I did not want to write about yoga. Yoga is controversial. Lately I feel this need to avoid controversy. Apparently God has other plans for me since recently no less than five people asked me to write about yoga.
So here we go, yoga.
Yoga is an ancient Sanskrit word meaning union. It is an “asana” which means the “practice of posing or posture”. In Western culture the words are used interchangeably but that is not really correct since yoga is also comprised of a spiritual and emotional element that has its roots in Brahmanism which is the basis of modern-day Hinduism. The earliest practice of yoga is known to have taken place in the Verdic period, the time in which the oldest scriptures of Hinduism were written, art from that period depicts people in the various poses. Vedic hymns praise a divine power and the practice of yoga was to unite mind and body in praise and worship. Yoga evolved to include meditation practices and sometime near the year 500 BC the Bhagavad-Gita, or the Lord’s Song, was composed. It is the oldest known yoga scripture and is said to have come from a conversation from a Prince Arjuna and a god-man Krishna.
Yoga has eight basic principles, referred to as the Eight Limbs of Classical Yoga.
- Yama, which means social restraints or ethical values;
- Niyama, which is personal observance of purity, tolerance, and study;
- Asanas or physical exercises;
- Pranayama, which means breath control or regulation;
- Pratyahara or sense withdrawal in preparation for Meditation;
- Dharana, which is about concentration;
- Dhyana, which means Meditation; and
- Samadhi, which means ecstasy.
None of this sounds particularly harmful, does it? Hang on, we are getting there. The purpose of these principles is to reach for the divine. Except that the divine they are reaching for isn’t really divine at all.
“Yoga exercises are practiced to free the soul from the body. Some of these exercises were: to rid one’s self of moral faults, although there is no consensus as to what these faults are, to sit in certain, sometimes painful postures, check the breath, and reduce thought to a minimum by staring at the tip of the nose; to place the soul in a particular part of the body, and so gradually acquire mastery over it, or, rather, let the soul, the true self, acquire mastery over the body; to stave and learn to subsist on air or even without it; to concentrate thought by meditation, i.e. to think of nothing. Thyana, the highest state of which is the cataleptic trance samadhi, in which the mind is suppressed but the soul is in full activity. In this sate the person is a mahatma, a master-soul and can enjoy a temporary release from the body which it leaves to go roaming about, performing wonderful feats on material nature and controlling other less powerful souls. This latter was the secret of the Yogi’s real power and was supposed to be done by a transfer of soul. When the soul re-enters the body, the Yoga wakes and is like other people. By repeated exercises the soul can become so strong that is secures perpetual release from the body, thus, according to the older Yoga teaching, it flies to heaven where it enjoys great happiness, riding in a celestial car attended by lovely women and music; but with the latter Yogas, on breaking all bodily bonds it formed immediate absorption into the Supreme Soul.” (Source: NewAdvent.org)
Yoga was introduced to the West in the nineteenth century as part of an Eastern religion craze that was happening. It became particularly popular in America beginning in the 1930’s culminating in the 1960’s with the popularity of Maharishi Mahesh, the Yogi who popularized Transcendental Meditation. You may remember seeing pictures of him with the Beatles, who famously, spent a weekend in his ashram learning about TM.
There is nothing there that we, as Catholics, should be a part of. Unfortunately, yoga is wildly popular in our culture and classes are available in schools, community centers, churches and every fitness center you walk into.
So let’s boil this down. Yoga is a part of the Hindu religion that has expanded to include many New Age beliefs that is disguised as a harmless exercise program. There is no denying that yoga began as a prayer posture to praise and worship various Hindu gods. The postures all have Hindi/Sanskrit names which have great significance in the Hindu religion. The meditation portion of much yoga practice is designed to center people on themselves and to focus their energy on themselves rather than, what we as Catholics should be doing, that is resting in the Holy Spirit. It is a very self-centered practice and one designed, not to bring you closer to God, or even other people, rather closer in to yourself. The first words from a yoga instructor’s mouth will be to tell you to empty your mind. As Christians we are not called upon to seek mindlessness but rather to constantly renew our minds to be able to discern God’s will (Romans 12:2).
