Nothing seems to get a heated debate started faster than challenging a Christian who practices Yoga on this subject.
“But I only do the stretching part.” I can’t tell you how many times I have heard this. This article is written for the sake of clarification and education on the practice of Yoga.
What is Yoga?
Yoga (/ˈjoʊɡə/; Sanskrit: योग, Listen) are the physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that aim to transform body and mind. The term denotes a variety of schools, practices and goals in Hinduism, Buddhism (including Vajrayana and Tibetan Buddhism and Jainism,[ the best-known being Hatha yoga and Raja yoga. The term yoga is derived from the literal meaning of “yoking together” a span of horses or oxes, but came to be applied to the “yoking” of mind and body.- source
Yoga:noun a mystic and ascetic Hindu discipline by which one seeks to achieve liberation of the self and union with the supreme spirit or universal soul through intense concentration, deep meditation, and practices involving prescribed postures, controlled breathing, etc. a system of exercising involving the postures, breathing, etc. practiced in this discipline [2] – source
A Christian who studies the Word of God, should instantly see red flags and discern that Yoga and Christianity are not compatible. We see in the definition “Yoga is the physical, mental and spiritual practices or disciplines that aim to transform body and mind.” What does God say about transforming our minds?
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
Immediately we see a problem between transforming our minds in Yoga, and being transformed by the renewing of our minds according to the Word of God. As Christians, God wants our minds to be renewed, so we will be able to know His will for us. God wants us to be closer to Him. He speaks to us through His Word. He is our perfect Father.
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3)
We know that the practice of Yoga is rooted in Hinduism and Buddhism. As Christians, do we want to open up our minds to something that will transform us to be more like Hindus or Buddhists? Ok, when we see it in black and white, it seems unthinkable. But this is exactly what practicing Yoga is accomplishing in your life.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
Next we see in the definition – The term yoga is derived from the literal meaning of “yoking together” a span of horses or oxes, but came to be applied to the “yoking”of mind and body.
Another red flag should easily be seen by a student of the Word. Let’s see what God says about being yoked together:
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14)
The picture of oxen being yoked together is used by both Yoga and the Word. In Yoga, the goal is for mind and body to be yoked together. It’s a Hindu discipline to bring mind and body into submission – but to what end?
Were you aware that every Yoga pose is a posture of worship to various Hindu gods? In this way, the person is making offerings to millions of Hindu deities! Of course, these details are left off of the “Welcome pamphlet” in Yoga centers. People are coming there to stretch and relax and be energized, right?
The Kundalini Spirit
In an interview with Dave Hunt of the Berean Call (Dave is now with our Lord) the subject of the Kundalini Spirit was addressed:
“In spite of the advertisements and talk about health and fitness yoga’s real goal is to awaken Kundalini power, coiled like a serpent at the base of the spine, ready to spring up to manifest itself through the alleged chakras, (centers of universal force) of the body.” Now, what exactly is Kundalini yoga, or Kundalini power, for that matter?”
Dave Hunt:
“Well, to put it bluntly, it’s demonic. There is no way you can explain it physically, it’s a non physical force. There certainly is nothing coiled at the base of the spine, three and one-half times coiled like a serpent that’s going to spring up when you get in the proper state of consciousness, supposedly. This is the same occult power that all the occultists are in touch with, or try to be in touch with.” –source
In yoga, the student is told to empty their minds to prepare for meditation. An empty mind is exactly what Satan likes! Look at what God says about meditation:
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)
We meditate on His Law and on His Word. We FILL our minds with the goodness of our Father’s perfect and Holy Words. Do you want an empty mind, or a mind filled with God’s Word?
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)
We have seen the videos of holy laughter and other aberrant behavior in churches. Do we have to wonder from where the spirits came who wreak such havoc with children of God? Could it be that so many Christians are practicing yoga and are bringing the Kundalini spirit into their services? I have read that Hindus who knowingly seek out the Kundalini spirit, behave in similar ways during their worship. With the uncontrollable laughter and rolling about on the floor, it would be hard to tell the difference between them and a charismatic Christian service!
