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“They are teaching YOGA in my child’s school.”

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loretta:
My younger daughter has started to learn yoga at school.  She is only 6 and doesn't quite understand what the fuss is all about. I know that there are real dangers involved in practising yoga.


--- Quote ---Yoga is an ancient spiritual discipline whose central doctrines are utterly incompatible with those of Christianity. Even hatha yoga, often considered to be exclusively concerned with physical development, is best understood as merely a means of helping the yogi reach the goal of samadhi, or union with "God." Furthermore, we've seen that all yoga, including hatha, has the potential to be physically, mentally, and spiritually harmful.
--- End quote ---


--- Quote ---Where Yoga Leads (according to Hindus)

In an article dated May 14, 2006, Darryl E. Owens of the Orlando Sentinel quoted Sannyasin Arumugaswami, managing editor of Hinduism Today.

Arumugaswami said Hinduism is the soul of Yoga “based as it is on Hindu Scripture and developed by Hindu sages. Yoga opens up new and more refined states of mind, and to understand them one needs to believe in and understand the Hindu way of looking at God. … A Christian trying to adapt these practices will likely disrupt their own Christian beliefs.”
--- End quote ---

Prior to BT I would get quite het up about it. Soon after my conversion, I discontinued my elder daughter's Bharat Natyam (Indian dance form primarily used in idol worship) class. Now post BT, I'm not so sure what to do about yoga. I know that all evil, including yoga is of God and even though I protect my kids from the dangers of yoga, they could get ensnared by some other evil. 


--- Quote ---They may later go to college and live down the street from an Ashram, see the word “yoga” and get those wonderful warm fuzzies, sign up for classes and be on a whole ‘nother path quicker than you can sing, “Swami, how I love ya.”
--- End quote ---

As a Christian parent what should I do?

Dennis Vogel:
I'm assuming you are talking about the religious part of Yoga and not just the physical (I have a Yoga exercise DVD that teaches the physical only which I do not have a problem with).

This is very difficult for someone not living and understanding the culture in India.

When I was in the third grade one of my classmates belonged to one of the fringe Christian religions (JW's, Seventh Day?) and would leave the classroom whenever a subject was being taught that her parents did not want her to participate in. The teacher explained this very nicely to the class and I do not think it caused any problems for my classmate.

This may be an option if there is no retaliation from your daughters classmates. Being ostracized can be very hard on a child. Everyone wants to fit in.

I would not give too much credence to what others say about Yoga. If you look hard enough I'm sure you will find some credible person saying Yoga enhances Christianity. In the end you have to decide based on what is taught and how much of it is counter to your beliefs.

But I will pray and think about this as I'm sure you are.

loretta:

--- Quote ---I would not give too much credence to what others say about Yoga. If you look hard enough I'm sure you will find some credible person saying Yoga enhances Christianity.
--- End quote ---

Based on the information I have, the physical aspect of yoga is inseparable from the spiritual.  I don't believe that Yoga enhances Christianity, rather we have to be careful about the whole worldview that is attached to such spiritual practices.

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=KKZ6PGNX&utm_source=Christian%20Living%20Connection%20-%20Christianity.com&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11/17/2011

Dave in Tenn:
The whole notion that putting one's body into positions is a "spiritual" act is hogwash, as far as I'm concerned.  It doesn't matter who makes the claim, yogi or christian. 

cjwood:
okay guys, i do yoga exercises in the privacy of my home and have done so for years.  the different poses and the stretching help my fibromyalgia.  i NEVER think about where yoga started or any of the "spiritual" aspects of it.  i have no advice for you loretta on this one.  i use yoga only for the physical relief it brings me, and YES, you can separate the physical from the spiritual with regards to yoga.  i am proof of that.

claudia

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