tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post3880887761953299723..comments2024-03-29T00:04:32.434-05:00Comments on Althouse: "Many people do not realize that yoga... is intended to be more than a series of exercises coupled with deliberative breathing and meditation."Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-54122355145630034292017-04-17T09:33:50.994-05:002017-04-17T09:33:50.994-05:00All successful cultures take what's useful to ...All successful cultures take what's useful to them from surrounding cultures, and (of course) then adapt what's been taken to suit themselves. <br /><br />This always seemed unremarkable and obvious, yet now it's to be forbidden?<br /><br />Yes, so, Americans took a Hindu practice and turned into a method of exercise and (sometimes) meditation.<br /><br />And not only that, but, didn't Christians steal/modify/adapt/appropriate assorted Pagan Spring Rites into their very most important religious holiday?<br /><br />And what is Yoga without breath control? How do those with such exquisite sensitivities even survive, aren't they at least a little bit afraid they may be appropriating some other culture's sacred practices <i>just by breathing</i>?<br />Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16099940931064117337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-66275420720025362912017-04-16T08:50:15.789-05:002017-04-16T08:50:15.789-05:00My sister wrote that Quayle quotation. My sister wrote that Quayle quotation. Alcibiadeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14423547067133975294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-3615460258224167572017-04-16T05:07:03.253-05:002017-04-16T05:07:03.253-05:00My understanding is that many Japanese have Christ...My understanding is that many Japanese have Christian (or Christian-inspired) weddings, although they are not Christian. Christians don't complain about this cultural appropriation, because we are not insecure and constantly seeking imaginary grievances the way Prof. Althouse and her friends are.seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00843345930627586208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-26573570873493468412017-04-15T22:44:36.225-05:002017-04-15T22:44:36.225-05:00Yoga derives, in Sanskrit, from yuj, the act of un...Yoga derives, in Sanskrit, from yuj, the act of union, as in the union of the body, spirit, and existence. The techniques are mental and physical. There are many sources of the techniques and most of them seem to originate from the South Asia. They are universal and really have little to do with gods, goddesses, or theology.<br /><br />The traditional source of yoga is ascribed to the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali whose dates range from the fifth century BCE to the fifth century CE (probably closer to the latter than the former). There is very little about deities in the sutras although the good father may be upset that the text ascribes Unity as the ultimate reality instead of a Trinity.<br /><br />What is interesting is that Muslim scholars began to incorporate the technology of the Yoga Sutras into their various philosophical explorations about the tenth to eleventh centuries. For example, Al-Biruni (973-c.1050) translated the Yoga Sutras into Arabic after living in India for about 16 years publishing them in Europe towards the end of his life. http://www.jstor.org/stable/611180?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents<br /><br />It is interesting to note that Moses Maimonides, the Jewish medieval polyglot and the author of The Guide Of The Perplexed, appears to have read Al Biruni (or Muslim philosophers he read who had read Al Biruni) since there are several places in this largely mystical work that are virtual quotes from the Yoga Sutras.<br /><br />Let's get real here. Does the good father use Roman numerals or the ones appropriated by Arab traders from South Asia? How about Zero? Another innovation from South Asia.<br /><br />It's a tool, yoga is. If it makes you move easier, great. If it clears the mind of stress, superb. If it brings you closer to God, what is the PROBLEM? Could it be that an individual might consider switching to another theology that better suits that person's perception of reality? <br /><br />Isn't that what all those Christians in Asia did--culturally appropriate a Western theology?<br /><br />In fact, is not cultural appropriation the very basis of the Church?<br /> Daniel Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12811235498203906479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-31840101034832358482017-04-15T19:32:07.202-05:002017-04-15T19:32:07.202-05:00cf- beautifulcf- beautifulMayBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966319657113124861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-91782204361954424002017-04-15T17:07:37.702-05:002017-04-15T17:07:37.702-05:00the Priest should instruct all who take the course...the Priest should instruct all who take the course to begin by imaging a brilliant shining cross high above and in front of them, protecting all that they do, and call on Christ that nothing that does not belong to Him will enter into their practice of yoga. And then do the yoga.