Dear Brother Ignatius,

I am trying to find some reliable guidance on what distinguishes a yoga posture from a legitimate stretch (as part of a warm-up or cool-down after exercising). Over the years, I have participated in cross-country running, basketball, ballet, tap dance, choreography, and fencing. I also have had the misfortunate to take some yoga classes, which I ceased after experiencing a frightening spiritual experience and subsequently learning how dangerous that practice is.

Some yoga postures are clearly specific to yoga, and I know to avoid them. Unfortunately, many warm-up/cool-down stretches that I already knew from sports and dance programs seem almost identical to what was being done in my yoga class. Because that particular yoga class was supposedly to "stretch and strengthen", I don't know whether the teacher had incorporated "regular" stretching and physical therapy moves into the yoga class, or whether everything technically was a yoga posture. (At one point, the teacher mentioned that a lot of modern physical therapy has incorporated yoga moves because of their success in stretching and strengthening various parts of the body, particularly the lower back.) So how am I supposed to tell what is yoga and what isn't?

In the limited research that I have done, it seems that every possible body position could conceivably be labeled yoga. For example, bending over to touch your toes with your legs straight can be called "Uttanasana" (standing forward bend), while sitting down and leaning forward to touch your toes can be called "Paschimottanasana" (seated forward bend). Both of these are extremely common ways to stretch one's legs before and after exercise, and are commonly used in dance, gymnastics, athletics, etc. to stretch the hamstrings. So is one inadvertantly doing yoga when one stretches this way, or there something else that makes common stretches such as these become yoga postures? Is it doing specific breathing exercises or meditations?

Because I am now afraid of inadvertantly doing yoga, I have been avoiding all exercise and stretching. I would very much appreciate any guidance on how to distinguish between something that is a legitimate warm-up or cool-down stretch vs. a yoga posture. This yoga teacher even told me that some stretches that I thought I had "made up" years ago to get relief from chronic back pain were actually yoga poses!

I don't know what to do when even lying down on one's back with one's eyes closed (as one might do before going to sleep) can be considered a yoga pose! It can't be that ALL forms of movement and stretching are now forbidden.

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Sincerely,

Jane