The Truth about Yoga

The link you posted didn't work. Maybe you meant this?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jLVC04Nvw-I

If so, I strongly disagree with this author's attitude towards spiritual warfare. It is one that essentially denies Orthodox hesychasm to have any validity within Christianity. Palamas has already addressed this in His works against Barlaam.

I saw that link on Facebook somewhere, I'll have to check it out. yoga on the whole though I think is something to avoid, because we have hesychasm as true pointed out.

Haven't watched the video yet, just found the thread. But I think yoga was on the list of alternative practices that was - discouraged? (is forbidden too strong a word?) by some kind of Pan-Orthodox conference recently?

Sorry, I don't know much about things like that yet?

Yes, the link works fine now that I'm using a different browser. It is a provocative video, to be sure, but we should be cautioned against hypocrisy, in that much of what is pointed out to be unhealthy, or dangerous pitfalls that those who pursuit those practices exist just as rampantly within our own religious cultures, wherein people will behave as they behave because that is what they are -- people. If psychologically unstable yoga students go insane after embarking upon that spiritual path, and psychologically unstable monks go insane after embarking upon theirs within Orthodox spiritual warfare (like Rasputin, for example), where is there really to be found any difference? But the reality is, there are insane people who exist in all religious cultures. Pastors go crazy and murder their entire families, etc. Orthodox Christian leaders use their positions to enhance their own power or sense of power (like Judas Iscariot, who sold out his God for the sake of increasing his own worldly power through wealth, fame, fortune, whatever). People will be people. Should the pot always insist upon calling the kettle black (calling the poorly understood religious affective experiences of others, like Hindus, or even Roman Catholics such as Francis of Assisi, "demonic")? This is more insane than those who've lost their minds through yoga.

I don't think there is hypocrisy here, or any pot-black-kettle calling. yoga is demonic because of what it invokes, whether or not someone goes nuts because of those experiences has nothing to do with the practice itself. someone who practices hesychasm, has some deluded experience and goes nutty, speaks of the individual, not the practice.

Klaus Kenneth gave a great talk on this to my Patristics course. He is the author of Born to Hate, Reborn to Love. He spent many years practicing yoga and also Buddhism as well as various other spiritual practices, but eventually he met Elder Sophrony and became Orthodox. He is working on a book about the truth of yoga. He says that each yoga position invokes the energy of a demon - these positions were developed specifically as Hindu worship. It's folly to think we can so easily divorce form and content, he would argue. I hope his book comes out soon.

there is also the book the Gurus, the young man, and Elder Paisios. that book sheds some light on the subject.

We can' even eat Greek Yogurt? Dang. The protein content is really....oh, Yoga, gotcha!

I might differentiate between "yoga" as a set of stretching and strengthening exercises, and Yoga as a spiritual discipline (generally referring to Raja Yoga, a form of Hindu practice). I know the two often get conflated (that is, "exercise" yoga is rife with Hindu Yoga as part of its marketing strategy), so probably "best to avoid," but the stretching itself seems rather harmless on its own.

It's true. In fact, I snapped this picture of Mac this morning doing yoga!

Macarius said:

I might differentiate between "yoga" as a set of stretching and strengthening exercises, and Yoga as a spiritual discipline (generally referring to Raja Yoga, a form of Hindu practice). I know the two often get conflated (that is, "exercise" yoga is rife with Hindu Yoga as part of its marketing strategy), so probably "best to avoid," but the stretching itself seems rather harmless on its own.

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Macarius said:

I might differentiate between "yoga" as a set of stretching and strengthening exercises, and Yoga as a spiritual discipline (generally referring to Raja Yoga, a form of Hindu practice). I know the two often get conflated (that is, "exercise" yoga is rife with Hindu Yoga as part of its marketing strategy), so probably "best to avoid," but the stretching itself seems rather harmless on its own.

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yeah, stretches are no real issue, I think the problem with yoga is the spirituality that is all wound up with it (the chant, the breathing, the emptying of your mind, etc)

I know some Catholic high schools offer it as a PE elective, but remove or Christianize the spirituality.

gurneyhalleck1 said:

It's true. In fact, I snapped this picture of Mac this morning doing yoga!

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I think we both know that's a selfie you took

Macarius said:

I know some Catholic high schools offer it as a PE elective, but remove or Christianize the spirituality.

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yeah, total concurrage on my part

If pursued as physical exercise I don't see a problem with it. When you start to intertwine Hindu/ Buddhist philosophy it starts to become a problem.

All the greek girls in yoga pants are going to be so [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]ed...

@Op

I was told youga is way to "invisible" world. To touch with it is almost always dangerous.

Just for fun:
Incredible Jotti glassballs. Levitation, 3ball b headalance. Удивительное Представление с шарами. - YouTube