Hindus have commended Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin (Ireland) and its Kilcullen Parish for hosting yoga classes in Kilcullen Parish Centre.
These vinyasa flow yoga classes, suitable for all levels and everyone, will help participants strengthen, stretch, tone and relax; an announcement says. Janine Callaghan of This Is Yoga is the teacher. On her website, Janine, who says “yoga is for absolutely everyone”, seems to define yoga as: Rooting down and going deep inside without judgment to find a bit of peace and space in our lives.
Kilcullen is about 168 miles from Drumsurn (Northern Ireland), where a priest of Waterside Parish of Roman Catholic Diocese of Derry Father Reverend Roland Colhoun reportedly linked yoga to Satan in 2015. As reported by Derry Journal, Colhoun “warned parishioners against taking part in yoga” while saying mass in Drumsurn. “Yoga is certainly a risk. There’s the spiritual health risk”, Journal quoted him.
The Independent of United Kingdom quoted him as saying “Yoga leads to Satan” and that he fears it could lead to “The Kingdom of Darkness”. “It’s a slippery slope from yoga to Satan”, RT channel said quoting him.
Calling yoga being hosted in Kilcullen Parish as a “step forward in the positive direction”, distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, urged all the Ireland Catholic schools to introduce multi-beneficial yoga programs in their curriculums.
Rajan Zed further said that yoga, although introduced and nourished by Hinduism, was a world heritage and liberation powerhouse to be utilized by all. According to Patanjali who codified it in Yoga Sutra, yoga was a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical.
Constituted in 1869, Kilcullen Parish, a part of Archdiocese of Dublin, whose Mission Statement includes furthering the mission of Christ and his Church, is composed of “Church of the Sacred Heart and Saint Brigid” and “Church of Saint Joseph Gormanstown”.
Priest Father Reverend Niall Mackey is President of the Pastoral Council and Administrator, while Father Reverend Martin Harte is the Curate. Dublin is one of the largest Dioceses in Ireland with 199 parishes and Diarmuid Martin is the Archbishop.