<br /><br />Yoga Is a practice for the soul indeed, but it is indigenously generous and open, and the activation it generates can inform a Christian's mindfulness as well as anyones.<br /><br />My Presbyterian lady friends allowed me to experiment on them at one of our retreats. I led them in a morning "body/mind/spirit praying" that was mostly gentle breathing and stretching poses that they understood came from the yoga traditions. We observed and practiced quietly with our own praises and prayer that sprung from the movements themselves. It was quite fine. they found it fruitful and was indeed an enhancement for their morning practice. ( But I did begin by instructing them to visualize their own image of Their Lord's protection over them, so they could be at ease and fearless in the experiment. )<br /><br />Brain science shows how profound prayer can be molecularly and how profound yoga can be in its dynamic ways. I use yoga to inform all of my understanding. My relationship to Most High through Presbyterian practice is enhanced by the yoga amplification of incorporating ones body into one's prayer practice. it's kind of a big long term theme of mine.<br /><br />[Grateful to testify & witness this glorious moment, may catholics thrive, may yogis thrive, may all thrive in perfect prosperous peace.]cfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09880192772762600202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-75351473263552945412017-04-15T15:57:45.591-05:002017-04-15T15:57:45.591-05:00Roughcoat- to each his own indeed. My husband get...Roughcoat- to each his own indeed. My husband gets it from cycling. Some people get it from knitting.MayBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966319657113124861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-24765422877893360412017-04-15T14:55:40.206-05:002017-04-15T14:55:40.206-05:00When I lived in Boulder Colorado in the 70s doing ...When I lived in Boulder Colorado in the 70s doing yoga and meditation and affecting a serene meditative demeanor (sporting enigmatic Buddha smiles) was very much the thing to do. Contact sports were to be eschewed and God forbid that you found out to be a weightlifter. I tried and tried to be a good Boulder yoga serene meditation guy with an enigmatic smile but I just couldn't cut it. I lift weights and I like roughhousing. So sue me, Boulder groovy people.<br /><br />Finally after 18 years I moved back to sweet home Chicago. Never looked back. Roughcoathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12669030540648967376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-55482680402875271012017-04-15T14:47:11.273-05:002017-04-15T14:47:11.273-05:00MayBee:
I like weight training for the same reaso...MayBee:<br /><br />I like weight training for the same reason. Lifting weights does for me what yoga was supposed to do but never did. I'll lay odds that there's some sort of neuro-chemical reward involved.<br /><br />Oh, well, to each his own.Roughcoathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12669030540648967376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-38421162247404281392017-04-15T14:17:45.861-05:002017-04-15T14:17:45.861-05:00Roughcoat- that's why I like a really strong, ...Roughcoat- that's why I like a really strong, physical yoga practice. It gets me too challenged to try to think anymore.MayBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966319657113124861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-69423182437869962742017-04-15T13:58:46.793-05:002017-04-15T13:58:46.793-05:00I long ago gave up on trying to get my mind into a...I long ago gave up on trying to get my mind into a meditative state, on trying to focus my thoughts. I just can't do it. My mind is a monkey.Roughcoathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12669030540648967376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-76506937971680298872017-04-15T13:57:43.507-05:002017-04-15T13:57:43.507-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Roughcoathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12669030540648967376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-57697541984980137892017-04-15T13:41:38.877-05:002017-04-15T13:41:38.877-05:00Many of the postures used in the physical practice...Many of the postures used in the physical practice of yoga were inspired by the British soldiers who had come into India Look at a Sun Salutation A, and you'll see a slow motion Burpee.<br /><br />The more ancient part got a lot right, just from years and years and years of internal observation as people sat quietly with their breath. Now we can do brain and body scans to see just how good for us it is to peacefully focus our minds either while meditating, doing yoga (really just challenging your body as you challenge yourself to focus on your breath rather than your posture), or being more buddhist and raking or doing something artistic.<br /><br />It's really good for you. But it's only religious if you believe it's religious. Just like singing doesn't make you a Franciscan monk. Put any thought you want in your head, and practice away.MayBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966319657113124861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-54055208320182284032017-04-15T13:32:26.758-05:002017-04-15T13:32:26.758-05:00What if nonChristians wanted to use some of the ma...