As promised, this year's official gift thread!

What's on YOUR wish list, and what are you picking up for your nearest and dearest yogis?

Here's a big list from last year to kick things off:

Books

DVDs

Subscriptions- which sites do you like?

Props you might not have thought to purchase for yourself but find yourself loving

Jewelry

Malas for those who do japa meditation

Online courses- for students

Online courses- for teachers

Some specifics:

** For studio-going yogis:

** Clothing:

** Gear/props:

Mat bags

DIY mat spray (lots of recipes - link to search)

Dharma Wheel

Blocks

Straps

Eye pillow

Sandbags (probably easiest to buy the bag online and the sand @ a Home Depot, etc)

Zafu / zabuton

** Subscriptions/Downloads

** Random things for home practitioners

** Just for fun

** Books

What are your book suggestions for new yogis, experienced yogis, yoga and/or anatomy nerds?

Yoga philosophy

Yoga spirituality

Yoga humor

FAQ section for books

Light on Yoga, Iyengar

Bhagavad Gita

Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Autobiography of a Yogi

The Yoga Sutras

** Other ideas

Other resources:

2017 thread

2016 thread

Mat megathread

Search, 'gift'

Please put all the giftygoodness here - other posts will be removed.

Obligatory 'plz to not spam' statement:

If you're here to post your store and your post history does not fall within reddit's 10:1 rule, it will be removed. Spam's been crazy lately. If it's blatant, Bad Santa(yogi?) has a bag of coal.

As always, no referral or shortened links. Amazon links must be just to the item - please nuke anything after the base product info.

Originally posted here:
yoga - reddit

From the description: "A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except faults, so he loses touch with reality and lives in a world of illusions." Some commenters say that is a misquote and state that it should be "thoughts" instead of "faults". Referring to "mental chatter"

Either way, it demonstrates a choice of choosing not to control what you think about. Focus on something you think worthwhile. It is possible to direct your thoughts away from mulling things over and over again or other chatter and onto constructing something worthwhile. The choice is yours, to let yourself be controlled or to control yourself.

Some people decide they need meditation. Others, like Tesla, honed his mind to the point he didn't need paper to work out the details of constructing his inventions. Fortunately many of them were documented for the purpose of obtaining patents. His assistants stated that his motors and such worked the very first time being built.

Maybe meditation could be a path to honing one's mind rather than only a means to remove the mental chatter.

People choose to drown out their conscience and conscious via chemicals when they could direct their mind to very interesting journeys without the need or expense of such chemicals. The most beneficial observation of all is to observe one's ego at work and gently observe it back into its proper place of being a clear pane of glass through which which things are observed, rather than a pain or splinter of glass in everyone's ass. Being in control of your ego and emotions rather than them controlling you is the worthwhile journey.

Unfortunately the evil in control of the world do much to make that journey harder than ever; for you are the easiest to control and inspire to do the wrong things they desire when your ego and/or emotions are in control of you.

More here:
Zen: The Best of Alan Watts - Top Documentary Films

Posted March 2, 2017 in Diet Management, Tags: Kidney Diet, low protein, phosphate additives, Phosphorus, renal vegetarian diet, vegan, vegetarian, vegetarian kidney diet by Chhaya Patel, MA, RDN, CSR.

Can a kidney diet also be a vegetarian diet? Its estimated that about 5% of people on dialysis are vegetarians. Some of the reasons for following a vegetarian diet include religious, cultural, social and personal beliefs.Others adapt a meat-free diet because of taste changes due to uremia as a result of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Vegetarians generally avoid all animal products including eggs, beef, pork, poultry, fish and seafood.

Limiting high protein foods may help slow the progression of CKD. Diets rich in red and processed meat are linked to higher rates of heart disease, cancer and death. Vegan and vegetarian diets are becoming more popular. This makes it easier for people to accept and follow protein-restricted vegetarian diets.

Wondering about how safe it is to follow a vegetarian diet? The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics consider vegetarian diets to be safe, provided that low levels of vitamins and minerals like iron, vitamin B12, and vitamin D are corrected by supplements.

