Yoga with a "Christian" bent?

[Mr. Authority]

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1889526&WNT=true

April 25, 2006 — The poses may be the same as in the Hindu version of yoga, but the philosophy associated with the practice has been reinvented by those of a different faith.

"I approach each class as a way to share with people something great about their faith," said Christian yoga instructor Susan Bordenkircher.

Her class, "Outstretched in Faith," is a switch from traditional yoga, which has its roots in the Hindu religion and predates Christianity.

The original goal of Yoga was to develop self-awareness and help individuals find divinity within themselves.

But those Hindu ideals offend some Christians. Bordenkircher said that as a devout Methodist, when she first tried yoga she loved the exercise but not the Hindu-based chanting.

"It made me feel uncomfortable. It made me feel as if those were elements that I certainly did not want to participate in," Bordenkircher said.

So she joined a growing trend of modifying traditional yoga by replacing many of the chants with biblical phrases or Christian themes. While breathing in, she speaks of inhaling the holy spirit.

Still Yoga? Purists Disagree

There are clear physical benefits to this activity regardless of the philosophy, as it stretches the muscles and relaxes the body.

But yoga purists say that without Hinduism this simply isn't yoga.

"If you take a tree and chop off it's roots, then you don't have a tree, do you?" said Subhas Tiwaris, a professor of yoga philosophy.

"Yoga is mind, body, spirit. You want to make those separations," he said.

But Bordenkircher bristles at this charge and defends her practice.

"There is no way that you can take a posture that is from a body that God created and say this can only be used for the Hindu faith," Bordenkircher said.

Yeah because being open-minded and learning about a different culture and faith means betraying your own religion and offending God. Why oh why do some people who claim to have chirstianity behave like their anything but Chirsitan. I hate all this ignorance that's being associated with Chirstianity, I fucking hate it!

[UndercoverGator]

*Hides under her sofa*** Uuuhhh, when I do my Yoga dvd I turn off the sound because the instructors yammering on and on about balancing your chi makes me want to bitchslap her all the way back to her ashram in California. I play alternate music (Xian) and meditate on the Bible when I do it. If I'm doing that in the privacy of my home and I'm doing it because I'm not in love with what's going on during the DVD because it's distracting then how is that being 'ignorant'?

Different people co op and use all sorts of different exercise, faith rituals, whatever and it hurts no one. Leave the poor woman alone, she's not hurting anyone. I'm just not seeing the problem here, who you rather she attended a class where she was be extremely uncomfortable and compromising what it is she believes in, possibly making a scene or the others uncomfortable? Or would you rather see her go off and do it in her own fashion?

[Grimmlok]

Yoga is built on the premise of self awareness and personal enlightenment. You can't be self aware when you're praying to Jebus and diverting all your energy into being more aware of something outside yourself.

You're meant to concentrate on YOU, your center of calm and your body otherwise you're not going to get anything out of it except more flexibility and a good sweat with some bible tunes running through your head.

The chants aren't even religious for that matter, they're meditative and personally contemplative and meant to improve your breathing and center of calm. Does this woman use the hindi terms for the positions, or is she scared to do that as well lest she appear pagan for using another tongue?

The whole thing just smacks of the usual Christian fear and ignorance.

I'll stick with my Ashtanga, thanks. Or as she'd put it "hot sweaty jesus yoga"

[Sojiita]

Well I guess if they are not practising the whole thing then it is not yoga, it is just yoga-like. As long as they get some benefit from it who cares? They need to come up with a new name though for what it is they are doing though. Christoga? Jeyoga? Jesoga? Yogesus? YoGod?

[Grimmlok]

Yoganesque?

[Lobelia]

Dang, yoga is complicated.

I like the Scientology version of Tae Bo, myself.

[pacific breeze]

Yoga celebrates the union of body, mind and spirit. Christianity is a religion of duality, which necessitates a split among the three. That would be a bit of a problem for me. Plus, I've done a lot of different kinds of yoga and chanting is very rare, so I don't have a clue what this woman is talking about. Chanting is more of a meditation practice than a yoga practice.

I don't really care what people chant while they're doing it -- although I don't see why they would as it is highly unusual -- but I see this woman's "issue" as yet another fundie attack on anything that isn't sanctioned by a bunch of self-righteous, intolerant "Christians."

[Delphinium]

Oh come on! Some of you are just as bigoted and biased as the "fundies" you love to hate! We all have freedom of conscience and religion. This woman has every right to alter the practice of yoga to obtain the health benefits minus the religion. SO WHAT?! She isn't hurting anyone, she is making it possible for people to work towards better health without violating their belief systems. There is NOTHING wrong with that! Some of the folks on this board are so wrapped up in their hatred of Christians and Republicans it is ridiculous! The hate-filled, knee-jerk responses are EXACTLY what you criticize others for. The pot is calling the kettle black it appears to me.