In 1999, while serving as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Father Gabriel Amorth issued the document “Some Aspects of Christian Meditation“ in which he warns Catholics about the dangers of eastern practices such as yoga, Zen, and transcendental meditation, saying that these practices have the danger of degenerating “into a cult of the body” that debases Christian prayer.
He also states that yoga poses could create a feeling of well-being in the body which could be confused with “authentic consolations of the Holy Spirit.” (Source: Women of Grace)
Yoga is problematic for Catholics because it makes us very comfortable with a New Age, cult-like practice that serves to draw us away from God. Spiritually it is incredibly harmful if the participant actually starts to fall into the nonsense espoused at many classes. Yoga is always referred to as a “practice”. This is a clear indication that it is a not for Catholics. Witchcraft and Wicca are also are also referred to as practice and everyone knows Catholics should not be joining covens for the interesting meetings. Were yoga truly just exercise it would be called a class or a program. I have never heard anyone call their treadmill a practice or refer to their practice of Zumba. They may brag about surviving it but it does not consist of an entire lifestyle, and a lifestyle yoga is, believe me. A profitable one for many, including that Marharishi, who became yogi to the stars and retired from public life living large on the proceeds of their foolishness.
Many argue that the physical benefits outweigh the spiritual dangers since the exercises are easy to do and build strength and balance. It is at this point that I must confess that I have taken yoga classes myself. I am a big fan of any exercise I can do laying down and yoga seemed like a lazy way to get fit. It is, in fact, pretty strenuous and since I have begun seriously researching the threat to our faith by the insidious arms of the New Age movement I realize how very dangerous the practice of yoga could be to people of faith. My own experience bears that out.
I had taken a few hot yoga classes (called Bikram yoga) and I didn’t really get into it because it was expensive and the class was at 6:00 am and I hate getting up early. Then I joined a gym (a popular chain) and noticed they gave yoga classes. The first class I took was given by a nice lady who merely guided us through the exercises, using meaningless to me, English names for them, focusing on strength and posture. I was impressed enough by the workout to show up for another class a few days later. This was taught by a man who had obviously bought the whole spiritual nonsense behind the practice and was not shy about showing it. He “OM’d” which is, I later found out, a sacred incantation to the god Omkara, he burned sage and waved it around and he spoke the Hindu names. He had a little gong that he hit an chanted to, it was very disturbing to me. I was outta there, long before the class ended. I have to tell you it was the creepiest feeling I had ever had and I was uncomfortable until I went to confession. I felt as if I were under spiritual attack while in that room with that man and whenever I see him I get the same creeped out feeling. I still go to that gym although I don’t take those classes anymore. I mostly work out alone now.
There is no physical benefit to be had from yoga that you could not achieve in any well run exercise class. All good excerise should begin and end with stretching and every trainer out there will focus on balance and building muscle tone. You could derive the same benefits from most classes given at most gyms without the whole “OM” praying to a Hindu god thing.
It is particularly important that young people, especially young women, be told that this is not a practice that will feed them spiritually. Like many New Age practices it is pretty and comfortable and given in lovely surroundings with nice music playing. It feels happy to be in a yoga studio and young people, whose lives are so frenetically paced, might find solace in such surroundings. The fact is that there are parts of the yoga movement which are actually cults that prey upon the young and uncatechized, stealing their time, money and eventually their souls. We must guard them against this, a difficult task, since it is so prevalent.
Not helping is the recent popularity of the book by Elizabeth Gilbert; Eat, Pray, Love which has young women seeking the kind of self centered peace that the author achieves in her narcissistic memoir. The power of her message is so compelling that, Julia Roberts, a Catholic, converted to Hindu while filming the movie version and had her children renamed with Hindu names. Seriously. This is such a shame and indicative of the culture we live in. It also does not speak well of Ms. Roberts intellect. Sorry Julia but people who jump into a religion because of an Oprah book club selection don’t impress me as being all that cerebral.
While the devout Catholic is probably not going to come to any harm going to a yoga class the question we must ask ourselves is why take the risk that the muck of a few thousand years of heresy settles in your soul? Especially when a good aerobics class will do your body just as much good.
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Thank you, Mary Ellen. This is very helpful!
Fr. Amorth was never a part of the CDF, much less the prefect.
