Son Salutation?
Saw this debate referred to in Time last week… is Christian yoga a contradiction in terms? Yoga purists, and some Christians (including the Vatican) feel it is, since they believe the physical practices of yoga cannot be separated from the Hindu spiritual elements of yoga. Nevertheless, this practice is apparently taking off – praise yoga is all the rage (Time says) at a number of Christian churches around the country, in some cases with some modifications in language such as changing the name of the Sun Salutation posture to Son Salutation. I agree, on one level, that there is huge power in intent, which this modification of language implies. Yet that cuts both ways. If by intending a certain posture to be an act of Christian worship, does that perhaps make it tolerable from a Christian perspective but strip it of its yogic effectiveness so far as a Hindu might be concerned? Can it be both or must it be one or the other? Seems the core questions here are whether yoga as a spiritual practice can be separated from yoga as a physical practice and whether the belief system that underlies yoga as a spiritual practice is inherently antithetical to or contradictory with Christian spiritual belief.
Okay, discuss.
Okay, discuss.
posted by Ernesto at 11:42 AM
10 Comments:
I've given some thought to this lately, as I've been participating in a Karate class with my daughter. Karate is a similar discipline with similar mind/body concepts, though less overtly religious than Yoga. I took some peace from the fact that our dojo was operated in a very Western style with owners who apparently are Christians of some stripe. There is the customary bowing and meditation, you bow to show respect to the dojo before entering and when leaving. There was little talk about "chi" and when it was discussed it was not discussed as a mystical energy but more like a kinesthetic relationship to one's center of balance. I found it all very tolerable. If there was a picture of a guru up on the wall and incense burning before it, I wouldn't have signed my daughter up. I think I could imagine taking classes in such an environment myself. After all, I eat at Asian restaurants that have fat little Buddhas with fruit and incense before them and gurus on every wall … and Chinese astrology placemats, too.
With Yoga, the entire practice is a religious act, a kind of sacrament. The unity of mind and body is equated to or seen as a means to union with God. No repentance is required. Hitler and Manson could obtain the holy union just as easily as the average churchgoer in the average church basement. Yet I think that the “holy union” was a sham all along, and what is actually being achieved through controlled breathing and stretching is simply relaxation and improved circulation and muscle tone. So is it wrong for Christians to participate in the side-benefits of a sham or retrofit it for their own purposes? Isn’t that what the church did with pagan Saturnalia? It’s easy to forget that Christianity is actually an Eastern religion at heart, and many of the practices we have adopted over the years would be more alien to the first century Christians than Yoga is to the fundamentalist.
I had to come to peace with my kids going trick-or-treating and any number of other essentially pagan practices that are commonplace in the modern world by recognizing that Christ has triumphed over these things. They are a bit like the spoils of war. We can enjoy them, but if we take them into our temples, endow them with mystical status and make them into our new idols, then we are challenging one of the rules that was literally etched in stone.
When I hear the word "Yoga" the thing that immediately springs to mind is an image of someone sitting cross legged on a floor, breathing deeply. I guess because that's pretty much the essence of my memory of the classes I took in college. There was no discussion of chakras, or "Chi" or anything of that particular nature, but the instructor would go on a great deal about being "centered" and I just took that to mean feeling like you weren't going to fall over while trying to balance on one leg. What I got from the course was how to relax, using very deep, controlled breathing (I actually fainted the first time I tried to do this- probably because I hadn't eaten much in the way of lunch that day) and how to stretch in a way that gradually, but dramatically improves flexibility and poise. Of course, I am living proof that you have to keep up with this stuff or you lose whatever you have gained. At any rate, I'm sure there are plenty of classes that include religious elements, but the stretches and breathing techniques themselves anyone, anywhere can do and reap the benefits. Perhaps it just needs to called something else...Yoga Light??
I would suggest that it has entirely everything to do with the intent. I myself have never viewed Yoga as a spiritual practice, but as a flexibility-improving exercise. If I did get spiritually moved while in the midst of... say... the turtle.... I'd attribute it all to Jesus being with me and filling me with Spirit. I practice Reiki and give all credit to the Lord alone, although initially it was "rediscovered" by Dr. Usui who was not a Christian. There is some information in Reiki dealing with chi also, but Reiki itself is not a religion. My personal intent when using the healing technique is simply to glorify God. Could you not use a similar idea when practicing Yoga?
