Letter to Editor
YOGA is an ancient practice from India that unites the body, mind, and spirit through physical movement, breathing exercises and meditation. Well, that’s the simple overview provided by Gemini (Google’s ever helpful AI function) when queried.
It is widely accepted that the series of stretching, bending and breathing exercises aligned with meditation practices are beneficiary to both a person’s mental as well as physical well-being.
However, the boom in popularity of this ancient practice has not gone down well with certain quarters in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
This has prompted JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) stepping in to officially pronounced that yoga haram if it involves non-Islamic (Hinduism-inspired) religious elements such as chanting of mantras and worship of deities.
However, this edict does NOT affect the practice of yoga which is limited to stretching and breathing exercises or any other techniques which are purely physical in nature.
JAKIM’s fatwa though has not appeased the somewhat divided and confused public. On one side of the divide are those who see this as more of a nanny-state involvement poking its nose into citizens’ private affairs.
An example of this split can be viewed on Threads with influencer @ninieyoga claiming that yoga is a healthy physical activity which she had campaigned tirelessly to overturn a ban against Muslims practicing yoga in 2008.
Editor’s note: @ninieyoga’s post has since been deleted.
Spiritual elements contradict faith
But as can be seen from the response, not everyone agrees with her with @happycamelhijazi countering that @ninieyoga did not speak nor represent all Muslim women in Malaysia. It was further pointed out that “nobody would die by not indulging in yoga”.
Threader CikyuSnida Yusof (@cikyusnida) took a swipe at Muslim yoga practitioners who are so adamant that yoga did not involve other religious elements when Hindus themselves have claimed that it is core to their beliefs.
This schism in opinions can be gleaned everywhere one looks on social media. A vehement yoga defender Hurul Zulkifli (@hurulzulkifli) urged detractors to try the many variants and forms of yoga that did not involve religious elements such as the power vinyasa technique before passing judgement.
Editor’s Note: Power Vinyasa is an energetic, fitness-based style of yoga that links breath with rapid, athletic movements. It builds total-body strength, flexibility and endurance through continuous, challenging sequences rather than strict, set routines.
Compare and contrast with views of those who are distinctly uneasy that Muslims are practicing this ancient art in the presence of religious or image of deities. It was felt by such conservative observers that such actions would affect a Muslim’s akidah (faith or doctrine).
Amid all the halal versus haram debate, there were those who took the opportunity to disparage, insult and make nonsensical claims about yoga, perhaps in an attempt to shame Muslims away from this supposedly dark and evil practice.
This in turn leads to a knee-jerk reaction from defenders of yoga and more specifically, the Indian community who feel that their culture and values are being attacked.
Of course, this led to the accusation that Indians are being overly-sensitive and that Muslims have a right to decide if goes against their religious beliefs.
Another point that seemed to continually surface is that many Muslims are actually benefitting health-wise from practicing yoga. This commenter outlined how yoga helped him greatly in recovering from a stroke and it involved no mantras, chanting or religious rituals.
As can be seen from the hubris on both mainstream and social media, this tired, old issue still has legs to createa stir. It is messy, muddled and leading to schisms in society.
While it is imperative that the official bodies such as JAKIM make its stance known, the surrounding noise is unhelpful and reflective of the times we live in.
Malaysians have become ultra-defensive and susceptible to the slightest provocation despite JAKIM clearly stating that yoga is fine for Muslims so long as there are NO religious elements.
But let’s be grown-ups and decide what’s best for ourselves without resorting to shouting matches in cyberspace to make a point. It is tiresome and quite frankly, unhelpful. – Sept 7, 2026
Bent Out of Shape Malayan
Gombak, Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
