Yoga Day

[OH MY WORLD!]

I thought it was funny how Shaker has no problem with the spiritual side/intent of yoga, like it's mind control and then I remembered he's also a Marxist. As far as Poor Shaker having no space, well I guess even non meat eaters can eat their way to a disgusting unhealthy size. Your lack of space is keeping you from Hindu yoga or that Taoist thingy, that's a good and a bad thingy old man. How about walking to a church service every Sunday? Now that's a real exercise program that will benefit you all around. Oh ya I forgot, you hide from the sun, too hot.

[Shaker]

I thought it was funny how Shaker has no problem with the spiritual side/intent of yoga, like it's mind control

It's supposed to be - partly - about the discipline of one's own mind not the control of those of others, you wretched cretin.

How about walking to a church service every Sunday?

No thanks, I'm allergic to nuts.

[OH MY WORLD!]

"Yoga is not a trifling jest if we consider that any misunderstanding in the practice of yoga can mean death and insanity."   Hans Ulrich Rieker


I thank God that the big Yoga day event in Vancouver was cancelled due to public outcry and sponsors backing out.

[Sriram]

"Yoga is not a trifling jest if we consider that any misunderstanding in the practice of yoga can mean death and insanity."   Hans Ulrich Rieker


I thank God that the big Yoga day event in Vancouver was cancelled due to public outcry and sponsors backing out.

That is a bit of a over reaction. Yoga does not lead to death and insanity or anything of that kind.

It is however true that mass Yoga practice can have negative reactions in some people. This is true of all forms of exercise and even meditations.  'One size fits all' is obviously not correct.

Sometimes even prayers and Church/temple  ritualss can have negative effects on some  highly emotional people. It can lead to hysteria and other mental problems. 

So nothing works in exactly the same way for everyone.  That is one of the reasons Hindus allow people to choose their own path of spiritual progress and even the freedom to choose their own preferred deity (Ishtadevata).

[OH MY WORLD!]

How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body   the New York Times

[Walt Zingmatilder]

The vicar of a church not far from here banned yoga because its goal of 'enlightenment' was 'against Christian principles' and could allow in 'evil'.

Prat.

I don't know, how do we know he doesn't have a point.
If the people who want Yoga because it is another item from the ''spiritual supermarket'' or because Christ isn't ''floating their boat'' but they think a technique can then of course it would be against Christian principles.

[Shaker]

We know because only a complete prat would think that a form of exercise - that's almost always, with next to no exceptions, how yoga is presented in the West today, especially in the Thursday-night-in-the- community-centre/church-hall sense - "lets in evil."

[Walt Zingmatilder]

We know because only a complete prat would think that a form of exercise - that's almost always, with next to no exceptions, how yoga is presented in the West today, especially in the Thursday-night-in-the- community-centre/church-hall sense - "lets in evil."

Oh I think it's more than just about exercise Shaker.

[Shaker]

Such as what? And where - in Uttar Pradesh or in Uttoxeter?

[OH MY WORLD!]

Yoga and it's Kundalini Syndrome.

http://www.mentalhealthforum.net/forum/thread28047.html

[Rhiannon]

The vicar of a church not far from here banned yoga because its goal of 'enlightenment' was 'against Christian principles' and could allow in 'evil'.

Prat.

I don't know, how do we know he doesn't have a point.
If the people who want Yoga because it is another item from the ''spiritual supermarket'' or because Christ isn't ''floating their boat'' but they think a technique can then of course it would be against Christian principles.

It was for the (mostly) older ladies in a little village to stretch out their aches and pains.

You do know that many Christians in India practice yoga, right?

[Rhiannon]

"Yoga is not a trifling jest if we consider that any misunderstanding in the practice of yoga can mean death and insanity."   Hans Ulrich Rieker


I thank God that the big Yoga day event in Vancouver was cancelled due to public outcry and sponsors backing out.

That is a bit of a over reaction. Yoga does not lead to death and insanity or anything of that kind.

It is however true that mass Yoga practice can have negative reactions in some people. This is true of all forms of exercise and even meditations.  'One size fits all' is obviously not correct.

Sometimes even prayers and Church/temple  ritualss can have negative effects on some  highly emotional people. It can lead to hysteria and other mental problems. 

So nothing works in exactly the same way for everyone.  That is one of the reasons Hindus allow people to choose their own path of spiritual progress and even the freedom to choose their own preferred deity (Ishtadevata).

Absolutely. Anything can cause mass hysteria - attending classical music performances or the cinema, exercise, certain kinds of church practices, ecstatic dance....

