Prayer/Praise/Scripture sharing.....?
#14381 - 07/18/03 05:40 PM
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busymom
Reged: 06/30/03
Posts: 90
Loc: Michigan
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Thanks for the reassurance, Heather. I had hoped that would be how the open board would work--a place where IBS sufferers who have things in common could encourage each other in areas other than diet and exercise. I'll dig and see if I can find that yoga post again, and copy and paste it to you personally. It was several weeks ago that I saw it and this board moves fast!
I am still in the process of investigating yoga. There are Indian Christians who formerly were practitioners of yoga as members of their Brahmin caste in India who have warned me away from it because of the spiritual implications it held in India. I am wondering if in America the exercise and relaxation have been neutralized from the religious aspects. I really would appreciate anyone commenting who knows anything about this.
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I'd like your opinions here. I've never seen a yoga tape or taken a class where the teacher said anything that would conflict with Christian religious beliefs. I realize that things may be different if someone were to study in great depth, read the classic yogic texts, travel to India, etc. But I'd like to think that most mainstream yoga classes in the US can offer the benefits of practice to people with IBS without coming into conflict with their religious beliefs. Is this true or not?
Thanks,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I currently take a strength and resistance class that also uses yoga.
A few weeks ago one of my friends told me to stop taking the class, because yoga is all about eastern religion and as a christian I shouldn't be involved in it. I do disagree with her, because yoga in my class in used for stretching only.
I understand the history of how Yoga was created, but you have to use distrection when using Yoga. I'm sure there a sects in America that use Yoga for spiritual reasons and there a plenty of people who use Yoga to relax and strengthen their muscles.
The christian community has now come up with their own Yoga tapes, but doesn't is come from the same orgin? For example, know parents who allow their children to watch Bibleman videos and collect the cards instead of Pokemon or Yui gi oh cards. I personally think the videos are terrible and don't belong being sold in Christian stores.
It comes down to personal choices and what you feel is right between you and God.
Hope my opinion helps.
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My church (united Methodist) offers a yoga class and it has nothing to do with Eastern philosophy I can assure you.
It is stretching, exercise... and we do it to contemporary Christian music. (and some instrumental Christian music) It's not "new agey" or anything remotely close. I've also seen the Bible Man videos. I don't have a problem with them, but as you said, each family has to decide for themselves what is right/ good for them... what they feel led to do or led NOT to do. Personally, I've never been into yoga, preferring more aerobic activities like running, etc.HOWEVER, with the diagnosis of my new friend, UC, I am embracing more relaxing exercises like yogo and find it helps with my running as well!
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Hmmm... well I could say a lot about the whole "Yoga is a religion" vibe and unfortunately so may people are afraid of or shy away from yoga because they have been misinformed or have their own preconceived notions of what they think (or fear) YOGA is. Having said that, I'll try to make this simple.
Yes, yoga originally comes from the east. Yes, it is a tradition that is considered a philosophy, a science and an art. But there are so many traditions and styles of yoga (Karma yoga, Bhakti yoga, Jnana yoga,etc) that to say that yoga (as an umbrella term) is a religion is off base.
Here in the west most folks practice "Hatha yoga" or the more physical side of yoga that focuses on the postures and the breath. There are some teachers that chant, there are some that don't.... some classes include the philosophy of their tradition .... some are glorified stretching classes. Honestly and sincerely, yoga is a tool. If you want yoga to help you become more flexible it will. If you want to grow stronger physically and emotionally, it will help you do that too. If you want to have less injuries in your other sports, it'll do the trick. If you want to connect more deeply to spirit... It will help you on that journey as well.
Yoga will help you to become more authentically YOU. Wether you want to be a better person, athlete, mother, Christian or Muslim isn't the point. Yoga does not discriminate and it doesn't care wether you pray to God or Allah or Jesus or Buddah or Moses or to no one.
It is simply a tool to help you become a "better" (for lack of another word) YOU whatever/whoever that is. Having said that, keep in mind that all classes and teachers and what is being taught and how it is being taught are different. I would suggest taking several classes with different teachers and in various environments (gym,YMCA, and a certified yoga studio). Find a teacher you resonate with and go for it.
There is just so much to say about this so if this hasn't been helpful please feel free to contact me directly and I will do my best to answer any further questions.
Peace,
K
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"You have to be the change you wish to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi
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I ma an Orthodox Jew. I have the book Yoga For Stress Relief by Shivapremanananda. This is my only experience with yoga. It is fine with me. I know I read some things that were not a part of my belief sysytem. But I did NOT find it offensive...I just skipped it. It did not take away my enjoyment of yoga itself. If you are looking at yoga as an exercise/relaxation tool, which I was, you can take from it what you want. If I took a class in college that did not agree with my belief system...I didn't drop the course. (I was a literature major...so many things DID NOT agree with my system of beliefs!).
A yoga class with a bunch of people may have been different for me though. It's not quite the same. I don't know how I would have felt. There it may be more difficult to skip over the things you're not interested in (in lit. class, we got to discuss things...and I was able to voice my opinion...in a yoga class they are offering an idea, I would imagine. It's not a debate session!). Since I am more interested in the relaxation/exercise end of it, and not the religious/spiritual end...I edit that out for myself.
If you are interested in yoga but are dedicated to your religion...I suggest trying a book or a video so you can edit/fast forward the parts you don't want and pay attention to the parts you are interested in benefiting from!
There may even be yoga classes with you religious practise in mind. I have heard of such things. You might want to look into that. 
Hope this helps!
*hugs*
Ruchie
P.S. Heather, I know you directed this to Christians...I hope you don't mind my chiming in here!