Some kidney patients may require protein and calorie supplements depending on lab results for albumin and presence of inflammation. Diet recommendations differ for patients with CKD stage 2 to 4 compared to stage 5. The protein recommendation is 0.6 to 0.8 g/kg/day for patients with CKD stage 3 and 4. Vegetarian diets usually contain between 0.6 and 0.8 g/kg/day of vegetable proteins and may be less damaging to kidneys. CKD stage 5 patients on dialysis need a higher amount of protein: 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg/day due to protein loss during dialysis. Patients on dialysis may require nutrition drinks or bars to help meet their nutrition needs.

Balancing phosphorus can be a challenge when choosing a vegetarian eating plan. Extra phosphate binders, if prescribed, may be required in order to include whole grains, beans and nuts. Also, for those on dialysis it is important that adequate dialysis is prescribed in order to control waste build-up in the blood.

Very little is known about the toxic effect of phosphorus food additives, preserving agents or taste enhancers in ready to eat and processed foods. Phosphorus is usually not included on the nutrition label but is included in the ingredient list. It is recommended to avoid foods with ingredients that include phos in the name. This isbecause 90 to 100% of phosphorus from the inorganic phosphorus (additives) is absorbed quickly and easily and therefore should be avoided. According to some studies by Kalantar et al., only about 50% of organic sources of phosphorus (beans and nuts as their protein source) are absorbed by thegastrointestinaltract. Because humans do not completely digest these foods, the amount of phosphorus absorbed from grains, beans and peas, and nuts is relatively low. Looking only at the milligrams of phosphorus in foods is no longer the best way to create a kidney-friendly diet.

Recent studies highlighted the concerns about phosphate additives and warned about sodium and potassium content. It is especially important for vegetarians as most textured protein foods are preserved and have high sodium content. It is important to read nutrition labels for sodium content. Sodium and potassium should be limited to 2000 mg/day for most patients on hemodialysis.

If you are interested in starting a vegan or vegetarian diet, or if you are already following one, your dietitian can help. They can help determine your nutrient needs, and if your current intake is adequate. They can help adapt your eating plan for different stages of CKD to be sure you build a balanced vegetarian diet.

Try one of these kidney-friendly vegetarian dishes from DaVita.

Crunchy Tofu Stir Fry

Roasted Red pepper, Basil and Vegan Provolone Cheese Sandwich

Zucchini, Black Bean and Rice Supper

For more information and a sample menu read The Vegetarian Diet and Chronic Kidney Disease and Building a balanced vegetarian diet, a Nephrology News and Issuesinterview with Chhaya Patel.

Reference: KalantarZadeh et al; Understanding Sources of Dietary Phosphorus in the Treatment of Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 5: 519-530, 2010.

Read the original post:

Building a Balanced Vegetarian Kidney Diet - Kidney Diet Tips

A man who has enlightened the world through his books and talks. A man known to the world as a spiritual guru. This man is called Eckhart Tolle, and if you are familiar with his work, then you may have read his first book, The Power of Now.

If you have not heard of Eckhart Tolle, let me introduce you:

Born in Germany, Eckhart Tolle, whose real name is Ulrich, is a man who lived in a state of almost continuous anxiety his whole life. His thoughts were mainly negative, as was his own sense of identity. He worked hard academically and tried to prove his success to the world, but there was always a dark cloud hanging above him.

Then, one night, he had a horrible dream filled with many negative thoughts and emotions. When he awoke, there was a sense of disidentification. He started thinkingif his mind had been dreaming and thinking all those negative thoughts, then who was observing it? He couldnt be his mind and the observer. That meant there must be two of him. The mind (or the ego) and his own sense of self.

That one thought completely changed his life.

After that night, Eckhart Tolle lived each day in a total state of bliss.

Every single day, for two years, he would sit on a park bench. No phone, no book, just his own presence: totally at peace and in the moment. Eventually, curiosity got the better of people, and they started to ask questions: Why does he come here every day? How is he so peaceful? What is his secret?

