Hindus in UK upset over Church banning yoga

BRIT BLUES: The Hindu community in UK is upset but not too surprised.

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Keywords: Yoga Ban, British Church

London: The ban on yoga by two British vicars, who called it un-Christian, have raised concerns over growing differences between communities.

Although the Hindu community hasn't retaliated strongly, it has expressed concern over the comments made by the two church leaders.

They feel episodes like these are questioning the ethos of modern societies we take for granted.

Helen Crowdey teaches yoga to little children. Like her 5-year-old daughter Elizabeth, the kids stretch, pull, sing and have a lot of fun while at the same time exercising each muscle of their body.

“I like doing yoga. It is a refreshing exercise,” says Elizabeth, a yoga student.

But two churches in Taunton, in South West England, feel that this is 'unchristian'. They say that yoga impinges on the spiritual life in a way, which is against the Christian ethos. Recently, they turned down a yoga instructor who wanted to hold classes for children on their premises.

Helen feels that this attitude stems from a deep-rooted misunderstanding.

Helen Crowdey, yoga instructor says, “People are confused. There is a choice whether you eant to recite 'Om' or not while doing the yoga,”

The six-lakh strong Hindu community in UK is upset but not too surprised. They say western philosophy has always been 'exclusive' in nature unlike Hinduism, which is more 'inclusive'. And while yoga is deeply rooted in Hinduism, its purpose is not religion.

Ramesh Kallidai, Secretary General, Hindu Forum of Britain says, “As of now we aren't doing anything because its just individual views. The church is well within its rights to have its policies and rules. For smoking isn't allowed in temples, now you might say that it infringes upon smokers' rights but well that's it. But they should be careful about not hurting the sentiments and by calling yoga a 'sham' they have done that.”

For some this latest episode has raised questions about British multiculturalism.

While some see this as an unfortunate misunderstanding, others call it a fundamental clash of cultures. Although no laws were broken and no rights breached, there is a general feeling that comments like these have the potential to jeopardize the multicultural fabric of a modern society.