No Yoga For You!

[weltschmerz]

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A pastor of an Assemblies of God megachurch recently took aim at yoga, saying it has "demonic roots" and warning Christians to avoid the popular activity.

Pastor John Lindell told the attendees of James River Church in Ozark, Missouri — which has a congregation of about 10,500, according to a 2016 report — that the positions in yoga were "created with demonic intent to open you up to demonic power because Hinduism is demonic."


www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/megachurch-pastor-tells-church-to-stop-going-to-yoga-because-of-its-demonic-roots/ar-BBPCPcB?li=BBnbcA1

[oped]

This is a common sentiment. As homeschoolers weoften hold co op in churches... large buildings unoccupied in the middle of the week... the only class I was ever prohibited from offering was yoga. For those stated reasons.

[andi9899]

Yoga bites anyway.

[NoNamePerson]

Nov 13, 2018 17:38:01 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Yoga bites anyway.

 you can always bite back!!

[weltschmerz]

Nov 13, 2018 17:37:29 GMT -5 oped said:

This is a common sentiment. As homeschoolers weoften hold co op in churches... large buildings unoccupied in the middle of the week... the only class I was ever prohibited from offering was yoga. For those stated reasons.

I find that really bizarre.
Yoga is just stretching.
I love yoga. Keeps me limber.

[swamp]

I hate yoga but I’d do it in a church that banned it just because I’m a bitch. Kiss my downward dog ass

[weltschmerz]

I guess Goat Yoga is really verboten, what with Baphomet and all......

[Deleted]

What the world?! I've never heard that.

I love yoga. 

[oped]

Ok so I’m not sure the demonic thing is widespread. I think it was more a pagan/heretic thing.   Just know it was verboten. 

[zibazinski]

My friend was showing her pictures of goat yoga. I laughed until she showed me the hoof marks on her back.

[thyme4change]

The whole bell / namaste / opening your aura bullshit is definitely spiritual, and certainly not promoting suburban white Jesus - so I can see how some religions see it as a anti-Christian activity.

Several churches around here did Christian yoga, where they replaced all that crap with little prayers, or something. They renamed some of the poses. Like Cresent Moon was Heart to God, or something lame like that. I never did it, because I am a heathen AND I hate yoga, so Christian yoga led by a Delta Burke style woman would be my version of hell.

[weltschmerz]

My life has become so much easier since I stopped fighting my demons.
We're all on the same side, now.

[andi9899]

Nov 13, 2018 17:59:57 GMT -5 swamp said:

I hate yoga but I’d do it in a church that banned it just because I’m a bitch. Kiss my downward dog ass

I love you.

[oped]

I can't believe you all hating on yoga. I loooove yoga  

I have been to some classes that are the spiritual style, more inner chakra focused... i call it om-y yoga and there is a place in the next town that specializes in it, to which i never go ... but most yoga is not that focused on those elements and it would be easy enough to just leave them off. 

My gym offers chair yoga, classical yoga, restorative yoga, power yoga and sport yoga... not exactly religious offerings although my classical class might do one om at the end occasionally... she might have discussed centering once? r

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Okay, I'll engage. 
Preface: I'm a Christian, was raised in a conservative Christian household, and I now consider myself a member of the Christian Left. Due to my heathen choices of divorce and being a public school teacher, I don't currently attend church. I've done yoga for over 15 years. 



Yoga as a spiritual concept does contradict Christian beliefs. The yoga concepts of complete self-actualization and mental and emotional freedoms do not mesh with Christianity's concepts of God being in control and Christians following a specific lifestyle. There are (mis?) beliefs in the Christian community that the practice of Yoga consists of worship. That worship would not be a worship of the Christian trinity and thus completely against one of the commandments. 