I’m assuming you meant Joseph Ratzinger though…
It just goes to show that there is no such thing as enough proof reading, especially for me. I did mean, then Cardinal Ratzinger. Thanks for the correction!
Mary Ellen,
Thank you for sharing this. I’ve been aware of the controversy surrounding Yoga for quite a while now, and I’m still on the fence, even having read your article. I believe that you were, legitimately, probably experiencing a legitimate spiritual attack as a result of that particular instructor, and I’m sure that that’s reason enough to blow the whistle of caution.
You said: “The meditation portion of much yoga practice is designed to center people on themselves and to focus their energy on themselves rather than, what we as Catholics should be doing, that is resting in the Holy Spirit.” I think that, if properly informed, there is nothing preventing a Catholic in a yoga posture from focusing on God and Divine Truths. Moreover, when exercising, whether running sprints or bench pressing or Zumba-ing, often our thoughts turn to ourselves (and our heart rate, and the burning in our lungs and muscles, etc), so this turn internal is not inherently problematic either.
My wife has done yoga for a while, but she’s done it almost exclusively through DVDs, and always as a pilates-esque form of exercise, which greatly diminishes the harm of “Yoga-posturing-for-the-sake-of-exercise”, as opposed to a more “religious experience” of Yoga.
What piques my fence-sitting interest is another quote from St. Paul, when speaking to the Greeks of God, takes an entire pagan temple and turns it into a temple of the Lord (Acts 17). He lauds the Greeks for their piety in understanding there were some spiritual truths they did not comprehend, and then proceeds to tell them that this unknown deity commemorated in a temple was actually the God of Gods. He takes a pagan practice (a pagan cult, no less) and makes it explicitly Christian. So too folks like St. Patrick with the Celtic cross (which many believe to have predated Christianity’s introduction into the emerald isle), or even western society in general and the adoption of the wedding ring. If these are okay, then it is at least possible that one might “baptize” yogic postures and even certain forms of meditative practices, centering them where they ought to be centered properly.
Perhaps what is needed is for brave Catholic souls to finish the job of catechizing yoga, and then begin practicing it with a bit of frankincense, some of those bells from mass, and some Gregorian chant in the background!
There are some Christian versions of yoga that are out there, I know of no Catholic ones.
Certainly any Catholic can use any position they are in as a prayerful one as long as their mind and hearts are centered on the one true God. The point I was trying to make was that for people who are lukewarm in their faith or not practicing at all open themselves up to grave danger by accepting yoga a spiritual practice as well as an exercise. I find this particularly the case in younger people and I really encourage parents to forbid yoga to their children. It would appear by your comment that your wife merely exercises and doesn’t get into the whole culture of yoga. I would like to mention, and I didn’t in the article because it was getting ridiculously long, is that we should think carefully about spending our money on DVDs and books that support New Age-ism and the like. I mention it as an aside, not really specifically to your comment, it just always amazes me that Catholics will boycott anything that supports Planned Parenthood but line up like sheep to buy the newest Deepak Chopra book.
Thanks for the comment.
You are so right, Mary Ellen… How could any Catholic who is knowledgeable and cares about Jesus’ teachings assume positions of worship of other gods under any circumstance? How can they possibly explain this at the pearly gates? “I was just pretending for the sake of exercise?” Jesus said that we cannot obey two masters… Either we are fully Catholic, or not at all. Jesus was quite clear about how He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We can’t borrow from pagan religions while declaring ourselves followers of Christ.
Secondly, without going into detail, my very pious friend who was preparing to enter the convent got into yoga and transcendental meditation, despite all my pleadings against it. She thought that such a practice would help her get closer to God, as her mantra would be “Jesus”. It didn’t take long before she became posessed… Yes, bulging eyes, hair raising, incredible strength, etc. it took many exorcisms to help her, and she was never the same afterwards… She entered and left the convent, and went on to live with a man and have his children out of wedlock… These breathing techniques open channels to the occult by which demons can enter… And once they enter, their power and influence over you takes away your free will given to you by God… God respects your free will; the devil and his minions do not. They take advantage of the slightest opening you give them, and don’t let go… Your faith and desire to obey our Lord are inestimably compromised as a result, hence the reason Jesus warned us to reject idols, and the Church warns us against the use of pagan symbols or practices as openings to evil spirits.
