“I am also angry about Yoga. Its full Avodas Zara. Its roots are deep in idol worship. THere are plenty of other exercises out there. In one Jewish Community Y, they had a teacher leading the yoga class but before you knew what was happening she was describing this “Gentle stretch over” to be like we are now worshipping the sun.??? “
Yoga is actually a different kind of exercise then most. A big part of Yoga is the mindfullness and relaxation. Doing Yoga helps you learn to focus and to listen to your body. It also has wonderful stretches. I kow the origins of Yoga are religious, but in most places the instructors just use the names of the poses, without actually bringing in the religious part. Besides for that, alot of it is in sync with Judaism. For example, there is one set of stretches called the sun salutations. It is a series of stretches that relax the body. Doesn’t the Torah teach us to appreciate the fact that we have a sun? and, at the end of the day, most people dont actually bring in the religious part of it. They just call it the sun salutations because it’s the universal name for this particular set of stretches.
In conclusion- if you’re afraid practicing yoga will shaken your faith, you have bigger issues. So don’t put down people who are just trying to exercise.