His behaviour went viral, and it wasnt long before a new spiritual leader was born.

In 1997, his first book about enlightenment, The Power of Now,hit the shelves. I first read it in 2008, way before I even knew what enlightenment was. The second time I picked up that book again was in 2016, after Id faced challenges of my own, disguised as my own awakening.

This time, I could not put it down.

I understood almost every word and would pause between chapters to really let the wisdom sink in.

Eckhart Tolle believes there are two types of people in this world today.

There are the conscious beingsthe awakened souls, who are aware of their thoughts and surroundings and less identified with their minds or egos. Then, there are the ones who are not conscious, nor awakened. Eckhart refers to this as unconsciousness. Unconscious people are identified with their thought processes and emotions and tend to come from the egoic mind rather than from the heart.

Become conscious of being conscious. ~ Eckhart Tolle

In Eckhart Tolles second book,A New Earth, he talks mostly about an ego-based state of consciousness and how it operates, referring to it as an ID (identification with the ego, or egoic mind). The egoic mind likes to interpret events and experiences as a personal, and likes to judge and criticise ourselves and others. Though we have evolved from prehistoric times when our ancestors were living in caves, our egoic mind still likes to try and keep us safejust in case that saber tooth tiger is still hiding around the corner.

Ego takes everything personally. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart Tolle strongly believes that all of life is right now, the present moment. When we start to think about tomorrow, we miss the beauty that is in front of us today. When we think about the next moment, we spoil the one we are in. Our minds are full of clutter every day telling us we have to be busy, that we cant be present because we have too much to do. This is just an illusion, as time is all we have. It doesnt take much to stop what you are doing, look up, and appreciate all that is around you.

In todays rush, we all think too much, seek too much, want too much, and forget about the joy of just being. ~ Eckhart Tolle

When we feel pain, it is generally because we have identified with a thought, emotion, or feeling of a past wound. Eckhart Tolle believes the pain body is a negative energy field that occupies our mind and body. He refers to it as the emotional pain body and describes it as a psychic parasite that feeds on any experience that relates to its own negative energy, anything that creates further anger, grief, destruction, illness, and even violence.

The only way you can dissolve the pain body is to accept that it is there. Dont judge yourself out of it; stay present, take deep breaths, and continue to observe what is happening to you.

Understanding your pain body dissolves your pain. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Do you ever wonder why you feel such enormous love for your pet when youre around them? This is because an animal does not judge. Just looking at a dog makes its tail wag. It simply thinks life is good. There is no story of why life is good, it just is.

When a dog or cat looks at you, its not wondering what kind of person you are; there is no judgement at all. In fact, our pets can teach us many things about staying aware and in the now, which is why Eckhart Tolle strongly believes that pets can help their owners stay in in the present moment.

Its so wonderful to watch an animal, because an animal has no opinion about itself. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Did you know that laughter breaks the ego? Laughter has been shown to reduce stress hormones, such as cortisol and epinephrine, and add a boost of serotonin, the feel good hormone. It is the best antidote, helps bring us back to the present, and lets us step away from any thinking and doing, even for a minute. I know after a fit of giggles, I feel happy, warm, and enormous joy for the moment I am in, which is why they say that laughter is the best medicine.

Life isnt as serious as your mind makes it out to be. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Eckharts teachings have been spread all over the world.

He has become an influential leader, attracting the likes of Jim Carrey, Russell Brand, and even Oprah, who became his number one supporter. There was something about this mans work that resonated with many other people, including myselfand after seeing him speak live earlier this year, I want to share his wisdom with others.

~Author:Naomi WengierImage: Authors Own;Surian Soosay/FlickrEditor: Catherine MonkmanCopy Editor: Yoli Ramazzina Social Editor: Callie Rushton

Link:
6 Potent Teachings from Eckhart Tolle. | elephant journal

George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff13 January 1866? - 29 Oct. 1949

Gurdjieff was a True Spiritual Master and Mystic of the 20th century, an extraordinary man whose teachings deal with the most important existential questions about the meaning and purpose of human life. He lived during a period of political and social unrest and could realize that most of humanity had long stopped functioning in a harmonious way due to difficult social conditions.After many years of personal search and spiritual practice, Gurdjieff managed to enter the essence of ancient traditions, and find the lost answers that preexisted all known religions and systems of faith. He presented them in such a way as to make them understandable and more easily accessible to the modern man of the West.