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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Hi Ruchie - Thank you very much for your input. I'm actually really glad to hear a different point of view here - the post originated as a topic about Christianity and yoga but I was looking for feedback from people of all faiths.
I think your approach would work for just about everyone. It's always an easy option to just mentally edit an aspect of a tape that doesn't work for you. And fyi, I think this would work just as well in a class too. Often, actually, my teachers will offer an idea or thought as a suggestion, and they'll explicitly say that, and say that if you like this suggestion you can use it, but if you don't find it helpful then don't use it. This is true for just about every thought they offer during a practice, spiritual or otherwise. It's always up to the individual person to accept this thought or not. That's what I really like about yoga - you get what you want from it, and can adapt it to your own needs however you like. And there's no conflict if how you're using it is different than the person practicing next to you. It just seems like a win-win situation for everybody.
Hugs to you Ruchie!
- Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I've had company and been out of town so just now found this post that Heather moved for me.(thanks Heather!) I appreciate all the input everyone has contributed--especially Ruchie's comments. The concerns I have had are based on what my Indian friends tell me the purpose of the relaxation and chants in yoga were used for--to open up oneself to inhabitation by demon spirits. This is definitely not something I'm interested in! They are from India, as I said, so I am trying to find out if what is practiced in India is different than what people do here. I still feel a concern, though, since Indians I know who have converted to Christianity all refuse to continue to practice yoga.
I looked for Christian-type yoga tapes or CDs to see what was available and didn't find a thing, but I found a lot of books discussing the incompatibility of Christianity and yoga (!). Someone in this string mentioned there being such a thing as a Christian yoga tape--where did you find it? It could be that the stretching positions could be used and the rest skipped, as Ruchie suggests.
I am still trying to reach a conclusion and am glad Heather posted this here so Yoga Teacher could comment, especially. There is a much earlier post where she mentioned that those who hold "fundamental" views might object to yoga. If you could elaborate on why that is so, YogaTeacher, I would really appreciate it.
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I found the christian yoga tapes at Family Bookstore. You can also do a search on line.
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I just found this website and I swear someone was reading my mind!!
I too have been interested in Yoga for relaxation but was told by a friend that since I was a christian I should not attend a class.
After reading your posts and discussing at length with my mom (who is also a christian), I think I am going to call my local yoga center and ask them which class would be best for me. They offer many different styles and I am not sure which one would be the right one for me.
Thanks ladies for all of your insight!
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how things go, which class you end up taking, and what you think!
- Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I am so glad that you found the site and trusted your instincts to check out a yoga class. ANYONE can practice yoga whether they are a Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Paegan, Atheist, etc. Yoga is not a religion .... it is not intended to replace your current belief system (only enhance it ultimately) and it will help you to relax. Please let us know how your first calss goes and remember... there are many different styles of yoga and many different teachers. If you don't find a class or teacher that works for you right away, try another one. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Peace,
K
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"You have to be the change you wish to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi
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I found this website on Christianity and Yoga. It answered a lot of questions.
Yoga link
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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
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I need to apologize to any one out there who has taken my last post as the be all and end all of the discussion. I have done some further research on the topic (don't have the links handy sorry) and there is some evidence that yoga might not be compatible with Christianity. The trouble comes in with the history of yoga and how the poses were created and what they mean. I need to do more research but at the moment I am backing off after learning that the poses were originally intended to encourage the spirits to enter the body. Does anyone have anything to refute this? Other sites say that it depends on how you use it. For example if you are just doing the movements you are ok but if you are using it as mediation you are opening yourself to spirits and demons. This goes against Christian beliefs. I am aware that some Christian web sites and teachers are using yoga but that doesn't necessarily mean it's ok. Satan is very sneaky and will use other Christians to cause you to stumble so we each need to look at it ourselves, look at the different viewpoints, study our Bible and pray about it before we embark on it. I, personally, am not going to use yoga anymore. If I can find my web links (some trouble with my computer) I will post them here but do your own research. Talk to your pastor, minister or priest. I am currently researching hypnosis, pilates and alternate forms of healing along these same lines. So far it looks ok for those two but I have more research to do. I think the audio program is safe as you are not losing consciousness but again, I need to do more research. I hope you don't think I'm a crackpot. I've been reading more and more in my Bible and praying and believe this is the way to go. I'm open to discussion on this as anyone can make mistakes. Feel free to post here or email me personally for a chat. I welcome the chance to learn more and help others if I can.
In Christ,
Corinne
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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
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Corrine,
I just read your post and before I say too much, I just want to state that it sounds as if the information that you have "found" or researched on line is way off base and being used as a scare tactic rather than a truthful, realistic and fair representation of yoga.
If you could, I would love for you to forward me the websites you visited or some of the links.
Let me asure you that Chrisitians all over the world practice yoga. In fact when I first starting teaching years ago, one of the first places I held my classes (before I had my own studio) was at St. Joseph's, a local catholic church.
Here's is basically, the bottom line.... ANYONE can practice yoga. Yoga is a tool that not only helps you create a more strong, flexible, healthy, body but also a calm mind, a compassionate heart and a deeper connection to spirit.
Of course, it is up to you if you want to stop practicing yoga postures but personally, I think it is a shame that you might make that decision based on false information.
While there might be websites or articles from people that believe yoga is 'evil" there is other research that claims that Jesus himself was a yogi.
And honestly, if you know what Jesus was teaching and sharing with the world and then take a look at the foundation of yoga .... it's all the same stuff. One truth, many paths.
Again, bottom line.... you do what you feel is right for you.
Hope this helps some.
Peace,
K
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"You have to be the change you wish to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi
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