The dangers of yoga

Pepper77

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That was part of a polemic of Paul in a specific cultural context, given for pastoral reasons to a religious community that was at war with itself. And in truth, what you are emphasizing is a distillation of Paul's thought that only really took shape in the 16th century in Europe, ignoring the broader themes in Paul's letters in favor of a simple message of otherworldly salvation through faith alone. It might well be useful, as there is a potential transformative power in entrusting oneself to a higher power, but I don't think that is going to resonate with everyone. And when that type of religion is used to justify hatred, prejudice, and ill-will, I don't see how it can be salvific in the fullest sense of the word.

You believe what you want to believe... and I really have no idea what that is. I will believe what God has revealed to me through His Son and His word.
 
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FireDragon76

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For those interested I found Sanskrit, transliteration and translation.

Yoga-Sutra 1 – Samadhi Pada: about enlightenment



All that is mutable in human beings (chitta) is harmonized through the cultivation of love (maitri), helpfulness (karuna), conviviality (mudita) and imperturbability (upeksha) in situations that are happy, painful, successful or unfortunate. (33)

It's interesting that those same four virtues are called the Brahmaviharas (Abodes of Brahma) in Buddhism. Perhaps the notion got into yoga through Buddhism, or perhaps the Buddha became familiar with the concept when he was a sramana, as he is said to have studied several different schools of yoga and philosophies existing at the time he lived.

Karuna is usually translated as "compassion" by Buddhists. And mudita is usually translated as simply "joy" (but usually contextualized as the idea of being happy that other people are happy, not being envious, etc.)
 
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Akita Suggagaki

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IF I recall correctly, the Yoga Sutras were written somewhere between 200 BCE and 200 CE so they could reflect some Buddhist influence.

And I do believe God provided some revelation and inspiration in those traditions as well as our own though not as complete.
 
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Akita Suggagaki

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Based off of what?

  1. Ahimsa : Nonviolence, non-harming other living beings
  2. Satya : truthfulness, non-falsehood
  3. Asteya : non-stealing
  4. Brahmacharya : chastity, marital fidelity or sexual restraint
  5. Aparigraha : non-avarice, non-possessiveness
  6. Shaucha : purity, clearness of mind, speech and body
  7. Santosha : contentment, acceptance of others, acceptance of one's circumstances as they are in order to get past or change them, optimism for self
  8. Tapas: persistence, perseverance, austerity, asceticism, self-discipline
  9. Svadhyaya: study of Vedas (see Sabda in epistemology section), study of self, self-reflection, introspection of self's thoughts, speeches and actions
  10. Ishvarapranidhana : contemplation of the Ishvara (God/Supreme Being, Brahman, True Self, Unchanging Reality)
 
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FaithLife1

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  1. Ahimsa : Nonviolence, non-harming other living beings
  2. Satya : truthfulness, non-falsehood
  3. Asteya : non-stealing
  4. Brahmacharya : chastity, marital fidelity or sexual restraint
  5. Aparigraha : non-avarice, non-possessiveness
  6. Shaucha : purity, clearness of mind, speech and body
  7. Santosha : contentment, acceptance of others, acceptance of one's circumstances as they are in order to get past or change them, optimism for self
  8. Tapas: persistence, perseverance, austerity, asceticism, self-discipline
  9. Svadhyaya: study of Vedas (see Sabda in epistemology section), study of self, self-reflection, introspection of self's thoughts, speeches and actions
  10. Ishvarapranidhana : contemplation of the Ishvara (God/Supreme Being, Brahman, True Self, Unchanging Reality)

I'm not going to read though non Christian sources.
 
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FaithLife1

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Then why did you ask?

BTW, do you also reject non-Christian sources like Plato, Pythagoras, and Euclid?

Yes as a matter of fact, I'm non denominational so we're pretty strict about staying within the bible.
 
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FireDragon76

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Apparently, yoga's history may be more complicated than we imagine:

Yoga Poses Not As Old As We Thought? New Book Tells Extraordinary Story Of Indra Devi, Goddess Of Modern Yoga

This doesn't surprise me- that yoga as we know it might be just as influenced by early 20th century western physical culture as medieval Hindu mysticism.

From what I have read, the rise of Neo-Vedanta was influenced by Hindu contact with British Unitarians, as well. In fact, contact with western religion and philosophy lead to reformist or modernist traditions in most Asian religions.
 