Gurdjieff's spiritual method of self-awareness was called by his student P.D. Ouspensky "The Fourth Way," because in it, Gurdjieff incorporated the intellectual, emotional and physical aspects of self-development, instead of separately working on each one of them. In order to achieve this, he not only used lecturing and writing, which appeal to the mind, but also music to wake up emotions, along with dance and movement to stimulate the body. But Gurdjieff was not a theorist. As Dr Kenneth Walker said "Gurdjieff was a living example of the outcome of his own teaching, which he summed up in the words 'the harmonious development of man.'"

His students and followers thought of Gurdjieff as an enlightened man, and when, in his lectures, he referred to Jesus, his students could only think of Gurdjieff, himself as a messenger from God, too. For his students, Gurdjieff was their Jesus, and they felt they were his apostles, who had to spread his teachings all over the world.

George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff was born in Alexandropol, modern-day Gyumri, in Armenia, Russian Empire, on January 13th, most probably in 1866, but 1872 and 1877 have also been mentioned as the years of his birth. His father, Georgios Georgiadis, who was a carpenter, was of Greek origin and his mother was Armenian. Gurdjieff grew up in the town of Kars and from an early age, he showed a keen interest in the ancient scripts and in the paranormal.

Most of the facts about his first adolescent and adult years come from Gurdjieff's own accounts in his book Meetings with Remarkable Men, which is the second volume of his trilogy All and Everything. The book cannot be considered as purely autobiographical, and Gurdjieff prefers to concentrate on events rather than dates. However, after 1912, when Gurdjieff arrived in Moscow, dates concerning his life are regarded as accurate.

As a young man, he took part in several pilgrimages to holy places, monasteries and saints' tombs hoping to find answers to his questions about human existence, and with the money he earned from working at the railway station of Tiflis, he bought a large number of old Armenian books searching for ancient mysteries. After that, he travelled to Egypt, the Middle East and Central Asia, reaching as far as The Gobi Desert and Tibet, trying to find the hidden knowledge of the ancient sages.

He started teaching in Moscow in 1913, and attracted several students who were interested in his ideas on human nature and his system for spiritual development. Because of the political upheaval of the time, and the Bolshevik Revolution, Gurdjieff had to change several cities in Russia, and in 1920, Gurdjieff, his student Uspensky, and the composer Thomas de Hartmann, moved to Istanbul, Turkey, where they paid frequent visits to the monastery of the Mevlevi Order of Sufis to attend the ceremony of The Whirling Dervishes. From Istanbul, Gurdjieff travelled to various European cities, lecturing and presenting his work, before establishing the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man in Paris, in 1922.

In 1924 and 1925 Gurdjieff travelled to North America, and large audiences were attracted to his lectures. After the death of his wife in 1926, Gurdjieff stayed in Paris and wrote his trilogy All and Everything. During the Second World War, he remained in Paris and in spite of the hard times, he never stopped teaching and inspiring his students. He died on October 29th, 1949 and was buried at the Fontainebleau-Avon cemetery. His doctor, William Welch said: "I have seen many men die. He died like a king."

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Gurdjieff's ideas cover many different fields of knowledge. He was a mystic, a philosopher, and a psychologist who went deep into the human psyche, and came up with the realization that our apparent limitations are the result of our unwillingness to act and change in such a way as to be able to use the full range of our natural and divine endowment.

Cover design for the prospectus of the Institute for the Harmonious Development of ManDrawn by Alexander De Salzmann

Gurdjieff saw man under the light of his possible evolution. While psychology examines the man in his current state of existence, and tries to heal his weaknesses, Gurdjieff's aim was to help him develop his potentialities, become aware of his real nature, and "wake up from his sleep," by applying the proper spiritual practices which he called "The Work."

