A NEWLY-QUALIFIED shakti dance instructor was shocked after being told she couldn’t hold a class at a community centre for religious reasons. Our readers had their say on the News & Star website.

I can’t see how Shakti dance would interfere with St James CofE religion or change the way people would attend their church, any form of yoga relaxes your mind and body from daily stress, that’s all, as I attend regular yoga class religion has never entered my mind, time to allow this person to have her classes as the church saw fit to allow her, has someone made a formal complaint.

Jacknanna

Absolutely agree with Rev Jackson. Stands to reason you can’t teach something with “an essence of various religions” in a Christian establishment. Rather disrespectful to think otherwise. “Channelling goddesses” indeed. There is only one God. People are free to think otherwise but shouldn’t try teaching it in one of his places. I’m sure she can find somewhere else to hold her classes.

Mrs Bell

Just Googled it, it’s literally yoga and dance mixed. It has nothing to do with religion, the church is just making itself look totally stupid. What a ridiculous thing to come out with, the woman is teaching a stress free calming class not brainwashing people.

Katt1

Leaving aside the nonsense of banning yoga in a community centre I wonder where interfaith dialogue and ecumenical efforts have disappeared to. This is not somebody teaching devil worship in a Christian church. It’s Yoga in a community centre. It’s not much cop if it only allows in Christians.

Ian Grey

Here we go again with the usual suspects bashing religion. Human beings are naturally spiritual, even atheists, and therefore gravitate toward religion. If Christ is allowed to fade into the night, then something else will take its place. It doesn’t even have to be “religion” in the sense of “belief in a higher power”, just a political/spiritual movement that serves to rationalize why humans even exist at all, like Christianity was back in Jerusalem all those years ago. Something much more insane will take the place of the Church. Choose wisely.

CumbrianCaveman

What a shocker, religious types being closed minded miserable kill joys, nothing changes then.

Insert Alias Here