A Sadhu or holy man performs yoga on the banks of river Ganges in India’s Allahabad on June 25, 2008ne 25, 2008
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
Izbrano poglavje ne obstaja!

WP-Bible plugin. Sadhus are dedicated to achieving Nirvana (liberation) through meditation and prayers. (Reuters)

How ironic that it is a Muslim nation warning adherents to the Islamic faith against practicing yoga — while we have Christians in the West eating up this Hindu nonsense and believing the re-packaged lie about the harmlessness and benefits of “Christian Yoga.” Read about Malaysia’s “concern for their Muslims” and check out a BBC reporter’s experience in a Yoga class… quite an eye-opener. It may look pretty and fancy and all that, but it goes much deeper than that — ask a Hindu.

Excerpt:

A top Islamic council in mostly Muslim Malaysia told Muslims on Saturday to avoid yoga because it uses Hindu prayers and encourages a union with God that is blasphemous.

“The yoga masters repeat that it actually can be quite compatible with religion,” he said. “It makes you a better person.”The latest edict from the National Fatwa Council reflects a growing swing towards a conservative brand of Islam in the multi-ethnic country that has prompted worries among non-Muslims.

“There are other ways to get exercise and a peace of mind,” council chairman Abdul Shukor Husin told reporters in Putrajaya, the country’s administrative capital, on Saturday. “You can go cycling, swimming and eat less fatty food.”

“For us, yoga can destroy a Muslim’s faith. But this is not a matter for the non-Muslims to be concerned about because its not imposed on them. We are looking out for the Muslim community,” he said, noting Egypt and Singapore had issued similar rulings. (Source)

It is highly recommended you read the following articles, even if you think you already know all you need to know about this harmless non-religious thing called Yoga. The first writer presents the story from a very un-biased point of view, unlike me.

BBC Reporter’s ‘Spiritual Experience’ In A Yoga Class

It included breathing exercises, with the help of the tick-tock of a metronome.

There was meditation, then half an hour of darkness for intense relaxation.

Before that some of the class managed a very stable headstand. Others could touch the back of their head with their foot.

“It can go with any religion,” instructor Mani Sekaran told me.

“Or it can go with those who don’t believe in any religion, because it’s purely sports,” he added.

He is also founder of the Malaysian Yoga Society. A bald and very fit man, he once did martial arts.

“If I want to train for an Olympic gold medal… whether I believe in a religion or not doesn’t matter. I just keep on training.”

Man at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia is a secular democracy where Islam is the official religion

“Based on that we can use yoga to enhance whatever we are doing, whether it is religion or whether it’s spirituality… but it [yoga] is stand alone.”

During the class I sat in on, yoga’s Hindu roots were mentioned, albeit briefly. A spiritual experience was on offer for those who wanted it.

This is the point where some Muslims in Malaysia worry about yoga. They think it is encroaching on their way of life.

One Muslim student told me that she combined yoga techniques with prayers. That concerns some Islamic experts.

“If people want to practice yoga, the physical exercise, I think that is no problem,” Professor Osman Bakar, from Malaysia’s Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, told me.

“Many Muslims would say fine. But they would object to the mixing of the two things.”

“Islam is a complete way of life. Islam is able to cater to the needs of Muslims; spiritual needs, intellectual needs and other needs, material needs. So there is no need to bring in elements from outside,” he added.

Adam’s yoga class ended with a quick discussion about self-awareness, concentration and why people do yoga. I was not sure if this was a weekly occurrence or for my benefit.

He told me that yoga has made him a better person. He has no plans to stop.

Please read the full article here… and read about another woman’s experience in The Truth About Yoga.