Gurdjieff believed that humans, in their normal, everyday state, are extremely mechanized with almost no degree of freedom, and that human activity is mostly reactive to environmental stimuli, thus leaving little margin for originality in actions, thoughts and feelings. He taught that humans who desire to escape this slumbering state, must first become aware of their mechanized nature and then gradually, replace mechanized thinking with true and potent levels of awareness.

According to his teachings humans consist of four different bodies. The first is the physical body which is the one that the fakirs work on, the second is the emotional body which monks use in their search for God, the third is the spiritual body through which yogis try to alter the nature of their consciousness, and the fourth body which is the "Master" or the real "I," is the ultimate goal of Gurdjieff's System, and it is the state of being that will liberate man from mechanization.

His "Work," which was an elaborately designed teaching methodology, included prayers, music and sacred dances, which he learned during his stay as a pupil in a "Sarmoung" monastery in Turkestan, and which he used to make his students increase their attention, fight laziness and daydreaming, and reach higher levels of consciousness. Gurdjieff considered those movements as a very important part of his method and sometimes he referred to himself as a "teacher of dancing." He had also choreographed a ballet called "Struggle of the Magicians," whose music and gestures came from the Tibetan monasteries.

One of the symbols Gurjieff used in his method for harmonious development was the enneagram, whose name comes from the Greek words ennea-nine and grammi-line, and which he believed to be "the fundamental hieroglyph of a universal language." Gurdjieff said that all knowledge and all the universal laws can be included in the enneagram, which is now believed to have its origins in the ancient Egyptian religion of the nine deities, as they were presented in the Egyptian cosmogony.

With the use of visual symbols such as the enneagram, the use of music and dance, Gurdjieff wanted to make his students understand that words were not the only means of conveying ideas, and that the concept of man and his place in the universe went beyond the use of language. He applied an esoteric teaching which explained how to restore the lost knowledge and whatever was distorted in religion, and which could help men to develop their essence and get rid of the fake, artificial personality of an automaton, which is just a part of a machine.

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Gurdjieff knew that as long as man is treated "in the mass," world harmony is not possible to be attained. Since the world is a reflection, or an enlargement of the individual world, if individuals do not develop, the world will not be able to live in peace and harmony. Gurdjieff gave humanity his esoteric teaching of The Fourth Way, through which individuals follow the sacred, inner path of self-transformation that will eventually lead to a collective, new awakening.

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See the rest here:
G. I. Gurdjieff Famous Mystics Great People

DEDICATION. MOTIVATION. ACCOUNTABILITY.

YMCA Personal Training is a one-on-one, one hour time with a personal fitness trainer. Our personal trainers are educated professionals often with years of experience who can help any YMCA member including working professionals, new moms, seniors and triathletes. YMCA personal trainers come from as many different backgrounds and walks of life as our members do, and we take great care in matching members with the right personal trainer. Your personal trainer can then help you achieve goals through one-on-one attention, accountability and expertise.

PERSONAL TRAINING INQUIRY FORM

WE HAVE 74 NEW PIECES OF STATE-OF-THE-ART CYBEX, LIFE FITNESS, & HAMMER STRENGTH EQUIPMENT.

WE WILL CUSTOMIZE A WORKOUT TO FIT YOUR NEEDS!

Why hire a personal trainer?

All non-members who personal train at the Randolph YMCA must check-in at the front desk. You must fill out a Guest Waiver and then the desk will check you in each time before your session. All personal trainers will provide a list to the front desk of their clients and time of appointment. If you are not on the list, you will need to wait in the lobby until your trainer comes up to get you.

Read the rest here:
Personal & Performance Training | Randolph YMCA

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As well as helping you decide what to cook we can also help you to cook it. From tips on cookery techniques to facts and information about health and nutrition, weve a wealth of foodie know how for you to explore.

