Derived from the Sanskrit word Yuj, Yoga means union of the individual consciousness or soul with the Universal Consciousness or Spirit. Yoga is a 5000 year old Indian body of knowledge. Though many think of yoga only as a physical exercise where people twist, turn, stretch, and breathe in the most complex ways, these are actually only the most superficial aspect of this discipline meant to unfold the infinite potentials of the human mind and soul.
Does yoga have religion? Does practicing yoga make you a Hindu? Can a Christian practice yoga? It is said that yoga has no religion and can be even practiced by atheists, but this is the subject of intense debate. It is true that the mere introduction of the word Om does not make it Hindu. Om is a mantra, or vibration, that is traditionally chanted at the beginning and end of yoga sessions. It is said to be the sound of the universe moving and pulsating, creating a rhythmic vibration that the ancient yogis acknowledged with the sound of Om.
But the Vatican warned that concentration on the physical aspects of meditation “can degenerate into a cult of the body” and that equating bodily states with mysticism “could lead to psychic disturbance and, at times, to moral deviations.” For Christians prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined response on our part. Use of yoga as a spiritual path, according to Catholic view is highly problematic and there are major areas in which the spiritual practice of yoga may not be in line with Catholic spirituality. Some fundamentalist Christian organizations consider yoga to be incompatible with their religious background, considering it a part of the New Age movement inconsistent with Christianity.
The Supreme Court of India is weighing whether yoga has a religious element, as it has been asked to decide if public schools may teach the ancient discipline in the country where it originated. India’s school policy wants to impose yoga as an integral component of education. But the court has expressed caution, and is considering arguments that yoga has a religious component. The issue is complicated because India is a secular democracy but has pockets of Hindu nationals who would like to force their way of life on others.
A Catholic leader, John Dayal, avers, “Yoga, as it is currently practiced in India, is not merely a physical exercise. It has a strong component of faith to it. Some of the exercises, such as Surya Namaskar (sun salutation), have a strong religious overtone … It is not possible to purge religious tones from yoga and it is sad that some forces are using yoga to strengthen their agenda of cultural nationalism. Yoga cannot be made compulsory in India, which is a secular democracy”.
MEDICAL BENEFITS: Yoga is said to improve musculoskeletal problems, mental health and to reduce symptoms of asthma. There may also be an improvement in mood and anxiety. It may reduce high blood-pressure, improve symptoms of heart failure, enhance cardiac rehabilitation, and lower cardiovascular risk factors. In cancer patients it may decrease depression, insomnia, pain, fatigue and anxiety. However, much of the research on yoga has taken the form of clinical trials of low methodological quality, small sample sizes, lack of randomization, and high risk of bias.
Complications associated with yoga practice include physical injuries analogous to sports injuries, the thoracic outlet syndrome, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, spinal canal stenosis, retinal tears, damage to the leg nerve, yoga foot drop, and back injury. More serious side-effects include vertebral artery dissection (a tear in the arteries in the neck which provide blood to the brain) resulting in a major stroke. Tears of the fibrous rim of the cartilage around the hip can also occur.
REPACKAGING YOGA: The Americans have turned yoga into a 27 billion-dollar industry. With ashrams sprouting everywhere, hybrid forms have evolved – “rock and roll” yoga, kung-fu-Shaolin yoga, warrior yoga, beer yoga, toddler yoga, prenatal yoga, LGBT yoga and faith-centered-yoga (Christianity and asanas brought together). Purists are already sulking at the blatant and deliberate commercialization of a great Indian tradition. But, as the saying goes, “nothing remains and belongs to one place, nothing remains frozen in time”.
BABA RAMDEV: Recently in a beautiful editorial in one of our local dailies, Ramdev has been the subject of a scathing attack. Labeling him as the “un-yoga guru”, the edit exposes his craving to hog the limelight, something unbecoming to a guru of yoga whose primary mission is meditation and silence. The edit highlights, “The latest gem from Baba Ramdev is his remark: ‘Padma awards are given to those who can do successful lobbying’ which makes it clear that Baba expected a Padma but was not given despite his unashamed sycophancy of Narendra Modi”. The editorial further chastises him, “Yoga gurus are supposed to be masters of restraint. Yet, what did Ramdev do? As a face-saver, he goes to the extent of saying that he had declined the Padma award, while the government insists his name never figured in the list.” The edit concludes, “Ramdev thus exposed to embarrassment twice by rejecting an award nobody gave him!”
There are more reasons why Ramdev is “un-yoga.” Baba has unabashedly created for himself a multimillion-dollar empire. He also stands accused of promoting Hindu nationalism alongside yoga. Baba and his ilk are a blot on the founders of yoga who shunned material possessions and worldly glories.
(Dr. Francisco Colaço is a senior most consulting physician)
