Christians Still Banning Religion of Yoga from Church Classes

[Guest guest]

I can only hope my Episcopal Church doesn't ban my kundalini yoga

class, as " religious " as it is. Wow, the " Piscean Age " mentality

surely has its hooks deep into the collective brain on Mother Earth!

 

Amar Atma

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Yoga_is_just_a_healthier_way_of_life/a\

rticleshow/2334177.cms

 

Yoga is just a healthier way of life

4 Sep 2007, 0000 hrs IST,NICOLE DASTUR ,TNN

 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (TOI Photo)

`There's no word called `God' in yoga'

 

 

Bhakti Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, Kundalini Yoga,

Ashtanga Yoga, Mantra Yoga... the list goes on and on. For most

Indians (and for many in the West as well), the practice of yoga has

almost become a way of life. A healthier life.

 

Yet, two churches in Britain have recently banned a group from

conducting yoga classes, terming the ancient practice as

`un-Christian' and a `sham'.

 

Even though the practice did originate in India centuries ago (the

word `Yoga' is derived from the Sanskrit word `Yuj' which means to

`unite', the union being that of the individual with the Universal

Spirit, or God), does that make it more Hindu in ideology?

 

In other words, does it make it `un-Christian'? BT gets yoga

instructors and practitioners to stretch (pun intended) their

imagination on this issue.

 

Yoga guru and teacher to a host of celebrities, Bharat Thakur,

maintains that yoga is, in essence, simply a more holistic approach to

life and has no religious leanings. " Yoga is about attaining a

blissful state of being. Agree that it was invented by a Hindu, but

that was by default. Just because electricity was discovered by a

Christian, is it wrong for a Hindu to use it? For that matter, why are

we eating burgers when our indigenous food is the vada-pav? This

entire controversy questions the so-called `liberal' mind of the 21st

century, " says Bharat, further reiterating that yoga is a process, not

a dogma.

 

" Which is why yoga has not become a religion or a cult, despite its

popularity. In fact, in yoga, there is no word called `God', " said Thakur.

 

Actress Vidya Malavade (goal-keeper in the film Chak De India ), who

is also a yoga instructor, is shocked at this ban. " Yoga has

absolutely no connection with religion. It's a way of life, a means to

finding a balance between the mind and the body. The word `Yogacharya'

itself means `a way of living'. Yes, it originated from Sanskrit

philosophy, but today, it's popular across the world not because of

its origins but because of its functionality. It's the form, the

technique that people want to learn, not necessarily its philosophy! "

Just like you don't need to learn Japanese to learn karate, right?

 

Renowned spiritual leader, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, also

regrets the ban. In a statement issued, he said, " It is unfortunate

that even in the 21st century, superstition still prevails in some

churches. This reminds me of an imam who issued a fatwa against TV,

saying that Satan has entered television. Practices such as yoga which

promote health and happiness can never be against any true religion.

Yoga has been diluted by many and marketed as a mere physical exercise. "

 

Staunch follower of yoga, actress Tisca Chopra, is also of the opinion

that only prejudiced minds can think this way and said, " Yoga promotes

good health, not religious propaganda. This is the equivalent of

saying lighting candles promotes Christianity! " Ami Patel, Art of

Living teacher said that to restrict yoga to a particular religion is

limited thinking. " Yoga goes beyond boundaries, it is followed all

over the world. It belongs to the whole world — that is the kind of

broad vision the practice of yoga gives. Everybody leads a stressful

life today, whether one is a Hindu, Muslim or Christian. The benefits

of yoga affect everyone, " explained Ami.

 

Father Joe Pereira, who himself practices and teaches yoga since 1976,

said that the Catholic church has nothing against yoga.

 

" It's the fundamentalist Protestants and the old-fashioned Christians

that think in such a backward manner. We are an inculturated church,

we have even integrated certain principles of Vedanta into the

church's theologies, " revealed Father Joe.

 

2007 Times Internet Limited.