Yoga is a spiritual practice. You can still have your faith, your religion. The two are not incompatible. The teachings are the same - be helpful, be compassionate, be healthy, be loving, be generous, be non-violent. This brings you closer to God - the one God. So Jesus, Allah, Guru Nanak are the same. Just different names.
This is a wonderful, thought provoking discussion and my thoughts are the same as Anjali’s.
A friend explored a similar question a few years ago in an article for Ascent (now defunct), except her perspective was as a Muslim yogini: http://ascentmagazine.com/articles.aspx?articleID=323&issueID=41
It terms of yoga and christianity some say you cannot be one or the other. there is an article yoga and christianity are they compatible?
Pope Benedict XVI has warned that yoga “can degenerate into a cult of the body.” warning Catholics against mistaking yoga?s “pleasing sensations” for “spiritual well-being.”
Someone also created a new techinques called praisemoves. THe christian altnernative to yoga, google it.
Here is pat robertson a conservative christian on yoga. cant post the video but go to youtube and type pat robertson yoga and you can find it there.
[QUOTE=theicefreezer;31662]It terms of yoga and christianity some say you cannot be one or the other. there is an article yoga and christianity are they compatible?
Pope Benedict XVI has warned that yoga “can degenerate into a cult of the body.” warning Catholics against mistaking yoga?s “pleasing sensations” for “spiritual well-being.”
Someone also created a new techinques called praisemoves. THe christian altnernative to yoga, google it.
Here is pat robertson a conservative christian on yoga. cant post the video but go to youtube and type pat robertson yoga and you can find it there.[/QUOTE]
I checked this Pat Robertson on youtube. I got sentimental… It would be so nice to be so strong and single-minded. To have answer to everything from your sit without actually decomposing your mind to understand different perspectives…
I was doing some reading recently and found this text helpful:
What I found relevant: Christians should approach other religions with love and affirmation however their faith should be clear: personal God created world and send his son to bring salvation. This is the point I find difficult to overlook trying to unify yoga and Christianity. Maybe respect of differences is better than desire to remove them?
[QUOTE=kulai;26007]If we have problems reciting a mantra, just replace it with something else, like a verse from the Bible.[/QUOTE]
sorry, mantra science doesn’t work that way, I have a better idea
Je-Susa-Ya-Na-Mah-Om
if this doesn’t work try this
Om Shrim Hrim Klim Glaum Gam Jesusaye Vara Varada Sarva-janam Me Vasamanaya Swahaaaaa…
if nothin works, you’ll have to give up yoga. 
This is what the creator of praise moves> very interesting outtake on yoga anbd Christianity. Go to the praise moves website to read more about if you want more. WHy the christian alternative to yoga. Intereting outtake on this.
"From experience I can say that yoga is a dangerous practice for the Christian and leads seekers away from God rather than to Him. You may say, ?Well, I?m not doing any of the meditation stuff. I?m just following the exercises.? It is impossible, however, to separate the subtleties of yoga the technique from yoga the religion. I know because I taught and practiced hatha yoga for years. Hatha yoga is the most popular yoga style available on store-bought videos and in most gyms. For an eye-opening account of the background and meaning of ?hatha yoga,? please see my notes at the bottom of this page.
Perhaps you have sensed uneasiness while doing yoga (what some call a ?check in your spirit?), but you ignored that quiet nudge. I urge you to pay attention to it. Jesus Himself said, ??the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice? (John 10:4).
The yoga mudra (hand gesture or ?gateway?) for Namaste (?I bow to the divine in you?), is a Hindu gesture that pre-dates Christianity. The Bible speaks of praying with uplifted hands or ?hands spread up toward heaven? (1 Kings 8: 22 and 54; 1 Chronicles 6:13)
?Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice? Psalm 145:1
Your yoga teacher may bow to her class saying, ?Namaste? (?I bow to the divine in you.?). Postures have names such as Savasana (the Corpse Pose) and Bhujangasana (the Cobra or Snake Pose). References are made to chakras or ?power centers? in the body, such as the ?third eye.? The relaxation and visualization session at the end of yoga classes is skillfully designed to ?empty the mind? and can open one up to harmful spiritual influences.
