Your thoughts on Yoga

[✡ Hindu Zionist ॐ]

This question has been on my mind since a long time.

What is your opinion about Yoga. Some westerns claim that Yoga is used by Hindus to missionize Non-Hindus. Some others feel if they practice Yoga they become Hindu.

According to me it just a combination of Breathing and Stretching exercises and nothing to do with Hindu belief apart from the fact that it originated in India.

One of the foremost Yoga Master and a Religious Guru of India. Ramdev Baba has announced that Yoga can be practised by anyone as long as its beneficial by people of any belief.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/if-not-om-then-allah-god-will-also-do-for-ramdevs-yoga/381513/

[Lisa]

I don't think yoga is being used to missionize to non-Hindus at all.  It's just another form of exercise.

But with that being said, I don't care for any of the yoga DVD's I've ever tried.  The teachers all assume that everyone is as flexible as they are.  They never show any modifications for people who are less flexible.  (It's the same thing with Pilates.  I can't for the life of me do a roll-up without lifting my feet.) 

[✡ Hindu Zionist ॐ]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts,Yes it is difficult specially if you are trying to learn in using DVD's..
I dont know much Yoga and never really tried to learn it. I learnt Reiki but its from the Orient.

[q_q_]

A problem is that meditations involve hindu gods or something.. For jews to meditate over these things is not allowed.

most jews if they did yoga would not know that Om is some deity of some sort.

they could perhaps make it kosher by changing the meditation, as that link suggests.

your link said..
"
Dehradun, November 4: In a bid to popularise yoga among people other than Hindus, Baba Ramdev has said one can initiate the exercise without pronouncing the word ‘Om’ and can substitute it with ‘Allah’ or ‘God’. Ramdev’s Haridwar-based Patanjali Yogapeeth has asked its Christian and Muslim followers to begin yoga with a prolonged utterance of Allah or God.
"

There are jewish meditations.. the main thing is the focus is to G-d and not to other deities.

[✡ Hindu Zionist ॐ]

^^ so if a Jew focuses on God while practicing Yogic meditation, then it would be fine?

[q_q_]

^^ so if a Jew focuses on G-d while practicing Yogic meditation, then it would be fine?

it's ok.

it's better to be serving G-d.   I wouldn't necessarily call meditating over G-d in a yogic manner  as serving G-d, but then neither is going to a football match. I suppose it's legally ok.. But if you are really really devoted then you wouldn't go to a football match or do kosher yoga.  Some religious jews refuse to have a television, and some refuse to have the internet, this goes beyond the law though.  So yeah, it's OK.

aside from that, jews that are very into mysticism might take issue with certain chakra points..  They probably wouldn't touch yoga anyway though.. They'd look at jewish meditation.   I know of 2 books, well, 3, books on it.. 2 by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan(should be quite reliable), and one by Gil Locks(former guru!).

Gil Locks has a view of G-d that is very kabbalistic. Don't worry about those audios..

But these 2 audios may be of interest to you. They are entertaining. He did 2 interviews on A7 radio.
He is a Jew  - born jewish  - but secular upbringing, he went to india, was a guru type there, came to america, in guru character.. Then returned to judaism.

It's an entertaining and funny story Anybody would like it.

I heard the interviews on A7 at the time.. I guess these 2 links work.


http://www.thereisone.com/audio/isr10.17.06.wax
 

[Rubystars]

I wouldn't want to do it because nobody knows exactly what the poses mean. I don't want to send an unintended message to the spirit world.

A problem is that meditations involve hindu gods or something.. For jews to meditate over these things is not allowed.

It's not allowed for Christians either.

[Daleksfearme]

Yoga is simply an exercise program. You are allowed to use any visualization that you wish, so long as you feel a personal spiritual connection to that image

OM is not related to a G-d image, It is a mantra that is designed to send energy to the Heart Center (as per a Buddhist monk

[Rubystars]

Yoga is simply an exercise program. You are allowed to use any visualization that you wish, so long as you feel a personal spiritual connection to that image

OM is not related to a G-d image, It is a mantra that is designed to send energy to the Heart Center (as per a Buddhist monk

Some of the new age type people say that OM is a contraction for God's name and they use it that way to say that they are god. I know it probably doesn't mean that in India but that's how some of the new age people in America use it. They steal a little bit from every religion and warp it.

[✡ Hindu Zionist ॐ]

Interesting points there q_q_ and Rubystars..

As the Yoga Master himself said, the world "Om" can be substituted with "G-d" while practising Yoga
Meanwhile Islamic Malayasia has banned Yoga from their country saying it is Haram, and i think most Muslim countries are looking to do that..

[AussieJTFer]

Yoga has helped me overcome various sports injuries, it is awesome.

[muman613]

<HUMOR>
Yoga is awesome with the light sabre!


</HUMOR>

[New Yorker]

Oh please lighten up! It's just excercise. Next we'll be discussing whether or not weight lifting and aerobics is permitted due some obscure interpretation of religious law.

[muman613]

Oh please lighten up! It's just excercise. Next we'll be discussing whether or not weight lifting and aerobics is permitted due some obscure interpretation of religious law.

It is important for a Jew to not engage in activities which involve idol worship, sexual immodesty, and blood shedding. Also a Jew should not engage in activities a non-Jew engages in. These are not obscure interpretation of religious law, this is the definition of being a Jew. A Jew who acts like a non-Jew is just like a non-Jew.