[BashfulAnthony]

The vicar of a church not far from here banned yoga because its goal of 'enlightenment' was 'against Christian principles' and could allow in 'evil'.

Prat.

I don't think that's a very nice thing to say about Shaker       

[Sriram]

Many Christians and Muslims in India and elsewhere practice Yoga regularly. Many Americans have taken to it with enthusiasm. Europeans and especially the British are as expected, somewhat reticent....but the younger generations are eager to learn new things. 

Some orthodox Christians and Muslims fear it as an alien cultural practice. They are so used to promoting their own culture and practices everywhere that they are now disconcerted and reluctant to pick up something from others. It may take a few generations for that to change.

In any case.... 'there is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come'.   So...I think many people around the world are now ready to learn and accept ideas from India that were in earlier times considered quaint and even bizarre.

All part of the globalization process...I suppose.

[Rhiannon]

Many Christians and Muslims in India and elsewhere practice Yoga regularly. Many Americans have taken to it with enthusiasm. Europeans and especially the British are as expected, somewhat reticent....but the younger generations are eager to learn new things. 

Some orthodox Christians and Muslims fear it as an alien cultural practice. They are so used to promoting their own culture and practices everywhere that they are now disconcerted and reluctant to pick up something from others. It may take a few generations for that to change.

In any case.... 'there is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come'.   So...I think many people around the world are now ready to learn and accept ideas from India that were in earlier times considered quaint and even bizarre.

All part of the globalization process...I suppose.

No, yoga's mainstream here, Sriram. Even in my little town I can buy yoga mats and clothing and both in town and the villages there are classes for all ages and capabilities. Trust me, if it's made it to my rural backwater then it's made it everywhere.

The naysayers are very much in the minority.

[Sriram]

Many Christians and Muslims in India and elsewhere practice Yoga regularly. Many Americans have taken to it with enthusiasm. Europeans and especially the British are as expected, somewhat reticent....but the younger generations are eager to learn new things. 

Some orthodox Christians and Muslims fear it as an alien cultural practice. They are so used to promoting their own culture and practices everywhere that they are now disconcerted and reluctant to pick up something from others. It may take a few generations for that to change.

In any case.... 'there is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come'.   So...I think many people around the world are now ready to learn and accept ideas from India that were in earlier times considered quaint and even bizarre.

All part of the globalization process...I suppose.

No, yoga's mainstream here, Sriram. Even in my little town I can buy yoga mats and clothing and both in town and the villages there are classes for all ages and capabilities. Trust me, if it's made it to my rural backwater then it's made it everywhere.

The naysayers are very much in the minority.

I am happy about that, Rhiannon.  Though some people prefer to promote Yoga as merely a physical exercise....its positive effect on the mind and emotions will be felt soon enough.  Once the mind is disciplined, not only is a better lifestyle a natural progression from there..... but spiritual insights and awareness of the inner consciousness would also become unavoidable.

I see this as the beginning of a global secular spirituality that would underlie regular religious practices without conflicting with science and its discoveries.  Multiple religious beliefs and practices would co-exist with a basic understanding of universal spirituality. It will of course take a few more generations, but I think it'll happen.

[Rhiannon]

I think a lot of people regard yoga as a form of relaxation and meditation as much as exercise. I think in you are correct about people embracing these spiritual practices without having any religious belief, it might even be happening sooner than you believe although whether it will be embraced by all, who knows.

[Sriram]

I think a lot of people regard yoga as a form of relaxation and meditation as much as exercise. I think in you are correct about people embracing these spiritual practices without having any religious belief, it might even be happening sooner than you believe although whether it will be embraced by all, who knows.

Nothing is ever embraced by 'all'. Even among those who take up secular spirituality....all will not be the same. There will be different mix of spirituality, religion and science in different societies. The mix in India could be different from that in Britain...and very different  in America or Japan.   

100 years from today you might find lots of common beliefs and common ways of understanding life across the world as compared to today......while at the same time lifestyles and cultures could have evolved very differently in different communities.

One example is Hinduism where we all have a fairly common understanding of life and its process (karma, reincarnation, spiritual development over many births and so on), but the cultural and religious differences are many across different regions in India and across smaller communities within a region.  These differences help us to stay grounded and realize that our individual practices are not necessarily the only way to do things.....but we continue to do it our way all the same. 

[Rhiannon]

Oh yes, very much so. Paganism varies hugely between individuals too. One effect of that is that we are personally responsible for our own paths and beliefs rather than having someone set them out for us.