And as you said, there are plenty of good alternatives, such as ballet, pilates, and plain ol’ stretches! So why this obstinate need to turn to yoga if it is in disobedience to Christ’s teachings through the Magisterium? Know your faith! … And decide which master you will follow… The choice is an easy one, with zero drawbacks. In fact, new studies show that yoga injuries are on the rise, and account for a significant number of emergency room visits each month. If your love for Christ’s teachings don’t convince you, at the very least, stay away from yoga out of common sense.
Mary Ellen, I appreciate the directness of your article. People simply need to be told. Satan appeals to our senses, and their is much sensory gratification to be had in this practice. Julia Robert’s conversion has little to do with her intellect, and much to do with her celebrity and being under the influence of the lie. Everyone loves Oprah Winfrey’s happy higher power version of global spirituality that sends all to paradise due to the fact sin does NOT exist in their version of theology. People need to be told the truth, and no authentic catholic should embrace any facet of yoga practice, unless they desire demonization. That is the truth.
Thank you for the support Amy.
I have problems with back pain that interfere with my daily life and ability to function as a mother and wife. The only thing that I have found that provides any long lasting relief is regular yoga. I’ve been to classes where teachers did “religious” things and I just didn’t return to those classes. If they are run as “exercise” classes and not as anything spiritual, I can’t imagine how there would be any harm in it.
Should I stop doing these particular stretches because they are related to a religion, even if I don’t do them in that context. Nearly every stretch is similar to a yoga pose, so should I not stretch at all? I’m not meaning this to be facetious, I’m just curious if that’s the point you are trying to get across.
Mandi: I am sincerely sorry for your back pain. I know how people with back issues suffer, my husband recently had spinal surgery.
Of course you should do exercise that relieves your pain. I would suggest first that you check with a doctor before beginning any exercise and realize that yoga has it’s drawbacks as does any exercise.
I see your point about the yoga being run just as an exercise class, since that was one of my experiences with it. In writing the article I just wanted to make people aware of the origins and the possible dangers of yoga practice so that they could make informed decisions.
I hope you find healing.
I think people misinterpret what it is to be catholic . many catholic philosophies came about via other cultural phiosophies, those being mainly European and especially pagan roman influences . being catholic does not mean being American catholic nor European catholic .You will see the true meaning of Catholisim come about now because of Interculturation . The church is trying very hard to mend the wrongs done by assimilation rather than true evangelization . There are many beautiful examples of other catechists who taught via Interculturation and some in fact who practiced yoga .ST. Teresa of Calcutta being one of them . As a catechist I have used yoga in my catechism class to teach children and many priests and other religious use this too . I have written an article about this as well and it is not catholic teaching to instruct others not to practice yoga .
I’m sorry to disagree but there have been at least two warnings expressed by the Vatican about Catholics taking part in the spiritual exercise of yoga. It has no place in a Catholic catechesis environment.
I would challenge you to examine why yoga is so important to you that you are willing to ignore the stern warnings?
I would be interested in knowing where you read that Blessed Teresa practiced yoga.
Dear Mary Ellen,
I was fascinated by your reflection on this last week and have been mulling over it since. It does seem to be a difficult concept to understand that the whole exercise part is wrapped up in the spiritual. It is real food for thought
Thank you
Blessings
Gae
Thank you Gae!
Hi Mary Ellen,
Thank you so much for writing this article about the dangers of yoga! I am a Catholic mom and an exercise enthusiast. A few years ago I purchased the P90X workout DVDs. I heard they were tough and I really wanted a challenge. Plus muscle confusion is a good thing. One of the DVDs is a Yoga workout. My Husband and I tried it and enjoyed it. Around that time a friend of mine asked, “You’re doing yoga? Aren’t you Catholic?” I didn’t know what she meant. She explained a bit of what she heard about yoga. I decided I better check this out. I proceeded to check with my Dad, as he was studying to be a Deacon and asked one of our priests. They didn’t know anything about yoga as they don’t exercise on a regular basis. I took away from our conversations, perhaps moderation would be best in this situation. Eventually I tried some other workouts that I enjoyed even more and I stopped doing yoga. Recently, I did the yoga DVD and thought, hmm, I don’t really enjoy doing these poses all that much. They feel uncomfortable and out of place. I’d much rather be doing aerobics or some good old squats and lunges. Thank you again for really fleshing out the truth about yoga. Your article has solidified my decision to stay away from it. Blessings to you in your workouts!!
