Has the world gone mad?

OK thanks for clarifying. You are correct - I;m familiar with Hatha and specifically Iyengar, and Bikram. Will have a look into the others.

Didnt jesus spend time in India or was that debunked?

Interesting. Are you a theologian or just interested in theology?

A jack of all trades, a master of….

I’m particularly interested in this subject, philosophy in general and Eastern metaphysics in particular. It makes a lot of sense to me. I could write for hours on it.

Well you certainly write well

I have a question because this is bugging me. If the forms of yoga they wish to ban are in fact a conduit for conversion rather than simply exercise, breathing and meditation, why would they have allowed them in their buildings to start with (in your opinion)? I know the anglican archbishop and his brother and can't see they would have allowed that. They've pulled some pretty bizarre stunts before.

I have no idea. Perhaps a group of more reactionary and zealous congregants complained. As far as using it as a conversion vehicle, again, I doubt few understood its religious origins beyond those that complained. As far as the bishop, he or she probably viewed it as harmless exercise borrowed from another religious tradition.
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I have a question because this is bugging me. If the forms of yoga they wish to ban are in fact a conduit for conversion rather than simply exercise, breathing and meditation, why would they have allowed them in their buildings to start with (in your opinion)? I know the anglican archbishop and his brother and can't see they would have allowed that. They've pulled some pretty bizarre stunts before.

Yes this is what posters were saying in reply to the announcement this morning. I thought they were joking but they weren't. When JW knock on my door I just accept the witness by taking the leaflet. Maybe next time I should answer the door in yoga pants and a kundalini t shirt...

I tried doing the formal request to be removed from the JW's "visitation list" - had to do it twice with two different sets of people and it worked! ...for about a year. Another set showed up about a month ago.

Here's an excerpt from their online magazine from 2002.
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2002565

I think you are not all that well versed with yoga and Hinduism in general. Like most Westerners, you seem to be familiar with a form of yoga called Hatha, which involves physical exercises and breathing control. Therefore, it seems to many Westerners like yourself to be simply a physical fitness and relaxation vehicle; and indeed, that is its purpose to many in the West unfamiliar with its religious/spiritual origins.

The word “yoga” means “to yoke,” meaning a spiritual exercise to realize one’s essential nature as a manifestation of "Brahman," or universal consciousness, the underlying, fundamental basis of reality. Therefore, this religion is what is usually (albeit somewhat incorrectly) termed “pantheistic”; that is, the belief that all is God. This fundamental belief is antithetical to the monotheistic Abrahamic religions of the West, including Christianity, which believe that an anthropomorphic God is the creator, a personal God separate and apart from His creations. Therefore, it rather makes sense for a Christian religion to not want to be associated with such practices any more than a Hindu would want to worship Jesus.

There are several other forms of yoga, but as I said, Hatha is the one most familiar to Westerners who view it strictly as a physical fitness and relaxation vehicle as opposed to its origins in India as a religious one.

I used to get really angry and say I was an atheist or a satanist to freak them out but that attracts them to try to convert and give me an exorcism. Then I decided to see what would happen if I said I would bear witness and happy to take the leaflet. They're happy and they go away, especially if I say my husband is a shift worker who is asleep and the dogs barking because someone came to the door would wake him up (I need to go to confession for that - he's not a shift worker). I live in a small bible belt so I get them here frequently. They're pretty nice when you witness but I do think they prey on lonely old people who want a chat. The people who are a real nuisance are doorknocking sales people. Energy and phone sales are the worst. Had to report them for shoving their foot in the door when I tried to close it. Miraculously they dont come here anymore.

When JW knock on my door I just accept the witness by taking the leaflet. Maybe next time I should answer the door in yoga pants and a kundalini t shirt...

Love islam? I thought it more a case of trying not to be ******** to a section of the human population because of their religion etc.