<i>What if nonChristians wanted to use some of the mannerisms of communion in serving wine and bread? </i><br /><br />Yeah. What if?MayBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966319657113124861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-38299070789347680562017-04-15T13:23:43.990-05:002017-04-15T13:23:43.990-05:00Well, this is how some of us Jews feel about White...Well, this is how some of us Jews feel about White House Seders. Obama's or Trump's.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13118686862009698916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-87385248914486721652017-04-15T13:10:49.355-05:002017-04-15T13:10:49.355-05:00Modern yoga, i.e. the yoga Westerners practice, wa...Modern yoga, i.e. the yoga Westerners practice, was invented by Prussian bodybuilder Eugen Sandow (1867-1925). It was connected only tangentially to Hindu religion and spiritualism. See this fascinating article:<br /><br />http://forums.ssrc.org/ndsp/2013/10/16/is-yoga-not-even-a-hundred-years-old/<br /><br />Roughcoathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12669030540648967376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-66237562343585704482017-04-15T12:49:40.183-05:002017-04-15T12:49:40.183-05:00"'But the OED has it, dating back to 1915..."'But the OED has it, dating back to 1915.' "ngram has it back to 1804.'"<br /><br />Well, you can't take that at face value!<br /><br />I found the 1804 book and the word is in a foreword that was written in 1930 or something. It's not in the 1804 part of the book. I'm not going to check everything out that went into that ngram, but ngram can only be the start of your research. I think the OED has some methods that go quite beyond searching with a computer. Ann Althousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-26762664547374323392017-04-15T12:36:57.039-05:002017-04-15T12:36:57.039-05:00The people who complain of Cultural Appropriation ...The people who complain of Cultural Appropriation are just worried that we will do whatever it is we appropriate better than they can. tcrossehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13861315905142017219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-63540959101215409492017-04-15T11:44:17.071-05:002017-04-15T11:44:17.071-05:00The origin of yoga is heavily Christian. https://...The origin of yoga is heavily Christian. https://uddari.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/the-real-roots-of-yoga-by-wendy-doniger/urpowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12843542966139343474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1169668669331103662017-04-15T11:23:06.652-05:002017-04-15T11:23:06.652-05:00It is for these reasons that Catholics are alerted...<i>It is for these reasons that Catholics are alerted to the dangers of the practice of yoga</i><br /><br />Far better, then, to switch over to the aerobics routines contained within St Ignatius Loyola's <i>Spiritual Exercises.</i><br /><br />And, no matter what you hear, <i>Bench Presses for Jesus</i> is <b>not</b> accepted as a canonical work by Luis de Molina.YoungHegelianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02723316130501823658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-60858282231270894712017-04-15T11:20:24.948-05:002017-04-15T11:20:24.948-05:00Unclean spirits, unclean sports...it's all goo...Unclean spirits, unclean sports...it's all good, trad-guy. ;-)<br />mockturtlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10507310332014103437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-38619669403175396392017-04-15T11:14:19.403-05:002017-04-15T11:14:19.403-05:00The danger zone warned about in Catholic religion ...The danger zone warned about in Catholic religion is breathing in unclean spirits. If unclean spirits do not exist, then all is safe.traditionalguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-24949011689091823722017-04-15T11:13:22.689-05:002017-04-15T11:13:22.689-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.traditionalguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-40134947891420405872017-04-15T11:06:03.863-05:002017-04-15T11:06:03.863-05:00Calling the normal traffic of ideas through the gl...Calling the normal traffic of ideas through the globe "Cultural Appropriation" is just another way the left tries to control thought and throw up barriers between people.Raehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07078486325705406943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-18201110691510301122017-04-15T11:02:35.090-05:002017-04-15T11:02:35.090-05:00I think the Apostle Paul covers this in one of his...I think the Apostle Paul covers this in one of his epistles where he writes that it's okay to eat food dedicated to foreign idols, just think twice if it causes your brother to sin. It seems to me practicing yoga for flexibility falls under this category. Boxtyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04371034064849356356noreply@blogger.com