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Presence through Movement is a way to step more fully into the expression of your authentic self, that is who you are in your essence. In this practice, we use the vehicle of the physical form as a gateway to aligning body, mind, and individual soul with the one consciousness or spirit which we are all a part. It is designed with the aim of accelerating our spiritual awakening process.

Kim Eng created Presence through Movement (PTM) inspired by an intuitive impulse that arose during formal sitting meditation. Originally emphasizing body-based practices such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Yoga, PTM has evolved into a multifaceted approach combining the teachings of Kims partner, Eckhart Tolle, with movement, meditation, contemplation, and self inquiry.

How does it work? As Kim explains, When our sense of well-being is compromised with stress, negativity, and fear, our bodies become contracted and energetically out of alignment. This contraction and misalignment affects us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Presence through Movement helps you become more aware of your inner reality, including your emotions, as well as your mind and its thought processes that may have contributed to the dis-ease. As a portal to the formless dimension within, PTM enables us to return to wholeness and inner balance, resulting in an ease and flow with the present moment. It aligns you with your true nature, which is awareness or consciousness.

Originally posted here:
Eckhart Tolle 2018 Canadian Tour | I Am Genie

George Ivanovich Gurdjieff was one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. In his early years, he participated in expeditions that went in search of ancient teachings, partly documented in his book Meetings with Remarkable Men. His quest led him to a secret brotherhood, from which he seemed to have returned in possession of a unique system.

In 1910, Gurdjieff imported that system to Russia. He translated his eastern knowledge and experience into a language palatable to twentieth century western man. He called hisdisciplinethe Fourth Way, a blend of the three traditional ways of the Fakir, the Monk and the Yogi (read more about the Fourth Way). However, the Bolshevik Revolutionand the first World War forced Gurdjieff to migrate and eventually end up in France, where he opened his Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man. Gurdjieffs influence extended throughout Europe and as far as America, but the declining social order and World War II prevented him from further formalizing his organization. He was forced to close the institute and spent the latter part of his life writing books:Life Is Real Only Then, When I Am, All and Everything, Meetings With Remarkable Men and Beelzebubs Tales to his Grandson.He died in France on October 29, 1949.

Angkor Wat Temple

Gurdjieff was discreet about the origins of his teaching. He felt no need to reveal his footsteps. For one, he claimed that the wars had obliterated any traces of the schools with which he had come in contact. Moreover,his teaching specifically called, not for academical study, but for turning knowledge into practice. Gurdjieff himself had labored to acquire his teaching and had earned, so to speak, the rights over it. Such rights had to be earned anew by anyone meeting his work for the first time. While knowledge could be given, wisdom had to be earned. Hence, Gurdjieff, who had sacrificed much to obtain his wisdom, was reluctant to hand it over to others except at the price of labor. Once earned by any individual, the knowledge would become his own; he himself would become those ancient truths Gurdjieff allegedly dug up, a reiteration of ancient wisdom, a contemporary expression of a timeless truth.

The rest is here:
George Gurdjieff | Be Community | George Gurdjieff | Be ...

New research found that listening to yoga music before bed might help prevent fatal heart attacks. Buzz60's Natasha Abellard has the story. Buzz60

Pastor John Lindell of Springfield's James River Church delivered a sermon before Halloween about yoga's "demonic roots."(Photo: Gannett file photo )

A pastor of an Assemblies of God megachurch recently took aim at yoga, saying it has "demonic roots" and warning Christians to avoid the popular activity.

Pastor John Lindell told the attendees of James River Church in Ozark which has a congregation of about10,500, according to a 2016 report that the positions in yoga were "created with demonic intent to open you up to demonic power because Hinduism is demonic."

Members of Springfield's yoga community are now speaking out.

A Christian yogi says his practice has brought him closer to God and wants others to know that it's possible to do sun salutations while following Christ.One owner of a yoga studio said she's worried that small local businesses are being hurt. An instructor, feeling on edge after a Florida yoga studio was shot up last week, can't shake a fear thatsomeone might take the church's anti-yoga message too far.

They are takinga stand against the sermon's message, which they say is "ignorant" anddivisive, in a time when unity is needed.

