Re: Christian Yoga??!!
Namaste Surya Deva,
I think the reason why some of the most basic and fundamental Hindu concepts (karma, reincarnation, God-consciousness) keep cropping up in other religious beliefs is because almost everyone sees the Truth in them.
I'm not going to go into a long discussion about how unhinged some Christian fundamentalists can be, but I will say that this rise in the number of Western yoga classes could be nothing more than a feeble attempt at reviving their religion. And they do this by hopping onto the bandwagon of indulging in the latest novelty in the West, whether that's yoga, Atkins diet or online dating. For the saner few, I can see how foreign terms in Sanskrit explaining spiritual concepts could seem intimidating.
Let's take a quick example. A good number of Christians that I know (and I can vouch for myself when I was still a Catholic not 2 years ago) believe in reincarnation. Strange, but for a considerable amount of them this is true. They even understand that karma means action, and the word itself has been adopted into mainstream English. But I want to point out how, here, language can morph so that the word fits the concept. Most people unfamiliar with a more detailed understanding of how karma almost see the term as being synonymous with retribution, when really it isn't all that simple. Language has a way of evolving, and I believe it's a very powerful way of shaping how people perceive something. To the extent that most people aren't even aware of this. Perhaps, you are right in saying some deception will be needed if we are to turn the tide against those falsely posing as yogis and yoga instructors, manipulating the teachings of a core element of Sanatana Dharma.
OM Shanti
"Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
Om Gam Ganapataye namah
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु ।
Lokaah SamastaaH Sukhino Bhavantu
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