Is Yoga a halachic issue?

LovesHashem

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 5:17 am

amother wrote:

No assumptions- I do know that chassidish woman overwhelmingly wouldn't openly walk into a yoga class. I'm assuming you're disagreeing with this. I do think of Satmar to be a little more "chassidish" than the typical chasid so that's why I chose them. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but I still stand by my original point that with regard to yoga that many jews on the far right wouldn't go, many jews on the far left would be ok with it, and the of the rest, some would and others wouldn't. I'm not saying we love any group any less. I'm just stating a fact about this whether frum jews would go to yoga.

Yoga is a very goood form of excersize and mindfulness, and in my community of RW and Chareidi Jews there are PLENTY of Yoga classes.

Ain Chadash mitachat hashemesh, although it's used by many other religions, religion doesn't have a monopoly on excersize. I heard there are certain poses that are directly copying how non jews pray and serve their gods, and those poses are forbidden. Beyond that, what wrong with stretching your body in different positions, holding it there, and being mindful?

amother

Rose

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 7:52 am

Please explain what mindfulness means.

I would freak out if I go to a studio and they say now we are doing tree pose or downward dog. To me it's as if a tribute to that. I don't think any other form of exercises has names like that for their exercises. Again this is just me with my backwards thinking. Why can't they just say put your leg up to your knee and hold your hands to the middle, instead of naming the poses.

OTOH, I probably am one of those that could immensely benefit from this form of exercise, so I'm always wondering if I should go once and see what it's all about.

amother

Pink

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 8:06 am

I went to a yoga class, all attendees were chassidisch (yes it was in bp lol). Tbh, wouldn’t even think it’s an issue. Yes, I know it has religious roots, but our instructor was just a reg non Jewish girl giving class.
Now I have to ask? Question

thunderstorm

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 8:13 am

I also never thought that yoga would be questionable. So does that mean a sun salutation would be considered a form of avoda Zara? I've never done a full yoga class but I've done exercise where some yoga was thrown into the mix and am now wondering.

amother

Brunette

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 8:29 am

According to Wikipedia: Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India.

I think people believe they can "separate" the physical exercise part and therefore not be doing anything "questionable."

Personally, I feel like that would be similar to wearing a gold cross for jewelry purposes, and not because I believe in Christianity. If something was established for avoda zara, I don't see it as so simple to just isolate the avoda zara aspect out.

Honestly, I think a lot of people are terribly misinformed when it comes to Yoga. But do your own research. See what your LOR has to say.

In the times of the baal paor I don't think it was ok to go to the bathroom in front of baal paor even if you 'just had to go." That was the way to perform the avoda zara.

LovesHashem

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 8:37 am

You can't do bowing poses, etc.
Brunette explained it pretty well.

Discuss it with your LOR.
I know someone chassidish who does an hour a day...she has 17 kids and lives in a 2 bedroom house in meah shearim, go figure.

amother

Brunette

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 8:43 am

More from Wikipedia:

In the 1980s, yoga became popular as a system of physical exercise across the Western world. Yoga in Indian traditions, however, is more than physical exercise; it has a meditative and spiritual core.

Again, it's not like something that some people exploit and use as avoda zara but you don't have to. It is something developed and established specifically for that purpose, regardless of how someone else intends it. I think that makes this whole issue much trickier.

pause

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 8:51 am

amother wrote:

You are making assumptions. In the bolded.

You can explain and re-explain what you meant to say. It's ok. I understand your point, and I actually understood it in the first post.

But I'm taking issue with the way you said it. That's not ok. I won't call it quite racist, but it sure reminds me of those g-yte or black threads we've seen here.

amother

Turquoise

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 9:59 am

pause wrote:

Do you disagree? Do you think that the percentage of let's say Flatbush woman who take yoga is the same as the Williamsburg woman who take yoga? It seems you are offended by the facts......

Mommyg8

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 10:11 am

amother wrote:

Thank you for doing the research for us, I think that we once a shayla and were told it was not allowed, so I'm glad that you provided the data to back it up.

And LovesHashem, maybe this woman asked her own shayla and was told it was ok - or maybe she didn't realize it was a shayla. Doing something "because everyone else is doing it" is not the same as asking a halachic question.

amother

Saddlebrown

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 10:38 am

amother wrote:

I heard the word Yoga the first time from a Satmar woman that attended a yoga group of chassidish women. Thier instructor was a very heimish Satmar woman. She is currently the principal in Satmar KJ.

crust

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 10:40 am

amother wrote:

What?

amother

Brunette

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 10:46 am

Meaning, just as I would never say I could wear a gold cross for fashion purposes and ignore the fact that it is designed as a symbol of Christian faith, I would not practice Yoga and claim it is simply an exercise.

Mommyg8

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 10:47 am

crust wrote:

What?

Crust, we were told that if something was originally established as avoda zora, then it's assur. IF you agree with the assumption that yoga "shtams" or originated from avoda zora, then it would be assur, just like we dont' wear jewelry that's similar in shape to a cross, even if it's pretty.

crust

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 10:49 am

amother wrote:

Is there a posek that sais this?

crust

Sun, Dec 03 2017, 10:58 am

Mommyg8 wrote:

Which one, the cross or yoga? Because like I said, we did ask about yoga. It's possible that other Rabbanim pasken differently, I don't know.

That one would refrain from doing yoga the same way one would not wear a cross.