So, I totally do yoga. I find it incredibly beneficial to my muscles. I don't say "namaste" or any other rituals that I might have heard at some point in the rare class I've attended. Since I moved to such a rural area in 2010, there aren't even yoga classes that I can attend; I just do it at home. On Saturday, I was in Portland, Oregon. On our walk to breakfast, we passed a yoga studio. I was soooo jealous of the people who were going to Saturday morning yoga!

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Nov 13, 2018 19:28:41 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

My friend was showing her pictures of goat yoga. I laughed until she showed me the hoof marks on her back.

My DIL went to goat yoga once. The goat peed on her. I don't get this weird infatuation people have with goats. 

[NastyWoman]

Nov 13, 2018 19:31:20 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

The whole bell / namaste / opening your aura bullshit is definitely spiritual, and certainly not promoting suburban white Jesus - so I can see how some religions see it as a anti-Christian activity.

Several churches around here did Christian yoga, where they replaced all that crap with little prayers, or something. They renamed some of the poses. Like Cresent Moon was Heart to God, or something lame like that. I never did it, because I am a heathen AND I hate yoga, so Christian yoga led by a Delta Burke style woman would be my version of hell.

Not about how I interpret your post thyme4change but I just can't let the chance go by to point out that Jesus was one of those hated Arabs that we need to keep out of the country by any and all means possible. At one time (as an infant) he even was a refugee when they were killing all the first born sons in the vicinity of Bethlehem. The horror.

But by all means lets ban yoga from church buildings  

[thyme4change]

Nov 13, 2018 21:14:47 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Nov 13, 2018 19:31:20 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

The whole bell / namaste / opening your aura bullshit is definitely spiritual, and certainly not promoting suburban white Jesus - so I can see how some religions see it as a anti-Christian activity.

Several churches around here did Christian yoga, where they replaced all that crap with little prayers, or something. They renamed some of the poses. Like Cresent Moon was Heart to God, or something lame like that. I never did it, because I am a heathen AND I hate yoga, so Christian yoga led by a Delta Burke style woman would be my version of hell.

Not about how I interpret your post thyme4change but I just can't let the chance go by to point out that Jesus was one of those hated Arabs that we need to keep out of the country by any and all means possible. At one time (as an infant) he even was a refugee when they were killing all the first born sons in the vicinity of Bethlehem. The horror.

But by all means lets ban yoga from church buildings  

I know. That is why I specifically call out that so many American churches worship suburban white Jesus. The entity they worship has very little in common with the man Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul wrote about.

I heard a conservative evangelical Christian say the other day "Jesus didn't say we had to help **everyone**". Ummmm - yes he did.

[andi9899]

I don't care for yoga because I don't consider it a workout. I know lots of people do. My type of workout is intense. I like going to the gym and going balls to the walls and getting out of dodge.

[thyme4change]

Nov 13, 2018 21:34:26 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

I don't care for yoga because I don't consider it a workout. I know lots of people do. My type of workout is intense. I like going to the gym and going balls to the walls and getting out of dodge.

I agree. And 75% of my teachers have been fat and/or doughy. If it is such a great workout, why don't they look like they are in shape?

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Yeah, I don't do for calorie burning. I do it for increased flexibility and reduced muscle tightness. (Is that redundant?)

[andi9899]

My spin instructor has a dad bod. Boxing instructor has a skinny dad bod. My zumba instructor is 2% body fat and has pec bigger than my boobs. His arms are the size of my legs. None of them are plump. I don't think any of them do yoga.

[Miss Tequila]

I was raised Protestant. My fathers second wife belonged to Assembly of God. Those people are out of their fricken minds! I was only about 20’the first time I was dragged to her church. A person stood up, very animated and not quite shouting in a language I never heard before. WTF? “Speaking in tongues” was an almost weekly occurrence. Even as a kid I thought those people were either nuts or doing it for the attention

So I would take anything from a pastor of that kind of church with a grain of salt.

[Miss Tequila]

Nov 13, 2018 21:44:48 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

My spin instructor has a dad bod. Boxing instructor has a skinny dad bod. My zumba instructor is 2% body fat and has pec bigger than my boobs. His arms are the size of my legs. None of them are plump. I don't think any of them do yoga.

