Monday, September 17, 2007
Christians Priests Ignorant Of
Yoga', says Father John Ferreira, an Indian Catholic Priest from India
By James Varghese
Special to ASSIST News Service
AGRA, RAJASTHAN, INDIA (ANS) -- According to the news carried on
the Indo Asian News Service website (www.eians.com), Roman
Catholic priest, Father John Ferreira, principal of St. Peter's College in
Agra, one of India's oldest educational institutions, says Christian priests in
Britain are completely ignorant about yoga.
"They know nothing about yoga. They should first study and experience the
benefits of
He was referring to
the uproar in
Not sex, but yoga education,
is the need of the hour, Ferreira said, speaking after a half-hour yoga class
at an assembly attended by over 1,500 students, teachers and office assistants.
The yoga session is held every school day.
"Morning hours
are pure hours," says the father as the students do "pranayam" and "kapal bhati" (breath control and
other exercises in yoga). For a moment it looks like Baba Ram Dev's class, but with a difference. The mentor is clad in a
priestly gown and speaks in soft, chaste English.
"When I started
these yoga exercises a month ago, there were natural reservations and
opposition from students as well as parents. But I persisted. Now they all
congratulate me because some have stopped suffering from colds and allergies
while others are feeling more energetic," says Ferreira, who dislikes
students with stooping shoulders, obese or sickly postures.
"I want them
to walk straight, with chest out, shoulders raised and head held high. At their
age they should be a bundle of energy. Unfortunately, parents have no time for
their kids and there is nobody around for guidance," he says.
Denying charges
that students have been regularly fainting during the assembly workout,
Ferreira said: "Yes, some students had tried to fake fainting, but I
called them over along with their parents. Now they are positively responding
to yoga exercises."
Ferreira is against
the introduction of sex education in schools. And he wants yoga education to be
made compulsory.
"They will
learn about sex when the time comes. It is nature's design. But at the school
we must see that their body and mind are in fine shape and they are spiritually
strong to face the world. We must go for holistic lifestyles in tune with the
rhythms of nature," he said.
According to him,
humans can be compared with the six strings of the guitar. The six strings are
body, mind, spirit, family, work and social life.
"If one string
snaps, all others would be affected. Nature has given us so much. Look around.
Sickness can be controlled through fasting, eating fruits and vegetables.
Fruits can detoxify the body," he said.
Unconcerned about
what his fraternity thinks about him, Ferreira is on a mission.
"I have
personally benefited a lot from yoga. Till 1981 I was a sick man regularly
visiting doctors and hospitals. Now, after rigorous training and studies in
yoga, I am as fit as a teenager ready to take on anyone," he says.
His fervent appeal is to make yoga compulsory in schools. "Forget sex
education. First develop the mind and body, increase powers of mind control and
concentration!"
No wonder over
3,000 students of his college coming from elitist backgrounds have begun
listening to him. Even the doubting Thomas's among the
teachers are getting involved - slowly but surely.