically presume all Retreat Centers to be problematic unless demonstrable evidence proves otherwise.

Now if one wish to go on a private retreat at a Retreat Center to take advantage of the pastoral and peaceful setting, this is not a problem. But beware of receiving Spiritual Direction from a Retreat Center, or in participating in any of its activities or courses, unless you thoroughly check out their orthodoxy AND orthopraxy. Thing like Enneagrams, Centering Prayer, Jungian psychology, Eastern mysticism, Eastern mediation and the like do NOT conform to the orthopraxy of the Catholic Faith.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.