"Yoga transcends religion," said Reggie Harris, who said five years of yoga has transformed his life. "Yoga brings people together in a heart of unity and love. You're teaching people to hate something that may help them physically, emotionally, spiritually."

Lindell delivered a paranormal-themed sermon the Sunday ahead of Halloween. Among other things, he warned congregants about the spiritual dangers of fortune-telling, Wicca, a form of paganism, and finally, yoga.

Pastor John Lindell leads a prayer service at James River Assembly in Ozark in this file photo from 2013.(Photo: File photo)

People might be shocked that the church was comparing yoga to the paranormal,Lindell acknowledged.

"That, to me, is an indication of how far our society has drifted into a post-Christian culture. Earlier, it would have been a given that yoga was inherently a form of eastern mysticism that Christians should absolutely avoid, but that is no longer the case," he said during the sermon.

Yoga is everywhere now, he said, pointing to the local YMCA's class schedule as an example.

Lindell explained that yoga's intent is to "raise and expand consciousness for the purpose of experiencing peace, energy and divine presence."

First, he addressed yoga poses.

"They were designed, they were created with demonic intent, to open you up to demonic power because Hinduism is demonic," Lindell said.

According to the government of India's Ministry of External Affairs, yoga does not adhere to any particular religion or belief system.

Lindell said the sun salutation, a common sequence of positionsin yoga, is meant to worship Surya, the Hindu sun god.

"To say the positions of yoga are no more than exercise are tantamount to saying water baptism is just aqua aerobics," Lindell said.

Then, he talked about meditation.

During meditation, he said, people clear their minds. Sometimes they chant a mantra, which can incorporate the names of Hindu gods, Lindell said.

He said it's "spiritually dangerous" for people to empty their minds.

"Yoga is diametrically opposed to Christianity," he said. "....Christians should stay away from yoga because of its demonic roots."

Lindell said he was coming from a place of concern for people's spiritual well-being.

Stop doing yoga, he told his congregants, and they don't have to be afraid.

"I can't say the same if you keep doing it," Lindell said.

Last Monday morning, only one person showed up to Heather Worthy's yoga class. Her night class only had four people.

At the Republic gym where she teaches, the words "yoga classes" used to be featured on the front door. By Monday, those words had been taken down, even though she's still leading yoga classes.

Worthy said many people at the gym are active members of James River Church, and she speculated that Lindell's sermon had an impact on them.

"It hurt," she said. "It could have been a coincidence, but it's interesting."

Worthy said some points that Lindell made about yoga made her chuckle.

"But at the same time, it's so frustrating .... the whole thing is quite ludicrous to me."

Worthy, who once worked at a church as a staff member, said in her experience, Christianity is "love-based."

"How can attack and cause harm if you are acting out of love?Especially toward a group of people or a practice that you don't understand... blatantly calling it wrong, and saying 'You're going to hell?'" she asked. "That doesn't fit my definition of love."

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Worthy said yoga is a necessary partof herlife. A severe car accident in 2013 left her with mobility issues and chronic pain in her back. She tried physical therapy, acupuncture andprescription pain relievers and muscle relaxers.

She didn't like how the medication made her feel.

"I'm a mom of two. I have a busy schedule and I don't have time to be a zombie," Worthy said.

What made the biggest difference was daily yoga.

"If I don't have a regular (yoga) practice, I can't function. I can't get out of bed, really," she said.

Worthy urged others to "find your truth" and not take other people's statements at face value without more research.

Stephanie Wubbenaowns Live Pure Yoga in Springfield and runs Goats and Yoga out of her Rogersville farm.She said Springfield has a "robust" yoga scene, which is reaching the peak of its popularity.

There are at least 15yoga studios in Springfield, the News-Leader found after an online search.

Stephanie Wubbena leads the class during Goats and Yoga on Herding Dogs Farm in Rogersville on Saturday, May 19, 2018.(Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader)

Wubbena made a rebuttal video to the James River Sermon about yoga and posted it to YouTube on Nov. 1. It's received about 500 views as of Friday.