As for Ms. Anti Yoga, I’d like to write a comment, but I need some time to think about a well thought out reply. I was taken aback by the article feeling that she made quite a leap from the underlying principles of yoga to how it undermines Christianity. I can’t help but think, ‘What would Jesus say about yoga?’ I’m also wondering how the practice of Catholicism is any different, as a practice, than the practice of yoga, which she seemed to highlight as one of her chief concerns: that it was called ‘the practice.’ Where is she getting this from? It is yet another sign of sloppy thinking in our modern society.
The ‘practice’ of Centering Prayer, akin to Transcendental Meditation, focuses the ‘practitioner’ on bringing oneself closer to his/her spiritual center, the place where the Divine resides. It is a personal, individual practice. It may be done in a group, or in the quiet of one’s personal sanctuary. It is intended to bring us closer to God by going more deeply into our spiritual core. I see no difference between that aspect of Centering Prayer and the practice of yoga, which allows the individual, through physical awareness, to find that same place.
I’m also finding it strange that Ms. Anti Yoga should seek to demean any religion simply because it calls its God by a name different from what she calls hers. Spiritual principles are either grounded in truth or they are not. When they are grounded in truth, they are universal and apply across all religious lines. All spiritual practices are simply a means of providing the individual with a path to his/her personal God. I would not expect anyone’s experience with God to be identical with mine, and neither should Ms. Anti Yoga. That, in a nutshell, is un-Christian and counter to the teachings of Jesus, as I understand them.
To put a fine point on it, the teachings of Jesus promote community and inclusiveness, not segregation and marginalization, as would be the case with Ms. Anti Yoga. Rather than seek to find ‘problems’ with the practice of yoga, it would be more Christian-like to find the common ground, and to see how both Christianity and Yoga are really ‘selling the same chicken to different pluckers,’ as the saying goes. To drive a wedge between the two is doing a disservice to both traditions, at the best, and is seeking a morally superior ground where there is no basis for such, at the worst. Her position is more mindful of a witch hunt than of a communion. What is she so afraid of? That’s what I’d like to know.
“I’m also finding it strange that Ms. Anti Yoga should seek to demean any religion simply because it calls its God by a name different from what she calls hers. Spiritual principles are either grounded in truth or they are not. When they are grounded in truth, they are universal and apply across all religious lines. All spiritual practices are simply a means of providing the individual with a path to his/her personal God. I would not expect anyone’s experience with God to be identical with mine, and neither should Ms. Anti Yoga. That, in a nutshell, is un-Christian and counter to the teachings of Jesus, as I understand them.”
I find it cute when people call me names. So very intellectual and highbrow of you. I think we could fill the head of a pin with your understanding of Jesus’ teachings (see, I can be snarky too).
I am curious about your characterization of demeaning. The piece merely states the reasons why Yoga and it’s New Ageism is problematic for Catholics. I’m sure it’s just fine for Hindu people. As for calling God a different name, based upon your vast knowledge of the teachings of Jesus I am sure that you must be aware that Catholics are the One True Church of Christ. Apostolic. Handed down from Christ to Saint Peter and on and on throughout 2000 years. Ours is the God of Abraham and Isaac. Those who worship in the Hindu tradition are not worshiping my God. Neither are Buddhists or Muslims. I realize it’s not politically correct but it is the truth.
It is also a mistake to blithely say that Jesus’ teachings promote community and inclusiveness. This is the secular world’s way of justifying any particular nonsense that is popular. Jesus’ taught us to worship and glorify God the Father. Jesus’ taught us to despise sin and to extend love and mercy to sinners, Jesus taught us the path to eternal salvation. Jesus was neither politically correct nor a wishy washy kumbaya community leader. He was God the Son and as such was intolerant of heresy.
Now, that, you may call a witch hunt. 🙂
I completely agree with this post. I also tried yoga once. I bought an “exercise yoga” video which my sister swore worked wonders. Boy was I in for a shock. I stuck it out for the whole tape. At the end there was this relaxing activity (kind of like a cool down) but I literally felt as if I was leaving my body. It was the creepeist, most eery feeling in the world and I never did it again.
