When I mentioned that I was doing hatha yoga to a 'friend' here in town she became very concerned as if It was a path to Satan.

Is Yoga a religion or a spiritual path?

Not that I ever heard of

Not that I know of

I always see yoga as an exercise for spirit and body alike, nothing to do with religion at all

It is a part of the hindu religion but, is not a religion itself.

Yoga itself is one of the Vedic schools, but using the postures doesn't mean you walk that path. That would be like saying meditation makes you a Buddhist.

That's the way I think of it too.

Anyone can do yoga. That has nothing to do with their religious philosophy.

But it can be an interactive part of a religious philosophy.

Comparing it with meditation is a good analogy.

Traditional Catholics believe that one cannot be a Christian and do Yoga. The poses are not just exercises. They were originally used (I'm no expert here, so correct me if I'm wrong) as a tool to become more spiritually aware or enlightened. Most westerners today use them as an exercise.

Oh yeh and heaven forbid anyone involved with religious dogma become spiritually enlightened!

The church traditionally wants all the enlightenment and truth so that they can dole it out as they see fit to the ignorant masses. They steal your personal power.

They actually detest someone who is happy, well adjusted, spiritually attuned, or heaven forbid... enlightened!

Its bad for business.

Really. It's disgusting.

The early Christians that went to Greece to convert the Greeks to Christianity didn't go there for the purpose of 'saving souls'. They went there for the purpose of enslaving people to the authority of the church.

And you're perfectly correct. It entirely based on brainwashing people, and the best way to brainwash people it so denounce everything and anything that might actually help them to become truly spiritual in their own right.



It's disgusting. Dogmatic religions are all about controlling the masses and getting them to follow a single 'cause' without questioning it.

Ruth is right, Yoga exercises do awaken the spirit. And truly spiritual people aren't easy to brainwash with dogma!

And, just as a side note.....there is a difference between traditional Catholics and what Catholics believe and practice today. I know a lot of Catholics who practice Yoga.

What I admire about some of the Catholics I know is that they just do what ever they want to do and accept that they have sinned and then they might go to confession and get all cleaned and just go back to their normal lives free of any guilt.

Its as if they accept that they are sinners and so they just don't worry about it that much and they just live their lives.

Some people live their lives worrying every minute if they are doing something sinful or not and they are burdened with guilt.


Catholics don't seem so burdened.

Traditional Catholics - very burdened. Especially those who believe that the New Order of the Mass that came out of Vatican II is heretical and the pope is not really the pope.

Novus Ordo Catholics - not so burdened. Those are the Catholics who accept the New Order of the Mass and the revised teachings of the Catholic Church.

The body and the spirit are connected and you can't affect one without affecting the other.

This is so true. At a time when I had given up on the idea of God, I started doing yoga and deep breathing exercises.

Something very spiritual happened during the breathing exercises involving a ball of light in the room and from that day forward I was a changed person. I don't know why, and I haven't a clue why I changed. I suddenly walked away from a lot of negative things and people in my life and felt more like a hippie spreading love, or a disciple of the Christ or something. I felt like I was one of the twelve follower of God, and I didn't even believe in any of that. It was very strange.

That doesn't surprise me. Yoga poses can do that. Hence the reason other religions, particularly Christianity, are opposed to them.

Anyone have a good Yoga dvd they like?

No, but if you've never tried Bikram Yoga, find someplace nearby and give it a shot. You'll want to bring a few towels and a couple bottles of water though. And don't eat for a few hours beforehand.

And on a completely separate note, did you know that Christianity is based mainly on astrology?

Yoga is a scientific system of physical and mental practices that originated in India more than three thousand years ago. Its purpose is to help each one of us achieve our highest potential and to experience enduring health and happiness. With Yoga, we can extend our healthy, productive years far beyond the accepted norm and, at the same time, improve the quality of our lives.

It is a great way to get to know your body. All its limbs and to understand yourself closer. It goes good with meditation afterwards.

I always considered Yoga an element of the spiritual path of Hinduism. But see there are many facets of Hinduism. Yoga is but one. The word yoga means "union" in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India where yoga originated. There is also Tantric Sex for instance. Tell her you are a Tantric Sex master and then she will really have the cops on your front lawn in no time.

Tantric Sex......I should look into this.