Yoga and Catholicism: Exploring the Perspectives

Welcome to Episode 146 of the Being Human Podcast: Is it Okay for Catholics to Practice Yoga?

Is yoga demonic? Are all types of yoga intrinsically evil or dangerous? Can Catholics do yoga without endangering their soul? This week, Dr. Greg breaks open these questions and more to find answers from the lens of an integrated Catholic perspective while, taking into account both faith and reason. 

 

Discussed in the episode: 

• The reality that there is no clear teaching on yoga from the Magisterium of the Catholic Church;

• Why the answer on whether or not Catholics can practice yoga is not as simple as it seems;

• Common myths and misconceptions related to yoga from a Catholic perspective;

• The link between Hindu yoga and demonic influence through a first-hand case witnessed by Dr. Greg;

• The possibility that yoga can be dangerous if built upon certain spiritual influences;

• The existence of options such as Christian fitness programs (i.e. Pietra Fitness, Soul Core) which integrates physical stretching and exercise with Christian prayer as an alternative to yoga with Hindu foundations.

 

Resources mentioned or relevant:

• Past Being Human Episodes:

• Episode 137: Demonic Real Talk

• Episode 134: Catholic Mindfulness: Why It’s Not Only Okay But Encouraged for Catholics to Practice

• Find a Christian Fitness Class Near You: https://www.pietrafitness.com/ or https://soulcore.com/; 

• Download The Integrated App for access to free audio exercises, the Catholic Mindfulness Virtual Retreat, courses, prayer resources, and more; 

• Need help? Schedule a free consultation call with someone on our team to discuss how we can support you;

• Learn about IDDM (Mentorship), our new model of accompaniment;

• Join the waitlist to be notified about our next Open House to learn more about the new CPMAP certification!

• Sign up for Being Human, our weekly newsletter, for encouragement on your journey of becoming the best human you can be;

• Visit our website to read the CatholicPsych blog, shop in the CatholicPsych bookshop, or discover other resources we have available; 

• Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created, plus the opportunity to participate in Integrated LIVE’s - weekly, Mentor hosted Q&As covering topics like boundaries, communication, trauma, forgiveness, and more!

Contact us! Have a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address on the podcast? Want to give some feedback about this episode? Email us at beinghuman@catholicpsych.com - we would love to hear from you!

 

Rate, review, and subscribe

Please help us in our mission to integrate the Faith with Psychology by hitting subscribe and also sharing this podcast with your friends.

Please consider rating or leaving a review of our show. It helps us reach other Catholics just like you who want to become more integrated, whole, and happy human beings.

For Apple podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate 5 stars, and choose “write a review.” Then type your sincere thoughts about the show!

If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on any episodes. Subscribe to the podcast now!