Thank you Jennifer.
It is so refreshing to read an article on yoga by a fellow Catholic that actually exposes it for what it is. Kudos to you for tackling the controversial! This needs to be said! I know faithful Catholics who think nothing of practicing yoga, using acupuncture, iridology and homeopathy among other new age practices. The truth is, these practices have been accepted by society as to be viewed as normal and harmless when they are far from it. Whenever I consider trying something new, I always refer to the Vatican Document, “Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life,” which warns against specific new age practices. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html
Thank you AnnMarie. I should mention that the document AnnMarie links to is very clear and very readable for a layperson. It is written for us, to inform us and will give everyone great insight into the Church’s position on the New Age.
Mary Ellen,
Thanks for writing about this. Great post! Thanks for sharing the dangers of Yoga and how Catholics should not take it lightly even if it is popular and “seems” harmless.
God Bless you!
Thank you very much William, God bless you as well.
Thanks for this information! Yoga is so popular around here…wish some alternatives were as easy to find.
Thank you Barb.
Wow- you’ve definitely given me a lot of food for thought on this. I have enjoyed a yoga class for quite a few months.. it’s taught by a Catholic woman, so I felt like it was “safe”. She never tells us to “clear our minds”- which has always been one of my flags. Anyways- I appreciate this article.
Thank you for commenting Rita.
God bless.
I previously left a comment, but it doesn’t seem to have posted…
Kudos to Mary Ellen for tackling such a controversial subject. I have many devout friends that use new age practices without understanding or considering the dangers. This Vatican document is a great resource when evaluating whether a practice is new age or not. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html
Thank you Mary Ellen for saying “yes” to writing this article, which can be very controversial. You could have let fear hold you back because you don’t want to offend anyone or cause a “rucus” but I believe you are standing for Truth. The truth of God, our heavenly Father. We need more people/leaders/husbands/Fathers to stand for the Truth of God. Our world is being pulled towards worldliness and away from God. It’s happening in our families big time. Satan wants to attract and distract us and steal our souls away from our creator God. And I believe this is the case with Yoga. What seems to be “spiritual” and “happy” and “peaceful”, may really be Satan’s lure. What happened to turning to the treasure’s of our Sacraments??
There is healing and peacefulness and Joy in receiving HIM in the Eucharist and frequenting Reconciliation. And it’s FREE!!! We so desperately Need people like you to stand up for God’s Truth and are willing to put it out there. God has blessed you and will continue to do so.
Mary
The Catholic Church does not have a policy for or against yoga. Many Catholic churches across the United States do include yoga classes. These include St. Mary’s in Richmond, Virginia; St. Peter in Kirkwood, Missouri; and All Saints in Dunwoody, Georgia. Also, as noted in an article in The Times of India, St. Peter’s College, a Catholic college in India, greatly supports yoga. The school’s principal Father John Ferreira, other priests at the school, the Archbishop and the students all embrace yoga. A yoga hall was added to the campus and there are plans to include yoga in the curriculum.
https://www.americancatholic.org/news/report.aspx?id=3579
As many as half of America’s estimated 15 million yoga practitioners come from a Christian background. On Yoga Prayer: An Embodied Christian Spiritual Practice, Catholic priest and yoga instructor Thomas Ryan shows viewers that Christians can use yoga to experience their own faith more deeply and express it holistically.
Ryan seamlessly harmonizes prayers like Psalm 84, the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis, and the Beatitudes with vitalizing yoga postures to create a uniquely powerful spiritual practice. Ryan promises that if you have never experienced the physicality of prayer, a fresh experience awaits you. Produced by Paulist Productions.
Tisha: It doesn’t really matter who is doing yoga, they can’t make something that is a spiritual prayer practice for another faith Catholic. The Vatican has warned against yoga and deemed it dangerous practice for Catholic people. If ninety million Catholic people started doing it it still would not make it consistent with our faith. You sound like the people who justify the use of artifcial birth control because everyone does it despite it’s being a mortal sin. Things that are wrong are still wrong even if the majority is participating and things that are right are right even if only one person is doing it.