Catherine, I underwent a Reiki treatment once. It was a complimentary session. I had reservations that were firmly rooted in my evangelical discipleship, but I was curious and took the plunge. I focused on Christ during the session and had a pretty remarkable experience. But I've never gone back, and I wouldn't recommend such dabbling. The fact that my experience was good does not make me view it with less suspicion. All traps are baited with something sweet.
Reiki is supposed to be a channeling and manipulation of invisible, unmeasurable (i.e. supernatural) energy currents.
If these currents don't exist, then the practice is phoney, not holy or helpful. A lie can make you feel good, but it's still a lie. If they do exist then Reiki is a religious activity, and while the dabbler's intent may be to draw near to Christ, the practitioner is almost certainly a representative of the whole legion of New Age beliefs, which, at heart, exalt the spirit of man and deny the Lordship of Christ.
I'm certainly not questioning your intent, or judging you as a Christian. But I would encourage you to examine Reiki not through the lens of personal and anecdotal experience, but through the lens of scripture and the wisdom of the church.
With all of these sorts of questions, I think intent is vital, but there are always practical questions that go beyond intent. A non-metaphysical and slightly clunky example might be: I intend to stay sober at a party and be a designated driver. I choose to drink the punch instead of the whisky. But someone has spiked the punch and I end up drunk. Now no one can be legitimately angry with me for being drunk, since my honest intent was to stay sober. But you don't want to get a ride home from me, either. Intent affects our culpability, but it doesn't change practical effects.
So the question becomes, are some practices the equivalent of metaphysical spiked punch in that they have a core, a substance that is effectual in ways we wouldn't wish them to be, regardless of our intent.
Rick, I'm so glad your experience with hands-on healing was good!
Reiki is (healing) energy that is invisible, yes. We are surrounded by energy every day that we cannot see, but we do not doubt it's presence. Being a believer that Christ is my creator and savior, of course I believe this energy is "supernatural", because I believe it's source is God.
I confess, Rick, that I have struggled with my doubt on whether Reiki is a gift from Christ that too many disregard, or a sinful act detailed in Leviticus. I am not channeling the dead or consulting mediums in hopes of gaining knowledge God has not provided me. I am simply using the gift of healing, or directing love towards another human, that I have asked God for.
If you can find an example from the bible where Satan healed someone, I would be interested in reading it. Satan, without a doubt, tempts people to sin, but does heal. In Luke 6:44, you can read that "each tree is recognized by it's own fruit".
I arrived at my conclusion through prayer and looking to scripture. In Corinthians 14:1 we read "Let your love be the highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives..." and in 12:28 we read that one of those gifts is the ability to heal. Most importantly, in John 14:12, "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it!"
I apologize for pirating your yoga thread, lol, I was simply using Reiki as an example, but then felt the need to defend my choices. God bless!
Christianity has a history of coopting by changing the meaning of local customs and then adopting them into Christian cultural practices. Think about pagan customs and symbols that have become part of Christmas and Easter.
Arguments over yoga drive me bonkers. Fellow Catholic yoga enthusiasts can probably imagine the odd looks I've gotten from fellow orthodox (i.e. not cafeteria) Catholics.
There's no reason why the physical practices can't be divorced from the spiritual ones. Though, if one wishes to substitute Christian meditative practices for the Hindu mumbo-jumbo, that's doable, too. There's actually some similarity between yogic meditation and Christian mysticism. Read "The Cloud of Unknowing" if you doubt me. However, just like that unknown author, I'd strongly caution against entering such contemplative prayer willy-nilly. When you empty yourself of selfish desires and worldly concerns, you may be hoping to be filled with God's grace (and rightly so), but you also become vulnerable to Satanic forces. I'll not try to explain further and just suggest that anyone interested in contemplative meditation not do so without reading the works of Christian mystics who point out the inherent dangers (or without consulting their spiritual directors for that matter).
Punch line: Stick to the physical aspects of yoga, which are beneficial to health if done properly, and avoid the meditation. Repeat the Lord's Prayer or say a rosary if you must. If you really desire contemplative prayer, spend some time before the Blessed Sacrament.
Which brings me back to Kristen's point ... "Perhaps it just needs to called something else...Yoga Light??"
Or ... stretching?
(I know, I know... I just got tired of thinking about it...)
If you want to redeem Yoga, maybe you just set your asansas to a hiphop beat and call it "Yo God."
Sorry.
Post a Comment
<< Home