Serbian Church vs. yoga: "It's not merely exercise, it's an Eastern religion"

Yoga is allegedly "detrimental to the soul and spirit"

Whether because of health or for the sake of being trendy, yoga has become an integral part of the life of an increasing number of people both around the world and in our country.

This fact is not appreciated by the leaders of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), who take every opportunity to make known to the faithful, either during the service or in the form of announcements on bulletin boards in front of temples, the "harmful effect of yoga on the soul and spirit."

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A photo of a notice is being share on social media, which was allegedly taken from a bulletin board in a church in the Diocese of Gornje Kovilje in Vojvodina, which states that this type of exercise is in no way recommended to believers because of the harm to their soul and spirit.

"We plead with believers from the Gornje Kovilje parish not to attend yoga classes or similar sessions. Yoga is closely linked to the religion of the Far Eastern peoples and is not at all harmless, but can cause spiritual and mental problems," the notice reads.

This is not the first time the SPC has been dealing with yoga, as earlier this year the Church also appealed on believers not to practice it. In a statement he gave to the website of the newspaper Danas, priest Oliver Subotic cited two reasons why the SPC was against yoga.

"Yoga is not only a system of physical exercises, but also of spiritual exercises, which have their origin in Hinduism, and in performing it, the physical exercises that are done largely through movements and positions, that are actually a ritual heritage of Hinduism. Hence some poses represent offering gratitude to Hindu deities," said Subotic.

On the other hand, yoga associations say that while exercising also achieves spirituality, yoga is not a religion. Still, they don't want to comment on the position of the Church.

(Telegraf.rs/Danas)