Yoga, Pole Dancing, and other "Christian" workouts

A while back I posted my thoughts about Yoga, and how I felt that it really wasn't the best type of workout for Catholics to be doing. My point wasn't that there was anything intrinsically wrong with the physical movements, but that if you actually did Yoga the way it was supposed to be done in both a physical and meditative way, you would be doing things that were against the teachings of the Church. The Church in fact wrote a "dialogue" about this issue in 2003 titled: Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life. They were critical of "New Age" practices and warned against delving to deeply into these practices, especially ones that are meditative or psychological in the sense that they transform or transcend the mind to some different "place."

I recently had, or attempted to have, this conversation with some folk. Their argument was: "I don't do the mental aspects of yoga." I brought up breathing and meditation, and the argument was that "the breathing wasn't associated with anything but the physical." The whole "the body is a temple" argument was heavy on the lips. I started to think that maybe I was over thinking this one.

But then I found a story about a Christian woman, former stripper, that teaches other Christians a workout regiment - solely physical and "for Jesus." What is this physical workout? Pole Dancing. Now again, she requires you to bring a Church Bulletin, and says the class is dedicated to Jesus.

So my question is... what do you all think? Are they the same? Different? Is one ok and not the other? Why?

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The essential element in Christian faith, however, is God's descent towards his creatures, particularly towards the humblest, those who are weakest and least gifted according to the values of the “world”. There are spiritual techniques which it is useful to learn, but God is able to by-pass them or do without them. A Christian's “method of getting closer to God is not based on any technique in the strict sense of the word. That would contradict the spirit of childhood called for by the Gospel. The heart of genuine Christian mysticism is not technique: it is always a gift of God; and the one who benefits from it knows himself to be unworthy”. -Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Orationis Formas, 23.

(h/t: Creative Minority Report )


•««UPADATE»»•
Father Z. has posted about YOGA as well... hmm.

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