Metropolitan Mar Yulios: Church interprets Yoga as ‘spiritual exercise’ – reveals inter-connectedness of God’s creation
19/6/15
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AHMEDABAD/INDIA — International Yoga Day is being celebrated on June 21, Sunday. The Diocese of Ahmedabad of the Indian Orthodox Malankara Church joins the Government of India in celebrating Day.
Diocese Metropolitan HG Pulikkottil Dr Geevarghese Mar Yulios, has in a release stated that yoga is one of the best contribution of India to the world. “The Indian Orthodox Church is proud to share its lineage with yoga and uses this opportunity to raise awareness of the highly integrated indigenous character of the Orthodox Church of India.”
Further, Dr Mar Yulios reiterates that the “Church understands Yoga as a spiritual exercise to instill in its practitioners awareness, tolerance, empathy, compassion and most importantly the inter-connectedness of God’s creation.”
The release also adds that Yoga is a powerful science for inner-transformation, scientifically designed, practiced and propagated by great people like sage Patanjali, the Father of Modern Yoga, in his ancient book, Yoga-Sutra.
Dr Mar Yulios further points out that yoga is neither owned by nor aligned with any particular religion at all. “It is the common wealth of our culture and followers of any or every religion can benefit from its practices. It works as a necessary tool for all seekers.”
The Diocese of Ahmedabad has been conducting Yoga classes and providing special training to students and teachers in its schools under the Diocese for a long time.
“In our hospitals and health centres, Yoga is an inevitable part of our holistic health therapy. Yoga is a reputed scientific method for the well-being of humanity and has nothing to do with religious fundamentalism. However, no one should be compelled to practice yoga, rather it is a free choice like taking any other medical treatment,” the release concludes.