[Americanhero1]

Oh please lighten up! It's just excercise. Next we'll be discussing whether or not weight lifting and aerobics is permitted due some obscure interpretation of religious law.

It is important for a Jew to not engage in activities which involve idol worship, sexual immodesty, and blood shedding. Also a Jew should not engage in activities a non-Jew engages in. These are not obscure interpretation of religious law, this is the definition of being a Jew. A Jew who acts like a non-Jew is just like a non-Jew.

What in Yoga involves blood shedding?

[New Yorker]

Oh please lighten up! It's just excercise. Next we'll be discussing whether or not weight lifting and aerobics is permitted due some obscure interpretation of religious law.

It is important for a Jew to not engage in activities which involve idol worship, sexual immodesty, and blood shedding. Also a Jew should not engage in activities a non-Jew engages in. These are not obscure interpretation of religious law, this is the definition of being a Jew. A Jew who acts like a non-Jew is just like a non-Jew.

Well, there's acting like a Jew, and then there's obsessive compulisive disorder, one should know when they're crossing that line. 

[Rubystars]

Interesting points there q_q_ and Rubystars..

As the Yoga Master himself said, the world "Om" can be substituted with "G-d" while practising Yoga
Meanwhile Islamic Malayasia has banned Yoga from their country saying it is Haram, and i think most Muslim countries are looking to do that..

My main concern is that it could be the positions themselves that send a message, like whole-body sign language to the spirit world. Obviously whatever gd or G-d that is focused on, the exercises themself seem very spiritual in nature.

[muman613]

Oh please lighten up! It's just excercise. Next we'll be discussing whether or not weight lifting and aerobics is permitted due some obscure interpretation of religious law.

It is important for a Jew to not engage in activities which involve idol worship, sexual immodesty, and blood shedding. Also a Jew should not engage in activities a non-Jew engages in. These are not obscure interpretation of religious law, this is the definition of being a Jew. A Jew who acts like a non-Jew is just like a non-Jew.

What in Yoga involves blood shedding?

I was not saying that Yogo in itself involves all three sins but it seems to involve at least 2 of them...

[q_q_]

Oh please lighten up! It's just excercise. Next we'll be discussing whether or not weight lifting and aerobics is permitted due some obscure interpretation of religious law.

It is important for a Jew to not engage in activities which involve idol worship, sexual immodesty, and blood shedding. Also a Jew should not engage in activities a non-Jew engages in. These are not obscure interpretation of religious law, this is the definition of being a Jew. A Jew who acts like a non-Jew is just like a non-Jew.

What in Yoga involves blood shedding?

I was not saying that Yogo in itself involves all three sins but it seems to involve at least 2 of them...

It can be done without the idolatrous chants..

It's an activity for the body with health benefits, it involves exercise and breathing..

I don't think we would refrain from every activity that non-jews do.
Non-jews don't exercise..  Maybe you don't exercise because you think that you can't because non-jews do it.  But you'd be in better shape if you did.

There are little things, customs that non-jews do that we don't..

Jews used to put flowers on graves, non-jews started, so we stopped and put stones.

[Lisa]

Muman there are lots of activities that non Jews engage in like jogging, walking, swimming, etc.  Does that mean Jews shouldn't do those things?  I find that hard to believe.  

Also, what if you just do the yoga exercises without the meditations?  There are dvd's that just have the movements without the meditation stuff.  What's wrong with that?  

[muman613]

Muman there are lots of activities that non Jews engage in like jogging, walking, swimming, etc.  Does that mean Jews shouldn't do those things?  I find that hard to believe.  

Also, what if you just do the yoga exercises without the meditations?  There are dvd's that just have the movements without the meditation stuff.  What's wrong with that?  

It is a matter of customs of non-Jews which Jews are not supposed to emulate. This is straight from Torah:

From the book of Leviticus, Parasha Vayikra 18:3-4

3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do; and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes.
4 Mine ordinances shall ye do, and My statutes shall ye keep, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.

From : http://www.ou.org/torah/ti/5764/achareiked64.htm

"
Simply understood, the verses teach us that whenever we live among non-Jews we should be cautious not to learn their ways or adopt their values. Rashi, however, is bothered by the repetitive nature of the restricting phrases, and so he understands that God is warning Israel who are now in the desert that the Egyptians of Goshen "where you dwelt" as well as the Canaanites of Israel where "I am taking you," are the most corrupt of the nations. Thus, you must be especially careful not to be influenced by their lifestyle.
"

[~Hanna~]

Believe it or not, the Christians argue about these things, too....

Take Martial Arts, some say it's ok and others say it's a sin....

I think this comes in to where each person has to work it out between themselves and G-d....

Thats my thought, anyway....

They also argue about the yoga thing.

[zachor_ve_kavod]

When I was heavily into conducting, I had to practice yoga, as well as tai chi and ballet.  I found yoga to be by far the most helpful of the three.  Our muscles are capable of far more than we put them through and yoga is good precisely because it causes your muscles to work and extend beyond their normal range.  It's also great for people who have trouble sleeping.

[q_q_]

When I was heavily into conducting, I had to practice yoga, as well as tai chi and ballet.  I found yoga to be by far the most helpful of the three.  Our muscles are capable of far more than we put them through and yoga is good precisely because it causes your muscles to work and extend beyond their normal range.  It's also great for people who have trouble sleeping.

yeah, the thought of twisting your foot round to the back of your head can make one want to stay in bed(or under it) ;-)

[Dr. Dan]

tastes good with granola