As Christians, you are instructed to ?be transformed by the renewing of your mind? (Romans 12:2), not the emptying of your mind. Many believe that transformation process occurs as we meditate and feed on the Word of God ? renewing our minds by filling them with God?s thoughts, not emptying them or filling them with the prideful thoughts of man."
Anyway this a sample of one view point. there are many many more.,
This lady who developed “Praise moves” also wrote:
“Yoga?s breathing techniques (pranayama) may seem stress-relieving, yet they can be an open door to the psychic realm ? inhaling and exhaling certain ?energies? for the purpose of relaxation and cleansing (Paul refers to satan as ?the prince of the power of the air? in Ephesians 2:2, and I doubt the air to which he is referring is oxygen, but rather the psychic arena some call ?the second heaven? which is certainly not a playground). Whenever you see the words prana, ki or chi, these refer to ?life force? energies (see the notes on hatha yoga at the end of this article).”
So basically she says that involvement in yoga (and also tai-chi and other practices using a concept of life energy) is the same as involvement with a Satan. Well, I don’t know what to say - it’s incredibly offensive. But on other hand I’m not surprised - it’s very popular way of thinking (seeing devil/ignorance/selfishness in other religions/spiritualities). Some paranoid Christians think e.g. Buddhism is creation of devil aiming to detach you from God. But also some paranoid Buddhists think that Christians walk in darkness and ignorance and only they have light and clarity about true nature of the world.
Also, her web page is bit hypocritical - she criticizes yoga because of its commercial aspect. However, there is a nice, outstanding, orange “View cart” button always with you when you browse through the site 
[QUOTE=Pawel;31711]This lady who developed “Praise moves” also wrote:
"Yoga?s breathing techniques (pranayama) may seem stress-relieving, yet they can be an open door to the psychic realm :)[/QUOTE]
As far as I know, the breath is the connection between the soul and the body.
Everybody who practises yoga might acquire psychic powers, in more advanced stages of the practice. However, these psychic powers (Siddhis)
are not the purpose of yoga. Siddhis are an obstacle in the way to reach union with God. I referred here to Patanjali.
Of course Satan, or the enemy, or should I say, [U]forces working against human divination-spiritualization[/U] exist(s). And of course such enemies are everywhere, around us and in our very soul, and still are not juts psychic energies or blocks. People today like to abstracticise, and the impersonal concepts of some toughtschools are popular because it’s just easier to the external mind to concieve them that way, as objective, as opposed to the “ridiculous” fancies of ancient times about demons, angels, faireis, and goblins. ( I use quotes because I find these legends and myths charming, refreshing, full of vitality, and who does not need these in his/her life ?)
In my opinion, monist exoteric religions paved the way for todays materialism. Thus, if there is one God, there shoud be one Satan. Isn’t it handy to have a single dude to blame for everything. And than, when we have just one God, and one Satan, isn’t than easier to get rid of them both ? Anyway, the image of Satan might be used in exoteric christianity as symbol of evil, yet we must (and most people today are clearly are able) raise our consciousness above such symplistic representations if we ever need to dig deeper into spiritual subjects.
Saint Paul speaks about principalities, as spiritual beings of a higher hierachy, and not princes in the sense we use the word today. What he says, is exactly that forces opposing human spirituality to develop exist and are superior to us. I am not sure about the princes of the air translation is accurate, although I have met references about how the forming and shaping of clouds are related to luciferic beings. Anyway, the very forces of outer nature and those in us, are the same, and while it would be much easier to cast evil out as an enemy, truth is, that the very forces of destruction, illness and death are present and acting in every one of us. Now, when one awakes to the reality of what I say, one is presented with a terrible reality and one needs all the courage, and faith in good, life, growth (as these exist too not just abstractions but in a million forms, shapes, colors, tunes) to get by.
Reality is rich, complex, both frightening and elevating. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
This is just an example of the aerial, misty kind of thinking, where some ancient quotes, hystorical explanations and ethimology is used to present a totally arbitray, and subjective explanation of the quote Pawel made, linked to today’s … pollution problems. Todays Bible explanations rarely are able to avoid subjectivity, shallowness and random thought association. I am absolutley sure about the good intentions of the author, but we know what path is paved with these, thus, we must realize that good intentions alone do not suffice, and one actring out of ignorance is not absolved of the consequences.
