Christians fight yoga in public schools

[I. C. Unicorns]

Nobody is familiar with this?

http://praisemoves.com/

[Toto]

[quote=""I. C. Unicorns""]Nobody is familiar with this?

http://praisemoves.com/[/quote]

It's marketing fitness to Christians, with the emphasis on marketing.

They comment on this case here.

[Random Person]

It poses an interesting question. Who decides if your religious beliefs (or lack of) are being disrespected?

[hylidae]

[quote=""Toto""]It is funded by a grant from a rich student of yoga, who is baffled by the opposition.

I started doing Iyengar yoga at a YMCA. This version of yoga had been introduced in the public schools in Britain, and Iyengar had stripped all the Hindu elements out of it to make it acceptable to the British. The YMCA taught a similarly secularized form of yoga - we didn't chant "om".

I later learned two things: in India, Iyengar's classes started with singing a hymn to Patanjali, a mythical half human, half snake figure who was supposed to have founded yoga - and - the sort of yoga that modern Indians and Americans do has no roots in Indian or Hindu tradition. It is based on Victorian gymnastics more than anything else.

So I am sure that yoga can be religious, but does not have to be, and usually is not.

(Ashtanga yoga was developed by a fellow student of Iyengar.)[/quote]
Most of our Western styles of yoga are not at all religious or even a bit mystic. You have to venture into more arcane (or once arcane) tantric methods to still see that vein of teachings of chakras and whatnot.

Christians in America are taught this idea that yoga is evil indoctrination by the same methods they are taught every other insane belief they put forth. My sister, a missionary and minister, suffers from high BP and other ailments, many of which we in the West already know can be helped by supplemental treatments such as breathing exercises and non-ideological meditation/stress relief techniques. My sister wouldn't even hear me on a simple BP breathing exercise that is now offered by mainstream medicine in America. She's happy to down all kinds of pills and happy to cling to her anger and anxiety, but no to a breathing exercise because it might also be taught in yoga classes.

Such is the power of myth in the heads of people fearful of looking honestly at their own first hand experience of just being human, and distrusting of themselves to not be complete blathering idiots in need of protection from ideas not approved by the ideology lest some incorrect (read:Satanic) thoughts sneak their way in.

When I first heard of public school children being taught yoga exercises, I knew this would be the response. I should have put money on it. We are now going to hear who knows how many years of zealous litany about the "dangers" of yoga. Let the lies, fear, and self righteous anger commence!

[aupmanyav]

[quote=""Bullmoose Too""]maybe somebody here can answer this question; is yoga religious?[/quote]Depends on the teacher. It can be completely secular. But personally, I do not like the (postures) asanas, too much contortions. I will prefer a whole-body exerciser and a treadmill. The best benefit is from breath exercise - Pranayam.

[john_v_h]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned that Encinitas, California, is the home of Self-Realization Fellowship, founded in 1920. It's an active church practicing meditation and yoga among other Eastern religious arts. The grant to the public schools came from Jois Studio, which was founded by a yogi who taught frequently in Encinitas. So there is a longterm religious connection in this town and citizens are wise to be vigilant about undue influence in the schools.

[Toto]

The Self Realization Fellowship has a branch in Encinitas, but is not headquartered there (Its headquarters are in Los Angeles). It has little to do with Pattabis Jois in any case. SRF teaches meditation and spiritual living, but not to my knowledge postures (unless they have branched out.)

[ficino]

My parents belonged to it for decades. This is a bit of a derail, and this board is almost shut down now, but does anyone know whether Yogananda's body was really immune to decay for about a month, as the group claims the LA coroner attested?

[Montgomery Scott]

If yoga could train church people to lick their own genitalia, there would not be a word giants it except for maybe the Westboro Baptist Church.