Yoga and Christianity

Yoga is compatible with Christian faith? The question may seem absurd and I do the'd never asked if I had stumbled upon a pathetic article whose author confesses having practiced yoga, but have repented of this evil practice and walk again on the steps of Christ. It is legitimate to ask why yoga has the smell of sulfur and not acupuncture is, however, largely inspired by Taoist thought and then east. I never heard anyone say: "I do not make me care from acupuncture because it is not a Christian." The idea that Westerners are yoga derives some spectacular demonstrations of yoga degenerate, they could be witnesses. Many believe that behind yoga lies a religion, or at least a philosophy more or less heretical. Exercises such as the "sun salutation" to reinforce the idea of a pagan cult.

I think it is helpful to first trace the origins of yoga. The word yoga in Sanskrit can be translated into law. Union of what? Union of body and mind, say some. Union of man and God, tell others. Yoga is therefore a religion? The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (fourth century BC. JC) are considered one of the founding texts of yoga and we did not find any reference to any religious practice. Indeed, there is no yoga, but yoga, as there is not a church of Christ, but claim that churches of Christ. It is equally absurd to compare different schools of yoga that compare for example the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church since the eleventh century has unfortunately little in common.

Some critics argue that Yoga's goal is to raise the kundalini, life force symbolized by a snake they will not hesitate to compare the tempting serpent of Genesis. I would say that the surge of energy in question is a secondary phenomenon and that those who think and reach a kind of autodéification, feel really worship their big egos. One goal of yoga is the control of energy which, left to their own devices, produce animal demonstrations, mostly sexual. The Catholic Church has proposed to make the believer a purely spiritual, the price of repression of his "instincts", but experience shows that when one presses on one side, it overflows with each other and that the volcano is still lurks. The stories of priests pedophiles or homosexuals we demonstrate the difficulty in freeing themselves of desires of the flesh. I think in this area, yoga provides an interesting answer, for he who has control of his body has control of her sexuality and desires.

For Catholics, the ascetic dimension has virtually disappeared. For the Orthodox, myself included, fasting and abstinence during periods of fasting is still practiced diligently. For cons, the asceticism of the body is foreign to them and there are only a few Orthodox monasteries that practice continues. What may be surprising is that the orthodox literature abounds but references to the practice of the prayer of the heart, as in Tales of a Russian pilgrim. "House sat in silence and solitude, head tilted, eyes closed, breathing softly, looking out the imagination within your heart, your mind together, that is your mind, your head into your heart. Say on the breath: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me", whispered, or simply in spirit. Strive to hunt you all thought, be patient and repeat this exercise often. "

What relationship with yoga? Yoga differs from all other sports equipment by the fact that the senses turn inward. Unlike sports where consciousness turns to the outside world, hence the notion of competition, performance time and distance, yoga turns to the inner world. From this point of view, prayer is a heart of yoga in every sense of the term. Turning his consciousness inward, ascetic allows prayer to come down and make his body the temple of God. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? "(Corinthians 3:16).

I conclude with a quotation from A. Van Lysebeth, one of our most famous yogis in Europe: "Hatha Yoga can be practiced successfully by everyone, believer or atheist, because it is not a religion and its practice requires nor assumes the membership any particular philosophy, no church or creed whatsoever. It can be viewed as a psychosomatic discipline unique, with unsurpassed efficiency. . I would add that yoga is a tool of the man and his practice will be colored by our faith. The atheist certainly does explore the psychosomatic aspect, but at least remove health. Christians prepare his body to prayer and to be the receptacle of God's grace. Turn the senses inward, it also descend into the inferno of his passions and allow the grace of God to illuminate the darkest parts of our being. St. Anthony is tormented by demons. This is St. George slaying the dragon. This kind of exercise is dangerous and is only accessible to those who have abandoned their lives in the hands of the Lord.