In our thinking endeavours aimed to the realization of some truth, some aspect of reality, we need to be able to rule out any subjective unrealised desire otherwise we’ll juts find what we’d like to believe, and not the truth. Honesty, (satya) is primordial in this endeavour, but also study, svadyaya, because by doing that we make conscious a huge pile of subliminal cultural conditionings. And surely concentration, unvawering focus, attention to our thought process are just as important. True thinking is spiritual practice at it’s best, quite a shocking tought maybe for those who’d like to escape this phase of the journey.
Scientific research has the merit of acknowledging the need for impartiality, though withtout recognising the objective nature of apparently subjective experiences, so far it was unable to pass the threshold of the sensorial world.
Positive example
This one found by random googling is comprehensible, coherent, and presents a more general, though descriptive explanation. Here, only proving is lacking, obviously for an inquiring mind. What’s just fine. I mean, if realizing the existence of angels would be a triviality, than who’d bother, anyway.
I know someone who was a devout Christian from an early age, reading the bible, praying, attending church, teaching…everything…he then started to hear voices, directing him, he was treated as if he were balmy. And given drugs etc and stopped allhis spiritual devotions.
I think the church ill prepared him for his spiritual journey, he was not supported properly. Everyone he lknew within the church thought that hearing voices was something not to be spoken about…taboo so he had to battle it by himself…I am sure that in eg Buddhism this would have been dealt with properly.
Icefreezer…I am amazed at your comments on top page…such a narrow minded outlook I have to say…
[QUOTE=Hubert;33085]Positive example
This one found by random googling is comprehensible, coherent, and presents a more general, though descriptive explanation. Here, only proving is lacking, obviously for an inquiring mind. What’s just fine. I mean, if realizing the existence of angels would be a triviality, than who’d bother, anyway.[/QUOTE]
Great posts, Hubert, especially during these times.
As a Romanian saying states: Great is God…and skilled is the devil.
If God and Jesus are loving it matters not that you practice yoga. I can’t see God keeping you from salvation/heaven because you’ve been practicing yoga/meditation/pranayam. If you lead a good life filled with kindness and compassion you will end up where you’re suppose to be when we leave our earthly bodies.
I find your view of yoga very narrow minded. May I ask why you are on this forum if you feel as you stated in the opening thread? Are we heathens being corrupted by the devil and are in need of salvation. I’ll take my chances with what I’m doing , thank you. Everyone’s entitled to their own viewpoint and that is respected.
The thing is that folk that tend to feel the need to critique things they don’t consciously participate in or support often seem to come across they like have an agenda.
Ignorance(or lack of understanding,avidya etc),fear (often of the unknown which is usually linked) and superstition usually spring to mind here…
I think yoga can often end up challenging some of our cultural and philosphical pre-conceptions and conditioning.Feeling challenged is’nt always comfortable.And drawing circles around things incl. yourself is usually self-limiting.
And once you run into critiques ther’e often less roon for meaningful dialogue, unfortunately.A basic conclusion of yoga is you can’t hope to change other folk without starting off at home.I think it’s wiser to be the example than hope others follow.If you’re doiing something that you feel is good, resonates with you, then it really should’nt matter what others are doiing ,thinking etc.
I suspect one will more likely find conflict wherever one opts to see it.And i know that changing your perception can be challenging.But then being challenged is typically good for you;how folk change usually for the better.
Yoga is not about worshiping outside deities. Yoga is about looking deeply within and you are to choose your own path and answers.
[QUOTE=madeline_sweet;8673]Hello! I have a bit of an inner-dilemma and I am wondering what everyone has to say about this.
I am very interested in Yoga and Zen and meditation and these sorts of things. However, I was raised very strict {Christian Tradition} … and my parents do not approve.
I am 32, and this really shouldn’t matter to me, I have not lived in their house in 14 years … but it does. They are my family after all - and I love them, and desire their approval.
I know that the Dalai Lama believes we should respect the Religion of our upbringing, but I am so drawn to Yoga, and really want to be an instructor of yoga. I have signed up for instructor training in February, and went to a Zen meditation class this morning, but all I can think is - my parents would spazz if they knew what I was getting into.
I also decided to check out the Unitarian church a few Sunday’s ago - and while I don’t know if it’s for me - my parents would absolutely freak if they knew this about me. I am a seeker.
I do try to be respectful, but I can’t seem to embrace Christianity the way I am “supposed” to. Half of the things that I’ve been told are bad and wrong, I just can’t see why they are bad and wrong - Yoga being one of them!