Over thirty million people in America practice Yoga. In the 1960’s, Transcendental Meditation came on the American scene. It was a time of self realization and finding the meaning to life within oneself. Society pushed God aside, and replaced Him with Self. Secular humanism is the new religion, and it has caused the moral decline of our society. If there is no God, then there are no moral absolutes, right? Unfortunately, this ideology has crept into the Church as well.
Christians Should Not Look Like the World
How will we persuade a lost world that they need to repent and trust Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, if we look just like them? God wants us to come out from them and behave and live like His children. When the world looks at us, do they see Jesus? That should be the prayer of each of our hearts – daily.
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1)
If we try to fit into this world, we not only ruin our testimony, but we put ourselves in jeopardy of falling away from God. Do you not know that the devil seeks to destroy you all day long? He is the accuser of the brethren. He is a liar and the father of lies. If we don’t cling to our Father and study His Word, we become prey for the enemy of our souls.
Yoga and New Age Practices
I have heard Christians talk about the evil of New Age practices, and yet they practice yoga. Somehow our churches have placed a stamp of approval on yoga. A brother or sister in Christ would never think of attending a séance or play with a Ouija board, or see a spiritist for a reading. But these same people will go to their yoga classes and enthusiastically invite others. It’s time for the truth about yoga to be told to your family and friends!
Writing this article will certainly not win me new friends. As a matter of fact, some may choose to ignore the warnings and consider me a bit fanatical. But hopefully others who have wondered about yoga, will be glad that they now know the dangers of it.
Don’t forget that the Evil one – the father of lies – the author of confusion – Satan, wants to take you away from the Lord. Hold fast to what you know is right. Turn away from evil. Cling to Jesus and His Word.
1 Peter 5:8
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Maranatha!
I don’t see all the connections you make but you have one or 2 good points.
I hope you don’t want to be like the holy name people who claim when you use the name Jesus or God you are praying to or worshipping demons.
That is an absurd statement, and clearly you do not know me.
Check out this Bible Verse.1 Corinthians 10:23New King James Version (NKJV)
All to the Glory of God
23 All things are lawful for me,[a] but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me,[b] but not all things edify.
Yoga is demonic but many don’t see it. In yoga, you empty your mind that’s not what the Bible says to do.Romans 12:2New King James Version (NKJV)
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Yoga is suicide it teaches people to die for reincarnation but that’s not what Hebrews 9:27 says.Hebrews 9:27New King James Version (NKJV)
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
Yoga is a doctrine of demons. Any yogi who teaches yoga will tell you yoga is Hinduism
I went to my Hindu Nanny’s Pundits house with her. He offered the meal to Krishna or some other Hindu god. I politely declined. I explained that my eating may cause someone to think I am endorsing gods I don’t accept.
When I was first a believer I liked going to yoga classes with my nanny better than hanging out watching TV or wasting money on movies looking at fantasy created by satan worshippers in Hollywood etc. The idolized sports games bore me too. I didn’t know many Christians. I did those exercises for 10 years every day. They helped. a lot with physical activity. I stopped for many years because I got too weak from chronic fatigue. Now the stretches help me not need a chiropractor.
I wouldn’t do them around you because your mind is weak but my faith and conscience is not defiled by any set of exercises I learned in high school and practiced on and off for over 40 years. It also wouldn’t bother my conscience to see a few movies now and then.
Buteyko breathing is taught by nurses to help get asthma sufferers off most of their medications. It’s no different morally than slow breathing in itself yogis practice which scientifically is shown to increase oxygen in the blood. When I had narcolepsy I could not drive without doing slow breathing to stay awake. I can’t do heavy labor without protein. I hope you don’t oppress people afflicted with certain conditions who use breathing exercises and stretches for their health.
1 Timothy 4: …and exercise thyself unto piety, 8 for the bodily exercise is unto little profit, and the piety is to all things profitable, a promise having of the life that now is, and of that which is coming;
Piety does not exclude exercise and exercise does not exclude piety but exercise is for this life and piety is for this life and the age to come.
