Don't Practice Yoga
Posted: Thursday, September 24, 2009
by Drunken Mystic
http://drunkenmystic.wordpress.com
Don't practice yoga. You shouldn't practice yoga because it is Hinduism, and it is an outdated practice. Yoga is harmful to the mind and it can lead to hallucinations and unwanted experiences which may lead you further away from the ethics of your religion. Yoga is a prayer to Hindu Gods and thus must not be practised by Christians and Muslims. Yoga is something totally dangerous, and can lead to various psychological reactions and can completely throw the practitioner out of balance.
There are many controversies surrounding the practice of yoga. Many self-professed Gurus are there who proclaim to know everything, and they go about teaching nonsense, while the true Gurus who have authentic knowledge, get tarnished with the rest. It's the same with all religions. There are true Catholics and Protestants, also Islamists and Buddhists, along with Hindus who respect other faiths, and also believe that every religion is important and all religions lead to the One and only - the Absolute.
Now, I would like to go in the meaning of religion. As far as I know, the word religion is derived from the Greek phrase Re ligare, which means to bind or to reconnect. If yoga is religion, and helps you reconnect with the lost Self, certainly I guess its dangerous for many people. No....no. You should not practice it. As the article stated above, if yoga is a prayer to the Hindu Gods, I am sorry, I have been practicing yoga for 8 years, and I haven't worshipped any Hindu God in particular while practicing Yoga. I have been reading many books on spiritualism and philosophies, but I am not sure, if a practice like yoga which talks about devotion and honesty and cleanliness and non-stealing, which are necessary prior to practicing the yogic postures could be stated as an outdated practice.
Could we talk about all religious scriptures in the same manner as what various faiths and cults involve in finger pointing at each other and try showing the others small, while they are trying to be big? What is dangerous and what is not dangerous? Who can tell us that? Thats a big question mark. Misinterpretation of religious scriptures and blind following of any faith is the most dangerous fact we are facing today, which is leading to more and more religious wars.
I am really sorry to point these things out, but none of it is true. As a non-biased, liberal and spiritual person, I have read about all religions, and have learned to respect every faith.
I further read somewhere, The movements and gestures are actually the worship gestures to Hindu gods . This is absolutely something totally, a frivolous conclusion, with complete lack of evidence. First and foremost, yoga is started with the Sun Salutation. The Sun Salutation is a practice derived by ancient yogis of India based on certain experimentations and research which they carried out, in which, the different postures are nothing but forms and shapes of different animals and also different forms of nature. In the Sun Salutation, we have certain ways of stretching our bodies, which is very similar to dogs and other animals. For example, the dog stretches its body with its head facing upwards and the whole body inclining forwards in a downward angle, and once, it stretches with its head facing the ground, with its hind legs stretching backwards. Similarly, we have the same posture, in the Sun Salutation, where we once stretch ourselves once forward with our body bending forward and head facing upwards to the sky, and then bending back again, forming the posture of a mountain. Now, this is in no way, a prayer to Hindu Gods. When Hindus pray, they only pray, they don't do yoga. Even, the style of prayer is scientific and holistic. When Hindus, hold both palms together as a salutation, called Pranamasana (bowing pose), the two thumbs are directly in front of the sternum, elbows straight to the sides, with head straight. If you stand in this posture for long with eyes closed and concentrate only on your breath, you will realise a sense of tranquillity setting in your mind, a peace in the heart within a few minutes. It helps you concentrate better.
Kurmasana, known as the tortoise pose is also a posture where one has to sit on the floor and spread their legs out wide in opposite directions and place their hands under the legs, on their respective sides, and bend with the face forward touching the floor, and try making the body completely flat, just like a tortoise. There is no doubt rising over here, if this posture is a prayer to a Hindu God. Certainly not, its just a posture practiced for certain benefits for the glands and organs which will feel the pressure of the forward bending, and also the stretching of the spine.
Further on, the article mentioned," This friend is a Holy Spirit filled tongue speaking, Charismatic Catholic who carries out different mission works. She has daily close communion with God. She said she clearly sensed that Holy Spirit prevented her to do certain movements. In her prayers she realized there was evil force behind yoga, and the Holy Spirit asked her to stop. So she quitted yoga ".This statement is totally horrendous and baseless. There are millions of people practising yoga around the world, so should we say that the evil spirit is forcing mankind into something dangerous? Yoga is a holistic practice for good health of the body, mind and soul. It integrates all three. The word yoga itself means union, to integrate. In fact, yoga is to unite oneself with the Holy Spirit.
There is enough scientific evidence to prove that yoga balances the hormonal secretions in the body and also regulates the metabolism, improves blood circulation, increases concentration and also calms the mind. The power of yoga is such it can even force people to get rid of addictions. I have known people who smoked a minimum of 5 cigarettes a day and sometimes even up to 15, also smoked joints. Today, after years of practice, they have completely quit the addiction. The science of yoga is vast, and if you venture into one section of this ancient science, it will open up new possibilities and also new branches which we haven't been aware have already been there and haven't looked into them.
I agree, when we do the Sun Salutation practice, there are mantras involved for each posture. But mantras are also scientific and there is nothing evil or bewitching about them. A mantra is a sacred syllable in Sanskrit, discovered by the ancient seers of India , for certain benefits. The benefits are for the body, mind and soul. When a mantra is spoken or chanted a number of times, it creates energy around one self. The vibration of each syllable resonates with different nerve centres of the body. Especially, it works on the spinal cord, right from the base of the spine to the cerebrum activating the different nerve plexus. In short, the mantra combined with the Sun Salutation which involves stretching and bending the body in various movements synchronizing with inhalation and exhalation simultaneously, not just activates different nerve centres but also, removes blockages in the veins, and enhances better blood circulation to the heart, and also, burns excess calories and removes, toxins through sweating.
I am sure there are enough articles on yoga, and yoga has gained enough popularity around the world today and many people have benefited from it and still continue to do so. By doing various breath control techniques even I have sensed enough relief from nasal blockage. Students of my master have been cured from Cancer. There is no need to mention, as there are so many therapy centres round the globe which are providing good cure to various ailments. If yoga is a practice which could create clarity of the mind, and cure illnesses, oh my God, these experiences could really damage you all the more. Maybe, it may force you to throw away all the pills prescribed by your doctor.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)Thanks for the info. I really never thought about it. I do have some friends that do it. So far they say, "It keeps them from being stiff."You are welcome. It's not just about being stiff, it's a lot more. :-)
Yeah, you got my interest with your title! I have been looking for a yoga DVD because of all the stretching. So far, all I have found is yoga for pregnancy. I am in my 50s so not going there! I haven't looked online yet and really haven't looked that hard to find one.You can try this book, "Asana, Pranayama, Mudra and Bandha" - by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. It's very good for people from all ages. It's also very therapeutic. It is available on Amazon. There is one Yoga DVD by Bollywood Actress Shilpa Shetty also. I heard it's good. Even DVDs by Yogi Baba Ramdev is good. There are many options.
That's crap - Hatha Yoga is more for stretching and of discipline. I may tend to agree in other forms of Yoga besides this type.
Wow !! Now that's a really good article over the hotly debated upon topic of yoga.Indeed yoga does involve "mantra-uucharan" and it is equally important to do it in sync rather than just do it as a set of mechanical exercises for weight loss or whatever other reason a person is engaging into yoga.Thanks for the response. I agree about the mantra and it is scientific.
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