I am wondering if anyone else has had to deal with this - where something you desire and are so curious and interested in … is basically “wrong” in the eyes of the people you love the most.
I don’t know how to Respect my family … AND Respect myself in this situation … I don’t believe this is something I’m pursuing out of Rebellion, but out of a genuine desire and curiosity and interest. I was raised in a very “extreme” environment. I love my family, but they are very prone to Religion-bashing {other than their own} and I, by contrast, have a strong value of Religious Tolerance.
I’m just very confused and maybe broken-hearted that it is without their blessing that I pursue this … and also, maybe a bit scared that I will burn in the embers of Hell for doing this {but I don’t really think I believe in the Biblical Hell as it’s been presented to me}.
Alright - I’m done rambling. Just being very honest at this point, and wondering if there is any wisdom out there for me.
~Madeline[/QUOTE]
This is a very interesting topic of discussion and contemplation for me. You are obviously in a huge quandary since you are feeling the pull of taking responsibility of your spiritual health clashing with the shackles of “tradition” that you have grown up with (and possibly grown accustomed to).
You will have to make up your own mind and only piece of advise I can give you is to be resolute in your decision. Other people have recommended different “ways” in which you can deal with this dilemma you are experiencing, here’s my take on it:
[ul]
[li]Know that the roots of Yoga is from an ancient philosophical and spiritual system.
[/li][li]Don’t judge either Yoga or it’s source without first experiencing and understanding it.
[/li][li]Yoga is about self-empowerment and self-realization. At a gross level it is about physical and psychosomatic balance. Many people don’t progress beyond this stage…and the approach and practice is very secular. At a subtle level it is about discovering your true identity and that will take many years to get to. What is safe to say is that if you undertake a practice of yoga and get to the physical and mental equillibrium, the subsequent path will open up to you automatically…you won’t have to fight or struggle to go “beyond”.
[/li][li]All religions are just like fingers pointing to the moon, if you focus on the finger you will miss the beauty of the moon. You will find (if you study deep enough) that all religions have similar aspirations for their adherents…be good human beings, don’t hurt other sentient beings, be respectful, etc. If you get to be all that these religions ask you to be as a person, you will make your own heaven here on earth. Otherwise, this earth can be a living hell as well…(think about the stressful lives we lead, the tension, the constant fear of things, etc)[/ul]
[/li]
I wish you well in your pursuit of Happiness…one day you will realize that you don’t have to look outside yourself for it…happiness is fully present within you. That discovery is the promise and reward of Yoga.
[QUOTE=synergyjasmine;57137]Yoga is not about worshiping outside deities. Yoga is about looking deeply within and you are to choose your own path and answers.[/QUOTE]
True. Than again, what you find if you go deep enough is the same what you find going outside to the same extent. In ancient mysteries, the mithraic initiations represent the latter. But being mysteries, one will not find much about it … anyway, yoga also was practiced in a context what we could call mistery, as it was always linked to a guru, and was preceeded by careful preparations, unlike what we have today.
We must credit western “looking to the outside” for the very fact that we can carry a conversation as this, about a subject what once was limited to few.
About how the approach to spirituality has changed in the last ten thousand of years, we could talk a lot. Yes, yoga really was at home in the proto-indian culture, and what we have left today as exoteric form is not directly applicable. Why ? Because there is an evolution of human consciusness, of the human soul, also. We do not just reincarnate over and over again without purpose. Now, should this rule out practicing yoga ? Depends, what that yoga is. Is it dangerous ? Damn sure it is. Not just for christians, but for anyone.
Mostly because today, it’s practice is more often than not based on either a total disregard of it’s spiritual aspects, or what is even worse, based on a naive and superficial approach of it’s deeper teaching.
Yoga is not about worshiping outside deities. Yoga is about looking deeply within and you are to choose your own path and answers.
This is technically wrong. In Bhakti Yoga you do worship outside deities.
We must credit western “looking to the outside” for the very fact that we can carry a conversation as this, about a subject what once was limited to few.
In Western culture maybe, not dharmic culture. Yoga has always been out in the open in India. It was part of the curriculum of the Indian education system. You always knew about it, it was your choice whether you wanted to take the ascetic path. Everybody would take the ascetic path at some stage in their life.