Does practicing yoga go against Catholicism?

YES,

YOGA GOES AGAINST CATHOLIC FAITH.

1. The ultimate goal of Yoga is moksha (liberation, in Hinduism), although the exact definition of what form this takes depends on the philosophical or theological system with which it is conjugated.Yoga is considered as a philosophical school in Hinduism.

Yoga, is one of the six āstika schools of Hinduism (those which accept the Vedas as source of knowledge).

Holy Yoga practitioners exchange the classical mantra om (a Hindu symbol for the higher self) for the more biblical shalom (Hebrew, “peace”).

The Trouble with Yoga

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2. Yoga: What the Catechism says

YOUCAT, the Youth, CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2011

#355:

“You shall not have strange Gods before me”. What does that mean?

This commandment forbids us:

. To adore other gods and pagan deities or to worships an earthly idol or to devote oneself entirely to some earthly good (money, influence, success, beauty, youth, and so on)

. To be superstitious, which means to adhere to esoteric, magic, or occult or New Age practices or to get involved with fortune telling or spiritualism, instead of believing in God’s power, providence, and -> BLESSINGS

. To provoke God by word or deed

. To commit a -> SACRILEGE

. To acquire spiritual power through corruption and desecrate what is holy through trafficking (simony). [2110-2128, 2138-2140]

#356:

Is esotericism as found, for example in New Age belief, compatible with the Christian faith?

No. ->ESOTERICISM ignores the reality of God. God is a personal Being; he is love and the origin of life, not some cold cosmic energy. Man was willed and created by God, but man himself is not divine; rather, he is a creature that is wounded by sin, threatened by death, and in need of redemption. Whereas most proponents of esotericism assume that man can redeem himself, Christians believe that only Jesus Christ and God’s grace redeem them. Nor are nature and the cosmos God (-> PANTHEISM). Rather, the creator, even though he loves us immensely, is infinitely greater and unlike anything he has created. [2110-2128]

Many people today practice yoga for health reasons, enroll in a -> MEDITATION course so as to become more calm and collected, or attend dance workshops so as to experience their bodies in a new way. These techniques are not always harmless. Often they are vehicles for doctrines that are foreign to Christianity. No reasonable person should hold an irrational world view, in which people can tap magical powers or harness mysterious spirits and the “initiated” have a secret knowledge that is withheld from the “ignorant”. In ancient Israel, the surrounding peoples’ beliefs in gods and spirits were exposed as false. God alone is Lord; there is no god besides him. Nor is there any (magical) technique by which one can capture or charm “the divine”, force one’s wishes on the universe, or redeem oneself. Much about these esoteric beliefs and practices is -> SUPERSTITION or -> OCCULTISM

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POPE FRANCIS ON YOGA

“You can follow thousands of catechism courses, thousands of spirituality courses, thousands of yoga or zen courses and all these things,” his papalsty said. “But none of this will be able to give you the freedom as a child (of God). Only the Holy Spirit can prompt your heart to say ‘Father.’ Only the Holy Spirit is capable of banishing, of breaking that hardness of heart and making it … ‘docile’. Docile towards the Lord. Docile when it comes to the freedom to love.”

“Pope Francis said ‘do not seek spiritual answers in yoga classes’. Yoga is certainly a risk. There’s the spiritual health risk,”

“The bad spirit can be communicated in a variety of ways,” Colhoun added. “I’m not saying everyone gets it, or that it happens every time, and people may well be doing yoga harmlessly, but there’s always a risk and that’s why the Pope mentioned it and that’s why we talk about that in terms of the danger of the new age movement and the danger of the occult today. That’s the fear.”

Pope Francis’ Subtle Yoga Diss Fuels Yogaphobia in Catholic Church

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Vatican's chief exorcist warns that practicing yoga is 'satanic

Is yoga about worshiping Hindu gods, or is it about engaging in advanced stretching and exercise?

At its roots, yoga is said to have originated from the ancient worship of Hindu gods, with the various poses representing unique forms of paying homage to these entities. From this, other religions such as Catholicism and Christianity have concluded that the practice is out of sync with their own, and that it may result in demonic spirits entering a person's body.

Others contend that yoga practice is really more focused on advanced stretching moves and physical exercise, and that it can bring about healing and improved well-being such as improved core strength, better circulation and reduced stress. The intent of the person doing yoga, rather than yoga itself, in other words, is what defines the extent of how the practice influences a person's being and soul.

But Father Truqui sees yoga as being satanic, claiming that "it leads to evil just like reading Harry Potter." And in order to deal with the consequences of this, his religion has had to bring on an additional six exorcists, bringing the total number to 12, just to deal with what he says is a 100% rise in the number of requests for exorcisms over the past 15 years.

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Gabriel Amorth

Father Gabriele Amorth, who for years was the Vatican’s chief exorcist and claims to have cleansed hundreds of people of evil spirits, said yoga is Satanic because it leads to a worship of Hinduism and “all eastern religions are based on a false belief in reincarnation”.

In 1999, six years before he succeeded John Paul II as Pope, he issued a document which warned Roman Catholics of the dangers of yoga, Zen, transcendental meditation and other 'eastern’ practises.

They could “degenerate into a cult of the body” that debases Christian prayer, the document said.

Yoga poses could create a feeling of well-being in the body but it was erroneous to confuse that with “the authentic consolations of the Holy Spirit,” the document said.

Vatican Chief Exorcist Calls Yoga and Harry Potter “Satanic’

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“You can follow thousands of catechism courses, thousands of spirituality courses, thousands of yoga or zen courses and all these things,” his papalsty said. “But none of this will be able to give you the freedom as a child (of God). Only the Holy Spirit can prompt your heart to say ‘Father.’ Only the Holy Spirit is capable of banishing, of breaking that hardness of heart and making it … ‘docile’. Docile towards the Lord. Docile when it comes to the freedom to love.”

I am a Indian Catholic and most of the Christians I know don’t practice yoga. Most the non-Hindu’s(Muslims, and Christians) don’t practice it either as it goes against their faith.