Is yoga okay?

[SayaOtonashi]

I use to do yoga and martial arts but stopped after finding out their origins. Is doing yoga or martial arts wrong?

 

[ChavaK]

I thought Yoga was just an exercise system, and martial arts a defense system.
If that is what they are taught now as, why would it matter what the origin is?
What is the origin anyway? I have no idea.

 

[aniello]

I use to do yoga and martial arts but stopped after finding out their origins. Is doing yoga or martial arts wrong?

Are you getting any leading that it's right?

 

[visionary]

There is nothing specific in scripture on the subject of type of fighting that is approved or not approved.

 

[aniello]

There is nothing specific in scripture on the subject of type of fighting that is approved or not approved.

Yeah, but how about the Yogurt?

 

[visionary]

Yeah, but how about the Yogurt?

I like eating it...

 

[aniello]

I like eating it...

It's good stuff, best while in the lotus position.

With all my tummy surgeries there are times that yoga is such a good digestive aid that it's a Kefir.

 

[xDenax]

I've done yoga and it had absolutely no religious connotations. I have a Catholic friend who does it almost every day with a group. She loves it.

 

[Lulav]

I use to do yoga and martial arts but stopped after finding out their origins. Is doing yoga or martial arts wrong?

Yes, you were right to stop it.

 

[Lulav]

It was quite astonishing to see on the flyer “Christian Yoga! This Thursday night….” I could feel the wheels spinning in my brain. “Christian Yoga”, I thought. Now while Christians can practice yoga, I am not aware of any Christian teachings about yoga. Yoga is not a Judeo/Christian word! It is not a part of the Roman Catholic teachings and certainly not a part of protestant teachings. It is not found within the King James Version of the bible. It is a Hindu word, or more correctly a Sanskrit word from the Vedic civilization. So how did we get “Christian Yoga”?

From this I could conclude that “Christian Yoga” could only indicate one of two possibilities:

1) Christianity is threatened by yoga and is attempting to take over this system that is expanding and successfully teaching spirituality to the masses.

2) Christianity is subconsciously attempting to return to the spiritual roots of civilization—the Vedic civilization.

Written by a Yogi.

 

[Lulav]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]email from the Classical Yoga Hindu Academy:[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

"Is Yoga a religion that denies Jesus Christ? Yes. Just as Christianity denies the Hindu MahaDevas such as Siva, Vishnu, Durga and Krishna, to name a few, Hinduism and its many Yogas have nothing to do with God and Jesus (though we do respect that others believe in this way). [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As Hindus who live the Yogic lifestyle, we appreciate when others understand that all of Yoga is all about the Hindu religion. Modern so-called 'yoga' is dishonest to Hindus and to all non-Hindus such as the Christians."

Danda,
Dharma Yoga Ashram
(Classical Yoga Hindu Academy)[/FONT]

 

[Lulav]

I've done yoga and it had absolutely no religious connotations. I have a Catholic friend who does it almost every day with a group. She loves it.

Then either you aren't doing yoga or you don't understand the connection.

From the Yoga Journal

The Question: Is Yoga a Religion?

Most American yoga students would answer this question with a simple no. As practitioners, we aren't required to adhere to a particular faith or obliged to observe religious rituals such as baptisms or bar mitzvahs. We aren't asked to believe in God, to attend organized worship services, or to learn specific prayers.

And yet, Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, an ancient text that is widely referred to in yoga classes today, clearly presents a moral code for yogis to follow and outlines the path toward a mystical state of enlightenment known as samadhi, or union with the Divine.

Its practices include chanting to deities, setting up altars, and even praying.

Yoga was never secular, traditionally. It was always connected to spirituality, and spirituality was never separated from religion.

I'd like to add that classical yoga is concerned with religious experience or spiritual realizations at an individual level, rather than promoting one en masse faith.

 

[xDenax]

Yoga is what you make it. I just remembered another friend has been doing this ~ https://holyyoga.net/about/

 

[dnc101]

I used to be heavily into the martial arts. While they can be practiced as just fighting skills, true understanding, particularly in Eastern arts, had decidedly cultural/philosophical and religious meanings. And since one of the things learned in the arts is a different mindset and new way of instinctual thought there is a danger of unknowingly and unintentionally getting drawn into eastern thought processes.

Oddly enough, for me the way to avoid this was to openly acknowledge and learn these connections. Knowing of them I could counter their beliefs. Was I successful at not subverting my thoughts to pagan influences? I doubt it. But I was probably better off than those who chose to ignore it and "just learn the martial part." Ignoring the problem is generally the worst thing you can do.

My base was a practical, "Americanized" art that stressed structure, movement and the way our bodies and minds react, both offensively and defensively. Morality was mostly taught as legal principles, the potential consequences and how to alter bystanders perspectives on whatever you did. Still, I spent hours meditating on superimposing patterns of motion and the yin/yang symbol, using this to graph movement and reactions, both external and internal in my mind. There are obvious pagan connections there as these (there are more than just the common one we tend to think of) are eastern pagan symbols.

So my answer to the OP would be to understand up front what you are getting into. There are alternatives- some modern CQC courses can get fairly advanced but don't have heavy eastern influences. There is a movement to revive some European arts, though these tend to rely on the eastern arts to fill some of the gaps and can themselves have western pagan influences. Others are surprisingly well preserved, such as Rince an Bhata Uiske Beatha (Irish Whiskey Stick Dancing). They are also harder to find good instruction in.

There are obviously physical fitness and conditioning programs and health education programs that would have the same benefits as yoga and Ayurveda.

And lastly, it has been shown that reading and meditating on the Word of God, along with prayer, has the same benefits as eastern meditation without the paganized influences.

Just my .02.

Dan C

 

[SayaOtonashi]

However there are and were many things that the Jewish and Pagans did copy from one another

 

[pat34lee]

However there are and were many things that the Jewish and Pagans did copy from one another

True, but that does not make it right. YHWH said not to learn the ways of the heathen.

Deuteronomy 18:9
When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

Jeremiah 10:2
Thus says the LORD, "Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens Although the nations are terrified by them;

Deuteronomy 12:29-32
29 When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
31 Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

​

 

[RisingSpirit]

I use to do yoga and martial arts but stopped after finding out their origins. Is doing yoga or martial arts wrong?

Nothing wrong with raising your spirit to your crown. Clear mindfulness is the result.

 

[Rachel Rachel]

I use to do yoga and martial arts but stopped after finding out their origins. Is doing yoga or martial arts wrong?

I personally think Yoga is okay as long as you don't get into the chanting. When you chant, you are literally calling on spirits. You can pick up an evil spirit through chanting.

 

[SayaOtonashi]

I should have made it clearer when I meant by that was medincally , legal system, ect. We adopted clothes such has pants which came from Persians.

 

[Lulav]

I teach Christian Tai Chi.Tai Chi is a form of moving yoga or meditation in movement.

Christians have forgotten God's commands on "Stillness".

There is no such thing. You can call a rabbit a duck but that won't make him quack.

If you think that the G-d of Israel commands us to do Yoga you are very, very wrong.

This is basically practicing enchantment and sorcery.