Fr Peter Thiruthanathil

How long have you been practicing yoga?

Ten years.

What attracted you to yoga?

It was my personal interest to learn yoga that attracted me to it. There was a kind of inner call to do something in a spiritual way in a ambience of silence. I thought I would get it all in yoga.

Who were your masters?

My first certificate course was from Kaivalyadhama, Pune, Lonavala. I did my post-graduation in Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA), Bangalore.

Were you introduced to yoga in the seminary?

We had yoga practice once or twice in a week from a teacher during our philosophy itself, in Carmelgiri Seminary, Aluva. It was one among many activities. The authorities might have an understanding of the effectiveness in meditation and a well disciplined life in the formation period and also later.

How far did it help you spiritually?

First of all, there is an awareness creation. Indeed, I could feel the beauty of human creation, a well engineered body…the power and the possibilities of mind…the importance of silence and stillness… There was a rereading of the passages of The Bible with regard to the interventions of Jesus’ healing the sick. The beautiful combination of Jesus’ active days out and contemplative nights were a new insight and an inspiration for my personal life. I can manage to sit in meditation for sometime without any physical discomfort. I feel this silence empower me. It’s something to be explored and experienced.

Did you ever feel that yoga is something that goes against your faith?

Against faith…I didn’t feel anything during my course. Since it’s run by Hindu Organization, there were religious practices during the festive seasons. We were free to attend and it was optional. In this short span I couldn’t notice anything they teach against my faith. The organization had special gratitude towards us. I do remember the special reference of forgiving Jesus on the cross as an example of the real Guru. I could really nourish my spiritual life. Since I am a priest and I am strong enough in my faith, I didn’t see anything negative in yoga. They didn’t preach anything against Christianity in my three years of yoga study.

Was Christ introduced in the class as a model for yoga exercise?

There is a mention in the course about how we can attain natural peace. For that there is a sutra in Pathanjali, in which they normally give Jesus on the cross as an example. Jesus forgave those who crucified him, and that is the real spirit of yoga. In their eyes, He is a true yogi.

Speaking on different methods of meditative prayer in a document Cardinal Ratzinger says physical exercise alone will not take you to God. Techniques alone will not help you in spiritual life. How do you react to it?

Physical exercises attune your mind to meditation by sitting for a long time without any disturbance. Bodily postures are good for meditative prayer. The document also says certain postures can help you in prayer life. If there is discipline in body, then the mind will be quiet. If there is no discipline in your body, your mind wanders.

Can I attain divine grace or divinity with my own effort, my own work, my own exercise, my own will and decision?

Never, but the effort for it has to come from our part. I have to play my role. But God’s grace makes us perfect.

So, you do not believe yoga is an exercise by itself to attain divinity?

No, never.

Have you adapted yoga to a Christian frame work?

Word became flesh. Jesus incarnated in human body. We are the embodiment of God. So we have to respect our own body. As St Paul puts it, You are the temple of God. Disrespect towards the body invites diseases. Most of our prayer time is consumed for the healing of the body. Normally we have two appeals – ‘sukhaprapti and dhukhanivrti’; and this is very much physical. Exercises make us healthy. Let us be always positive.

That is exactly what the doctrine of Pelagianism teaches, attaining divine power or holiness by one’s own effort alone, self redemption, isn’t it?

Yeah, that is it.

Is there any condemnation of yoga anywhere in the Vatican documents? How do you see the negative perspective on yoga given by the Syro-Malabar Doctrine Commission?

I just went through the document in Malayalam. It is mentioned there that you can use it for physical and mental benefit, but you should not use it as a means for spiritual attainment. Personally, I believe you can have an improvement in your spiritual life with yoga through the discipline it offers. Once the physic and the mind are disciplined, you can certainly advance in spiritual life too. By prayer I don’t mean sounds and noise. In our childhood, we pray rosary and so on, but growth in prayer happens in silence. Jesus’ public ministry had two phases: during the day time He was very active in public, eating with the people, healing, preaching and  roaming around but during the night He was alone in the mountains praying in silence. Clubbing of contemplation and action should be there in our life. In prayer life there should be discipline. For that you have to perform certain exercises. Bodily exercises will not alone take you to God, but they are helpful for it as a means of concentration, as a means of silence. Physical health, mental steadiness, lightness of body and positive mind are some of the benefits of yoga. One becomes disciplined physically and mentally. This discipline can enhance our prayer life. I believe personally, silence as the sign of growth, especially in spiritual life.

Has yoga made a difference to your life and to the lives of those whom use it to help?

A positive attitude towards life, feeling of high confidence level, alertness and awareness in food selection, love of nature, introspection, importance of both physical and mental health and the exercises are some of the differences I notice. Attitudinal healing takes place in many areas.

Don’t you think that we should also approach yoga of the Hindu tradition in a positive manner, as far as we can?

Ten thousand years ago, at the beginning of human civilization, there were images and carvings of the kind we see in the Indus Valley Civilization. That was before religion came into existence. So yoga was a part of a very ancient society, predating even Hinduism as we know it. We don’t have to confine yoga to a particular religion.

The Vatican II documents speaks of “the rays of truth” and “the seeds of the Word of God,” whether they are in religion or in any other culture. Do they not apply to yoga also?

We should take a positive approach rather than a negative one. Only then will those rays shine on us. We should not mix them with religion.

The Hindutva protagonists are trying to use yoga as a means of spreading their ideology. Isn’t that a problem?

I don’t think Indian Christians have an inclination for Hindutva and its agenda. But as for the Westerners, they come to some Indian ashrams, take Hindus names and perform pujas, having little idea what Hindu rituals mean.

That means they succumb to the temptation of something they see as exotic. Yoga is then doing harm to them, doesn’t it?

There is a possibility of being misled.