Wubbena told the News-Leader her main concern is that the sermon is "going after small businesses."

"This is our sole source of livelihood," Wubbena said. "One yoga studio lost over 10 members the Monday after the sermon."

Wubbena agreed with Lindell on one aspect: that yoga has "pagan origins," she said.

But so do Christmas and Easter traditions, Wubbena said.

"The blatant hypocrisy was just so overwhelming," she said.

Like Worthy, Wubbena said people should think for themselves.

"In this political air that we have, it's really important to not be caught up in tribalism and not be caught up with listening to just because someone is a Christian or Democrat or Republican, to just do what they want," Wubbena said. "...Look some stuff up, don't be scared and intimidated and blindly follow, because all men are fallible."

Reggie Harris had plenty of aches and pains from his days as a Mississippi State University, then as asemi-professional football player.

He began practicing yoga five years ago to alleviate tightness in his back and hip muscles the result of old dislocations of his hip and shoulders.

Harris said yoga has helped with more than just physical ailments. Emotionally, he said he's less angry and less insecure.

For the 36-year-old, who grew up "old school Baptist," yoga has a deep spiritual side as well.

"I know my relationship with the Lord and my relationship with him has gotten deeper through yoga," Harris said. "....It took me to a whole new level. It made me open my mind up and question things. It made me look at things from other people'sperspectives a whole lot more, and it made me search differently for answers, deepening my relationship with God."

Harris said he felt "disappointed, hurt and angry" when he listened to Lindell's sermon online.

"When you start spreading venom like that, thats when it becomes toxic," Harris said. "Because peoplestart making assumptions about people who practice yoga. You think theyre evil, demonic. Thats the same rhetoric we created about Muslims in America .... That's not right. That's not bringing peace."

Harris said people should judge a "tree by the fruit it bears."

"I looked at how yoga helped a lot of poor people, people who were sick on the inside, had physical illness. I gave it a try. These are all the positive fruits of yoga," he said.

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Amanda Davis, who has been a yoga instructor for 12 years, said the pastor didn't have a proper understanding of yoga.

"Yoga doesn't prescribe to any religion, and I don't think people understand that so they get false ideas about it," she said.

On Nov. 2, a gunman opened fire at a Florida yoga studio and killed two women and injured five other people before shooting himself.

The gunman espoused misogynistic and racist views in online videos and had a history of inappropriately grabbing women.

It has put Davis on edge.

"It's really... scary," Davis said. "I don't really know if somebody is going to walk into the Y, and shoot us up, or one of the other studios we teach."

When Davis began practicing yoga 13 years ago, the public's attitude toward yoga was different.

"People started out a little apprehensive about it because it was new to the area," she said. "People didn't understand it. As people would show up and take the class, maybe do a little bit of research on their own, they realize it is not a religion it's a way of life. (It teaches you) to be a better person, to be charitable and to be mindful of your environment and the people around you."

Davis said yoga has made her life "a whole lot better."

"It helped me, not only physically, but emotionally as well to be a more balanced individual and be more at harmony with my surroundings and people in my community."

Davis said, in her opinion, the best thing to do is to ignore the people who denigrate yoga as "demonic."

"It's ignorant," she said. "It's hate speech."

Toward the end of his sermon about the paranormal, Pastor Lindell said he hopes people consider his words.

"I don't do it to make anybody mad. If I made you mad, that's unfortunate," he said. "But I have a responsibility before God as the shepherd of souls to say I told you the truth."

The audience broke out into applause.

In response to a News-Leader request for comment, James River Church provided a written statement.

The full statement is as follows:

"As a church our heart is to provide people with Biblical insight and teaching that will strengthen their faith and their daily walk with God.

"We would encourage anyone who wants to know what was said in Pastor Johns sermon Haunted: Pursuing the Paranormal to watch the message available athttps://jamesriver.org/sermon/haunted-pursuing-the-paranormal.

"The James River Church App includes additional resources for further study on the topic."

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James River pastor says yoga has 'demonic roots.' What do ...