“all things, indeed, [are] pure to the pure, and to the defiled and unstedfast [is] nothing pure, but of them defiled [are] even the mind and the conscience;”
I see people who will tell brethren with the Holy Spirit and power of our eternal uncreated father that they have a demon because they use the name God and Jesus. They are convinced and have plenty of scriptures to back them up.
If you see something that causes people to stumble don’t do it around them but don’t think you are a martyr because people may not like you for teaching legalism. It’s a matter of disagreeing — not of being liked.
PS If I went on a mountain top and meditated with a Yogi the Holy Spirit would still speak through me, I wouldn’t become possessed. When I close my eyes and still my thoughts our eternal uncreated father speaks to me. “Be still and know”. No demon is more powerful than He who is in me but all demons are more powerful than me in the flesh.
When I am out with my brother we go to the beach. I stretch with him in the sand and sit still with him watching the sunrise. That’s how my family is and people who helped raise me. Personally you and Geri sound a little superstitious in this case.
My friend is a Catholic. When I was afflicted he took me in to his home with his own family and fed me and was kind. In bible study the guys who ignored me, were cold and could care less if I was alive or dead. They were teaching about the Roman Catholic Church being the Harlot of Revelation etc. I agreed with them. I said “You know what Jesus said about the Harlot?” to them. They asked “What?” …”harlots will get into the kingdom before you”
People may not like me for this but I’m not religious and I don’t take it to heart when people don’t like me. I don’t like most people.
Doug,
Neither am I “religious.” I have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Lord and my Savior. Are you born again?
Geri if you don’t mind me saying I can talk about yoga till I’m blue in the face it doesn’t make my mind weak do you agree? What I know about yoga is its’s demonic and no Christian has any business dong pagan yoga stuff at all and wouldn’t you agree the Holy Spirit doesn’t like yoga either. But a lot of people don’t want to listen to the truth about yoga it doesn’t make them right they are blind.
Amen!! I agree w/bible guy.
This man is on thin ice, my dear brother. I may perform a bit of digital magic and make him disappear. What do you think?
You certainly are weak. Nothing to be ashamed of.
With your opinion of my freedom you falsely accuse me of not listening to the truth about yoga and being blind. When you are wrong you need to get others to agree with you. That’s how I see your last appeal to Geri.
Yoga for me is a good thing but for you it is evil. If I’m with Yogis I exercise with them but I do not eat food offered to their deities. Yoga is not a spiritual thing for me. I believe things are often what you make them.
In the Bhagavad-Gita yoga is also defined as “skill in action” and “moderation in everything” (avoidance of excesses). Today anyone can separate the yoga exercises from religion just watching youtube. You don’t have to join an Ashram to learn it.
There is a thin line between hypnosis and meditation. Many Christians pray and meditate hypnotically. There are yogis who came to believe in Christ who have strong minds and understand meditation as God meant it. For yogis or christians proper meditation is finding a still state of mind being still and understanding God. You can’t understand what God is saying if His words mix in with your own thoughts and come out twisted justifying everything wrong with you.
A friend of mine asked me “Is this bed post good or bad?” I said If it supports your bed it is good. If you hit an innocent person with malice with it it is bad. Just because you have the image of a demon on your bed post does not mean my bed post has one plus the image is powerless except if your mind is weak and it effects your mind.
Geri makes a good point not to go to yoga classes where people will see you and think you are agreeing to their religion. I only practice it alone and on occasion with a friend or brother who practices it but I don’t go too far. I witness to Hindu friends and family let them know exactly where I am coming from. For me yoga stretches and breathing is easy because I did it from childhood and I found uses for it plus, besides Buteyko breathing, not too many people are teaching breath control. When I lived in Christian communities I did the stretches and exercises they do except when alone.
