They have never seen me without the habit. Yoga, which aims to bring together the body and mind and spirit through exercise, breathing, and meditation, has been around for at least 5,000 years and has helped people deal with a variety of health issues, from stress to arthritis. While many Hindus have practiced yoga, it is not tied to the religion. Yet, some Christians have believed it was and have shied away. Yoga does not replace a person's traditional faith.
Yoga is yoga.
Whether people are taking or making use of elements of it and making it OK for their practitioners to follow it, we can't comment on that. In Linda Telesco's class, held in the multipurpose room at Felician College's Rutherford campus, you'll see the classic yoga postures with students breathing in deeply through their noses and exhaling through their mouths. But Telesco, who gives lectures on sacred dance and serves as director of a religious dance company, will also quote the Scriptures during the class, speaking in a low, soft voice, over a tape playing the soothing sounds of the ocean. About a dozen students are enrolled in the four-week class that started in April. After a short break, Telesco said she expects to teach another four-week yoga class beginning in June.