Posted on 06/01/2013 12:58:39 PM PDT by CHRISTIAN DIARIST
What they object to is the Christian claim that only the Christian God is true.
Let’s not get carried away here. Just making a joke.
I would also add that every evil yoga class that I attended at my racquetclub never once mentioned whatever religion this evil exercise is being attributed to........
As a side note, is there any evidence that bicep curls and bench presses are founded in communism?
I have back pains and I am sure yoga would help me. I have to stretch anytime I sit for more than five minutes because my spine compresses and I have to move around to get the kinks out.
I was lucky to have had many years of ballet as a young girl. The lengthened muscles stay with you. So entering yoga in my 60s was not too bad, and I was able to touch the floor with my palms from a stand, balance on one foot and lean over backwards on my knees to grab my ankles, etc. Wish I could still take 4x a week; but the local gym fell on hard times, and the classes were the first thing to go. Dedicated yoga studios have to charge a whole lot more.
The solution to this seems obvious, but it is ignored.
People want the physical benefits from exercise, so why isn’t there a “secular or Christian Yoga”, that either utterly ignores the religious aspects, or integrates Christian elements?
I remember years ago, a strongly Christian individual came to a karate school (Chinese Kenpo, founder Ed Parker, a Mormon), and said he wanted to learn karate, “but none of that religious stuff”. He made it all the way to the stretching exercises, which he decided were pagan, somehow, and he marched right out of there.
Not ironically at all there *are* “Christian karate” schools, and to the best of my knowledge, they do stretching exercises as well.
So why not “Christian Yoga”?
Ah. Newswet.
Goof of all things.
PS And in spite of Russians and French being the premier ballet dancers, I am neither Communist nor Socialist! And -- I shave my armpits!
In Communist Russia, bench presses you!
I think it really depends on the Yoga class and who is teaching it and how.
I am not very flexible and have lower back issues but I loved playing golf. I took some beginners Yoga classes at my gym, a class that was taught by a person with a background in physical therapy and someone who understood back issues. It was really more about learning to stretch into positions and hold them while remaining relaxed and breathing deeply and thus increasing core stability and balance. I also took classes she taught on core stability and she incorporated Swiss stability balls and both classes dove tailed nicely with the physical therapy sessions my orthopedic had sent me to (“back school” as he called it) and while the physical therapist didn’t call it Yoga, she did teach me to do some stretches that very closely resembled some Yoga poses like Downward Dog, Bridge Pose, Seated Twist, Child’s Pose and Cat Pose and doing those each morning and each evening before bed or after playing golf or exercising really helped me not get stiff and sore and along with the Swiss Ball exercises greatly increased my core stability and flexibility and balance and therefore helped mitigate my back issues and back pain.
There was nothing Hindu-ish or “spiritual” about the Yoga classes I went to, there was no chanting, although there were a few groans, mostly from me. ;), The instructor didn’t even use the Namaste phrase although she did play music by Enya and lit a few scented candles, the closest she came to any sort of “meditation” was when starting and ending the class – “breathe deeply and think about good and calming things”. FWIW, I also took a Tai Chi class at this same gym that was conducted in the warm water pool and it was a great workout but not so stressful on my now aging joints.
Now I’m sure there are many Yoga classes that do incorporate a lot of “spiritualism” and meditation and references to Hinduism and Eastern or New Age philosophies that I can understand that many Christians would find offensive. But I think it’s also a stretch (pardon the pun) to claim that the moves, positions and stretches of Yoga in and of themselves are from Satan. There are Christian Yoga practitioners and Yoga like alternatives; there is Scripture Yoga and Holy Yoga and Praise Moves that incorporate the positive physical aspects of Yoga and the poses and substitute the more traditional Yoga meditations and chanting with Christian prayer and scripture. Perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea but I’m just saying that Yoga in and of its self is not “evil”.
I know some folks who are into very into running. Personally while I prefer to walk the golf course rather than ride a cart, I like fast walking and trail walking and will even incorporate a bit of jogging into it, but for me to run full out, either I have to be on fire or someone has to be chasing me. But a few of my friends who got into running had the goal of running in a Marathon (or 5k) and many of them accomplished that goal and good for them. But if one was to get picky, one could say that participating in a Marathon or even weight lifting is paying homage to ancient Greek pagan mythology and Gods. And then there is swimming and surfing – men and women swimming together and not “fully” clothed – oh the horrors! ; ),
Yes, 150,000 demons I could believe, but 160,000 is definitely beyond the bounds of believability. The odd demon I don't have a problem with...but those damn ogres are real pests. Can't get rid of them.
Here are 3 inspirational videos of Arthur Boorman, a disabled vet who walked with difficulty with braces and was approx. 300 lb. when he started the YRG, Yoga for Real Guys, by Diamond Dallas Page. The first video was made by his son and is exceptional. If you watch them in order, see the difference in his appearance from the first to the last! It is really unbelievable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=suTPns5cy_Q
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/features/other/how-arthur-boorman-changed-his-life-forever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nbt_v_VS1c&feature=related
to a number of knuckleheads on this thread, it doesn't matter how it is being taught, it's the fact that it's "whatever" based........
Logic and rationality are slowly escaping this site........
I wouldn’t think of those who mock and criticize me as friends.
Albion Wilde wrote: PS And in spite of Russians and French being the premier ballet dancers, I am neither Communist nor Socialist! And — I shave my armpits!
To Albion.. funny you should say that,I once had a Russian born yoga instructor ..very strict and disciplined with the poses, I got a lot from his classes.
I have had many different yoga instructors and they all offer something different in the way they teach.
If it is Spiritual to get the kinks out of tight muscles .. then Yoga is spiritual :-)
There is “Christian” yoga ~
“Yoga is 90 percent spiritual. The other half is physical.”
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