Vicar bans yoga classes

A VICAR has banned yoga classes from his church hall for being a bit “culty”.

The Rev Canon James Allison (inset) of St John The Baptist Church near Hipperholme, told yoga instructor Melissa Makan that she was no longer welcome.

Melissa had been teaching weekly “yoga nidra” sessions at Coley Community Hall, which is run by the church.

Melissa, 37, said the vicar 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’ despite her insistence that they did not promote Hinduism.

Melissa said: “It’s ridiculous. I’ve been teaching for about seven months at the church hall.

“Yoga isn’t a religion. explain it to him, or he could come and see it for himself, but they haven’t tried to understand it. 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.” Mr Allison said the subject of yoga “was too complex an issue” so members of the church’s parochial council had decided to ban it.

He said: “We just don’t have yoga, just like we don’t have Ann Summers, gambling or race nights. We just don’t have it.”

He described yoga nidra, which has Hindu and Buddhist origins, as a bit “culty”.

He added: “The opening mind thing should only be done with great care.

“Yoga nidra does not look like an exercise, it looks spiritual.”

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