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Pepper77

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Apparently, yoga's history may be more complicated than we imagine:

Yoga Poses Not As Old As We Thought? New Book Tells Extraordinary Story Of Indra Devi, Goddess Of Modern Yoga

This doesn't surprise me- that yoga as we know it might be just as influenced by early 20th century western physical culture as medieval Hindu mysticism.

From what I have read, the rise of Neo-Vedanta was influenced by Hindu contact with British Unitarians, as well. In fact, contact with western religion and philosophy lead to reformist or modernist traditions in most Asian religions.
Apparently, yoga's history may be more complicated than we imagine:

Yoga Poses Not As Old As We Thought? New Book Tells Extraordinary Story Of Indra Devi, Goddess Of Modern Yoga

This doesn't surprise me- that yoga as we know it might be just as influenced by early 20th century western physical culture as medieval Hindu mysticism.

From what I have read, the rise of Neo-Vedanta was influenced by Hindu contact with British Unitarians, as well. In fact, contact with western religion and philosophy lead to reformist or modernist traditions in most Asian religions.

Then I guess I am right not to get too excited over the casual yoga that I do participate in from time to time. We have a lot of liberty in Christ. And as Paul notes in Romans 14 and 1 Cor 8 Idols or so-called gods are just that. There is only one true God the father and one Lord Jesus Christ. We just need to be aware of weaker brothers and don’t cause them to stumble in their faith. Why this is something that their is definitely room for differences of conscience.
 
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Akita Suggagaki

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I have read about the European influence on yoga before but they don't seem to take into account the 5th century Hath Yoga Pradipika.

Hatha Yoga Pradipika - Wikipedia


I think Europeans in the last century certainly helped to popularize yoga as we know it. But they did not invent it.
 
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Akita Suggagaki

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What if God is bigger than the Bible? What if God has been available to all people, everywhere at all times? That would be all cultures, all countries since creation. Sure, we all make mistakes and err. I dont know about those yogis who run around naked, naga. I saw them on Netflix documentary. But even Christians have not been perfect. Though God's light and love is available to all of us we sometimes dont get it clearly and also let our own self interest sway us.

I think God has been present and involved in the hearts of all people in all religions. It is not as much about what one believes as it is about how one lives. And as Jesus tried to tell us many times, the most important things are love and service. Without them one is missing the Good News.
 
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FireDragon76

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I think God has been present and involved in the hearts of all people in all religions. It is not as much about what one believes as it is about how one lives. And as Jesus tried to tell us many times, the most important things are love and service. Without them one is missing the Good News.

I believe in what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called "the Beloved Community" ( a term from an earlier American liberal Protestant philosopher-theologian, Josiah Royce), which is bigger than just one particular group of people and their religion. During King's day, he invited people from different religions with him to help build that vision of the world based on non-violent social justice.

I believe prayer, meditation, and mindfulness are essential spiritual parts of that path. As Thich Nhat Hanh liked to say, "There is no way to peace. Peace is the way" (which BTW, also comes from another liberal Protestant, Abraham Muste).
 
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bekkilyn

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What if God is bigger than the Bible? What if God has been available to all people, everywhere at all times? That would be all cultures, all countries since creation. Sure, we all make mistakes and err. I dont know about those yogis who run around naked, naga. I saw them on Netflix documentary. But even Christians have not been perfect. Though God's light and love is available to all of us we sometimes dont get it clearly and also let our own self interest sway us.

God IS bigger than the bible and though the bible helps us to learn more of God, the bible is NOT God. Too many seem to serve the bible in place of serving the true and living God, who cannot be contained by mere words on a page.

I think God has been present and involved in the hearts of all people in all religions. It is not as much about what one believes as it is about how one lives. And as Jesus tried to tell us many times, the most important things are love and service. Without them one is missing the Good News.

It's like may Christians forget that "gospel" means GOOD news. But then they often preach something so sociopathic that a sane person would never view it as anything remotely approaching good and often in direct opposition to Christ's teachings. When non-Christians see no true joy or love in the lives of Christians, then is it any wonder they aren't attracted to walking the same path?

I believe prayer, meditation, and mindfulness are essential spiritual parts of that path. As Thich Nhat Hanh liked to say, "There is no way to peace. Peace is the way" (which BTW, also comes from another liberal Protestant, Abraham Muste).

