Epress.am News from Armenia
The film “Eat, Pray, Love” starring Julia Roberts which hit the screen a few weeks ago has sparked concerns in India, reports Habertürk as well as various Azerbaijani media.
Yoga practitioners have expressed their discontent on the film. Founder of the Yoga Academy in India, Azerbaijani professor Akif Manaf has said that yoga is a system that plays a huge and important role in secular and scientific development, as well as for health, and has no connection with religion.
“Though the film is an adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s book and mentions yoga, it has absolutely nothing to do with that [i.e. yoga],” he said.
According to Manaf, the rituals and ceremonies depicted in the film, especially Kirtan, a religious practice involving chanting hymns or mantras, refer to Hinduism and have nothing to do with yoga. Yoga is a science like math and belongs to all humanity, he added.