Isn’t a dad bod plump and flabby?

[oped]

I always try to drum up business for restorative because that isn't as highly attended and i'm always afraid they will drop it. But people don't understand that its not supposed to be 'a workout' ... its supposed to align your body.  If you zone out to the point where you almost fall asleep in position that is 'the zone' and amazing. My spine feels so good after restorative. 

[andi9899]

Nov 13, 2018 21:47:24 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

Nov 13, 2018 21:44:48 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

My spin instructor has a dad bod. Boxing instructor has a skinny dad bod. My zumba instructor is 2% body fat and has pec bigger than my boobs. His arms are the size of my legs. None of them are plump. I don't think any of them do yoga.

Isn’t a dad bod plump and flabby?

Not flabby. I define dad bod as fittish (if that's a thing) with a little fluff. Think slight pooch, not beer belly. That's my definition anyway.

[steff]

Nov 13, 2018 21:07:29 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Nov 13, 2018 19:28:41 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

My friend was showing her pictures of goat yoga. I laughed until she showed me the hoof marks on her back.

My DIL went to goat yoga once. The goat peed on her. I don't get this weird infatuation people have with goats. 

My kiddo is one of those with a weird infatuation with goats.  I don't understand it.  He's never been within 100 feet of a goat unless we were driving down the road and he pointed out goats in a field.  I plan to buy him a session of goat yoga for his birthday next year (he'll be 25).  The goat yoga place says you don't have to do the yoga,  you can just come & play with goats.  Costs $25 for 2 hours.  Cheap bday gift and he'll be thrilled, but I still don't get it or know where it came from. 

[Deleted]

Nov 13, 2018 21:34:26 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

I don't care for yoga because I don't consider it a workout. I know lots of people do. My type of workout is intense. I like going to the gym and going balls to the walls and getting out of dodge.

The first time I went to a yoga class, I was surprised to find myself perspiring. I was thinking "I'm not really moving a lot, wth". But once I thought about it, some of the simple poses are similar to body weight exercises, like planks and the chair pose. It requires a certain amount of strength to hold those poses, which is why I was perspiring I guess.

As far as the spiritual aspect of yoga, when I practiced regularly, I would start and end with a prayer and gratitude. So, I guess I was making the practice what I wanted it to be for me.

I like it because it's slow lol. I don't like aerobics or a lot of jumping around. I never considered yoga a workout though. I considered it a time to just focus on me and how my body felt if I moved this way, or in that pose. If my shoulder wasn't wonky, I'd love to get into weight lifting. No jumping around or fast pace for that either.

Some types of exercise are more beneficial than others, but considering how many Americans don't do anything that even resembles exercise, imo as long as we're moving and doing something constructive instead of sitting on our butts all day every day, we're winning.

[Deleted]

Nov 13, 2018 21:47:26 GMT -5 oped said:

I always try to drum up business for restorative because that isn't as highly attended and i'm always afraid they will drop it. But people don't understand that its not supposed to be 'a workout' ... its supposed to align your body.  If you zone out to the point where you almost fall asleep in position that is 'the zone' and amazing. My spine feels so good after restorative. 

When I was going to classes, I'd often leave feeling relaxed and full of energy at the same time. It was an odd feeling to me, but I liked it.

Even when I was practicing regularly at home, I paid a lot more attention to my posture at all times, which I'm sure isn't a bad thing. I also felt lighter on my feet. I don't know how else to describe it, but that was something different for me too.

Now I'm wanting to dig out my yoga mat.

[oped]

Have you ever done a restorative class? If not look it up and give one a try! It’s like 7 poses the whole class.. supported by props... you hold them for 5-7 minutes.and sometimes I fell like I could use 10... but as youbreath and relax muscles, align throughout...by the time it’s done, yum....