And BTW, she doesn't represent all of Christianity. I personally wouldn't practice yoga or any form of it because it IS based in Hinduism, try a good old-fashioned walk while listening to praise and worship music, or pray, or walk and meditate upon the Word of God. Good enough for me.

[pacific breeze]

^^I wondered how long it would take for one of you to come out of the woodwork. Chanting is NOT a part of yoga, so this woman's "problem" is bullshit from the beginning. And you wonder why I question her motives?

[NawdleZouss]

Yes, the woman is completely within her right to butcher any tradition she chooses, for whichever reason she chooses. But we're also within our right to call out her bullshit. And I fail to see how any of the responses were "hate-filled" or "knee-jerk".

[Grimmlok]

Oh come on! Some of you are just as bigoted and biased as the "fundies" you love to hate! We all have freedom of conscience and religion.

It's not a question of freedom of religion. She's saying things that are patently false and completely ignorant.

This woman has every right to alter the practice of yoga to obtain the health benefits minus the religion. SO WHAT?!

Yoga has NOTHING TO DO WITH RELIGION AT ALL. Yoga doesn't ask you to pray to Vishnu or Ganesh, or anything of the sort. The chanting has nothing to do with religion either.

She isn't hurting anyone, she is making it possible for people to work towards better health without violating their belief systems.

Except that she's an idiot who is confusing culture with religion.

There is NOTHING wrong with that!

... unless you're an idiot like I just described above.

Some of the folks on this board are so wrapped up in their hatred of Christians and Republicans it is ridiculous!

Hmmm let's see. Being repulsed by what a majority of the religious crazies (of any sort thankyouverymuch) do on a daily basis is not hatred. It's repugnance. We find such bigotry, stupidity and narrowmindedness abhorrent and this woman is YET AGAIN another example of it. You, on the other hand, are the usual representation of their defenders, rushing in to proclaim victimhood without even being knowledgeable of the subject.

The hate-filled, knee-jerk responses are EXACTLY what you criticize others for. The pot is calling the kettle black it appears to me.

Actually, we don't usually say anything until the fundies do something crazy, bigoted or harmful. That isn't knee jerk. That's cause/effect. Then we proceed to detail exactly HOW they're being terrible. That isn't knee jerk, that's dissection.

And BTW, she doesn't represent all of Christianity. I personally wouldn't practice yoga or any form of it because it IS based in Hinduism, try a good old-fashioned walk while listening to praise and worship music, or pray, or walk and meditate upon the Word of God. Good enough for me.

It's not based in the Hindu religion. It's based on the practice of self awareness, not praying to any deity. Again, just like that twit above, you're confusing religion with culture.

Ignorance rules in the Christian lifestyle it seems.

p.s. Anybody who supports the Republican party (that itself supports racist, bigoted and anti-semite organizations, I have a list) after all they've done and all the horror they've caused is just as guilty in my book of the same atrocities.

Hitler had his brownshirts, the GOP has nutjob christians.

[Delphinium]

^^ again, spewing foul language, hate-filled propoganda. And this makes you different from what you claim to oppose how? It seems you are merely the other side of the coin.

[UndercoverGator]

The act of 'centering down' and becoming 'one' isn't found just in Eastern practice. It's also an Xian practice used by the likes of some of the saints, the ones such as St. Theresa of Avila and the Desert Mystics.

I find all the chanting in traditional yoga to be distracting from the goal of centering oneself even if you're not trying to focus one Jesus. The inward stilling is a practiced art and giving voice to anything IMHO doesn't help me achieve that.

Yeah, it's quite interesting that many of you that claim to be tolerant and scream from the rooftops that you'll not stand for being repressed by others are so willing to repress others in the exact same fashion. Hope that works out for you.

[Grimmlok]

Originally Posted by JungleMonkey

^^ again, spewing foul language, hate-filled propoganda. And this makes you different from what you claim to oppose how? It seems you are merely the other side of the coin.

Foul language? Where?

Hate filled propaganda? Really?

Pat Robertson, American Family Association, REAL Women of America, many many more. Such people and organizations are roundly supported by the GOP rank and file. Educate yourself before whipping yourself into a frenzy.

That's another GOP tactic: If ignorant and unwilling to educate yourself or have facts to back your emotionalism up, merely point fingers and accuse.

I saw that coming a mile away.

Yeah, it's quite interesting that many of you that claim to be tolerant and scream from the rooftops that you'll not stand for being repressed by others are so willing to repress others in the exact same fashion. Hope that works out for you.

Nobody is oppressing anybody. How are we oppressing her? SHe's just saying things that are completely false and ignorant. Period. She's free to practice her Jesus yoga all she likes, but seriously: she's an idiot who can't tell religion from culture. That's not our fault, it's hers.

[Lobelia]

Christian lifestyle

Oh, crap, you said the "L" word.