«Breaking News» Vicar bans yoga classes at his church hall due to its Hindu origins

An Anglican vicar has sparked outrage after banning yoga classes from his church hall - because of its 'religious connotations'.

Instructor Melissa Makan had held sessions of Yoga Nidra - a relaxation practice with Hindu and Buddhist origins - for the last seven months.

However, she got a text 'out of the blue' ending her weekly sessions at the hall of St John the Baptist church in Halifax, West Yorkshire, which regularly attracts up to 17 people.

Instructor Melissa Makan had held sessions of Yoga Nidra - a relaxation practice with Hindu and Buddhist origins - in the hall of St John the Baptist church in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Both these images are undated 

Ms Makan, 37, said the vicar of St John's, the Rev James Allison, had discovered the sessions were being held in the hall when a friend of his wife attended a class.

She claimed that she has been banned because he is 'totally against yoga.'

The ban is not Anglican Church policy and decisions are left to the discretion of individual vicars.

Some half of evangelicals surveyed in Britain said Christians should avoid the activity, according to the Evangelical Alliance.

The Rev Allison, 57, later said several members of his congregation had issues with some yoga teachings and the ban followed a Parochial Church Council (PCC) meeting.

Ms Makan claims she has attempted to speak to the vicar directly to explain her classes did not promote Hinduism.

Ms Makan, 37, (seen in an undated image) said the vicar of St John's, the Rev James Allison, had discovered the sessions were being held in the hall when a friend of his wife attended a class

The instructor says she has been 'forced out' after being told the decision was final.

Followers in the west often use yoga purely for fitness purposes and Ms Makan says she purposely stays clear of spirituality.

Her classes utilise 'deep relaxation' techniques and encourage participants to slow their breathing to embrace mindfulness.

Ms Makan said: 'It's ridiculous. I've been teaching for about seven months at the church hall.

'I was told a friend of the vicar's wife said she had been to the class, the vicar found it out was yoga, and he is totally against it.

'I was then told it's not just the vicar but also the PCC. Yoga isn't a religion. If I could explain it to him, or he could come and see it for himself, but they haven't tried to understand it.'

She continued by emphasising that her version of yoga did not include any ancient Hindu elements.

'My style and my teachings have zero Sanskrit words, it has no mantras, the language is completely clean and that's because I'm personally not religious.

Yoga classes taking place in Coley Community Hall - the name of the venue attached to St John the Baptist. Image undated 

'He probably knows more about Hinduism than I do. What he is doing is causing a division when the world is already so divided, he is openly saying that's ok. I just think, what are you representing?

'Even if it does have Hindu origins, so what? Tea has Chinese origins, you could go on forever. Where do you want to start and where do you want to stop? People are people.'

The church's decision has sparked outrage from members.

Ms Makan said: 'It's ridiculous. I've been teaching for about seven months at the church hall.' Image undated 

Catherine Horsfall said: 'I have been attending Melissa Makan's Yoga Nidra classes since April and have found Melissa to be extremely professional, friendly and dedicated to helping people with relaxation.

'I am a working mum-of-two, my husband work longs hours, therefore, I get very little time to relax and therefore struggle to de-stress.

'I also have some medical conditions including a chronic migraine and chronic insomnia. The class helps me release stress and tension and has improved the quality of my sleep.'

The Rev Allison, who has been the vicar for six years, said there has been a debate within the Christian community for many years as to whether to embrace yoga, which has Hindu origins.

'We had a meeting and took the unanimous decision not to renew the yoga class agreement in the hall,' he said. 'Yoga is a rainbow of different experiences and some of our congregation have issues with some styles and teachings.

'We don't know enough about this class to pick our way through it. She is saying it is not a faith. Some open-mind meditation can be unhelpful to certain people and great care has to be taken over how it is taught.

'We've got no reason to doubt the teacher, but much like in the case of not allowing gambling or alcohol in the community hall, we can't be responsible for that.'

The Rev Allison also insisted he hadn't 'kicked [the group] out' but had allowed them time to find a new venue.

The classes will resume at Wade House Community Centre in neighbouring Shelf. 

Link hienalouca.com

https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/15/vicar-bans-yoga-classes-at-his-church-hall-due-to-its-hindu-origins/
Main photo article An Anglican vicar has sparked outrage after banning yoga classes from his church hall – because of its ‘religious connotations’.
Instructor Melissa Makan had held sessions of Yoga Nidra – a relaxation practice with Hindu and Buddhist origins – for the last seven...

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