Even Christ practiced these things during his earthly ministry, when he would go off on his own to converse with the Father and to pray. And unless you also listen (meditation), you won't learn to recognize that still small voice of the Spirit.
 
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Cimorene

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Yoga has been awesome for me. Hatha yoga is focused on the physical exercise. It was recommended to me by my physical therapist after I was in an accident that really hurt my shoulder & right arm. I'm a cello player so the accident was heartbreaking. I'm all fixed up now. :)
 
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Pepper77

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God IS bigger than the bible and though the bible helps us to learn more of God, the bible is NOT God. Too many seem to serve the bible in place of serving the true and living God, who cannot be contained by mere words on a page.



It's like may Christians forget that "gospel" means GOOD news. But then they often preach something so sociopathic that a sane person would never view it as anything remotely approaching good and often in direct opposition to Christ's teachings. When non-Christians see no true joy or love in the lives of Christians, then is it any wonder they aren't attracted to walking the same path?



Even Christ practiced these things during his earthly ministry, when he would go off on his own to converse with the Father and to pray. And unless you also listen (meditation), you won't learn to recognize that still small voice of the Spirit.
God IS bigger than the bible and though the bible helps us to learn more of God, the bible is NOT God. Too many seem to serve the bible in place of serving the true and living God, who cannot be contained by mere words on a page.



It's like may Christians forget that "gospel" means GOOD news. But then they often preach something so sociopathic that a sane person would never view it as anything remotely approaching good and often in direct opposition to Christ's teachings. When non-Christians see no true joy or love in the lives of Christians, then is it any wonder they aren't attracted to walking the same path?



Even Christ practiced these things during his earthly ministry, when he would go off on his own to converse with the Father and to pray. And unless you also listen (meditation), you won't learn to recognize that still small voice of the Spirit.
God IS bigger than the bible and though the bible helps us to learn more of God, the bible is NOT God. Too many seem to serve the bible in place of serving the true and living God, who cannot be contained by mere words on a page.



It's like may Christians forget that "gospel" means GOOD news. But then they often preach something so sociopathic that a sane person would never view it as anything remotely approaching good and often in direct opposition to Christ's teachings. When non-Christians see no true joy or love in the lives of Christians, then is it any wonder they aren't attracted to walking the same path?



Even Christ practiced these things during his earthly ministry, when he would go off on his own to converse with the Father and to pray. And unless you also listen (meditation), you won't learn to recognize that still small voice of the Spirit.
God IS bigger than the bible and though the bible helps us to learn more of God, the bible is NOT God. Too many seem to serve the bible in place of serving the true and living God, who cannot be contained by mere words on a page.



It's like may Christians forget that "gospel" means GOOD news. But then they often preach something so sociopathic that a sane person would never view it as anything remotely approaching good and often in direct opposition to Christ's teachings. When non-Christians see no true joy or love in the lives of Christians, then is it any wonder they aren't attracted to walking the same path?



Even Christ practiced these things during his earthly ministry, when he would go off on his own to converse with the Father and to pray. And unless you also listen (meditation), you won't learn to recognize that still small voice of the Spirit.

Well, the thing is Christ is the way. He is the Prince of peace. Meditating on the Word, focusing on Christ are all wonderful things. God is not His Word, but it reveals God, and it is holy and powerful and living. Christ is the Word made flesh who came to reveal God as well.
 
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Pepper77

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What if God is bigger than the Bible? What if God has been available to all people, everywhere at all times? That would be all cultures, all countries since creation. Sure, we all make mistakes and err. I dont know about those yogis who run around naked, naga. I saw them on Netflix documentary. But even Christians have not been perfect. Though God's light and love is available to all of us we sometimes dont get it clearly and also let our own self interest sway us.

I think God has been present and involved in the hearts of all people in all religions. It is not as much about what one believes as it is about how one lives. And as Jesus tried to tell us many times, the most important things are love and service. Without them one is missing the Good News.

The thing is other religions don’t believe Christ is the redeemer, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world who gave his life on the cross to bring us back to God. So there is a big conflict between them. They are not the same.
 
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bekkilyn

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Well, the thing is Christ is the way. He is the Prince of peace. Meditating on the Word, focusing on Christ are all wonderful things. God is not His Word, but it reveals God, and it is holy and powerful and living. Christ is the Word made flesh who came to reveal God as well.

*It* is not holy, powerful, and living. GOD is holy, powerful, and living.
 
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