I could see one who was into it in a wrong way not wanting to practice yoga just as someone who was an alcoholic staying away from a bar or any alcohol. I stretch for about 10 minutes almost every morning after I meditate. I learned to improve my childhood meditation from a Christian. I sit still and usually contemplate the meaning of the way Jesus told us to pray and whatever I become aware of I petition God about in the manner taught by Jesus. I do the breathing when necessary and have practiced the same set of exercises, except for about 15 years when I was too weak, for the past 45 years and all it has done is stretched my muscles and helped me be more alert, less sleepy, driving or get warmer on a cold day. No Hindu gods.
When I was first a believer I was approached by demons but this happens on and off in the life of many believers. We submit ourselves to God and resist the devil and he leaves. God let them know I was not theirs.
Geri did you see his last comment I am not weak we know the truth about yoga it bothers me that people can’t see the truth he’s blind. I don’t want to fight here sister but what can we do his long comment makes no sense and is crazy.
Everyone that practices Yoga IS practicing Hinduism & Buddism.
It’s funny because I agree with you 100%. Always felt yoga was suspiciously occult.
Hi Doug,
I usually do not comment on here, but wanted to reply to you. I was born in India into a catholic family. As is the norm back there, I had many hindu friends. I was introduced to Yoga once I started working. I used to do suryanamaskar and many of Swami Ramdev breathing exercises every single day. Growing up mom always told us that our God was not their God and like you, I always felt since I did acknowledge their God what I was doing was not wrong. In particular, one of the breathing exercises that was taught was to sit in the lotus pose and to clear the mind of anything and keep chanting “om” , since I knew that was a reference to their god, I searched the internet for an alternative and found “Maranatha” and would say that instead. I like you ( I guess), would make it clear to my friends that I was not interested in their gods.
My bubble busted few years back, when I was seeking the Lord for answers. I came out of yoga and Catholicism. I thank the Lord for answering me. All glory to our Lord Jesus!! I now know that yoga is demonic. I like you, would not have accepted that a few years back. See, once we are saved, the Holy Spirit indwells us and if we do things that are not acceptable to God, God is not going to receive it and we definitely do grieve the Holy Spirit. If God is not going to receive it, then we are ignorantly giving place to Satan to hinder our lives. If a saved person gets into practices like this, it definitely hinders our growth in the Lord and leads to backsliding and heartaches. I now realize I had been backsliding when I was into all that. I highly regard Geri and Dave Hunt as elders in the faith and their work has greatly helped me.
I ask you to seek the Lord in this matter and to show you the truth and to give you the heart to accept the truth and be obedient unto Him. One final thing, once you realize that this is demonic, you may come across demonic manifestations (as I did), make sure that you plead the blood of Jesus over you and against the forces of evil acting against you. May the Lord Jesus bless you and draw you to Him!
I believe I now have a relationship with Jesus and Lord God the father, like I never had before.
I agree with what you said yoga is demonic and I don’t even do yoga it doesn’t make me weak or give me a weak mind because I know the truth about yoga.
Gracy,
It is not fair for me to not be able to respond when my posts are up for everyone else to respond to but my last 2 posts were censured.
I have not had demonic manifestations from Yoga. Nor has my walk been better for the many years I did not do the stretches and breathing.
I can make a similar condemnation of Pharmacopeia as witchcraft related to the drug companies and think the same jive you think about me for Yoga about you taking Aspirin.
Hi Geri!
First off, let me just say that I LOVE your site; I found it in a search for “best Christian search engine,” which brought me to: https://grandmageri422.me/2017/07/28/tired-of-landing-on-liberal-websites-have-i-got-a-search-engine-for-you/
I shared that with some born again friends, who, as I am, are well-pleased with the banner you have on every page: “Absolute Truth from the Word of God JESUS HAS EVERY ANSWER”…Amen, Sister!
I’ve been a born again Christian since 1994 and a martial artist since 1978; hence, I found this article most interesting. I have never done yoga, and you stated the reason why here: “…every Yoga pose is a posture of worship to various Hindu gods…”
However, I have practiced Tai Chi for the past four years; I nearly wound up in a wheelchair, and had to have a spinal fusion in October of 2013. Practicing Tai Chi allowed for a super-rapid recovery; my neurosurgeon was amazed. I am now one of the instructors at the school, a school where we never teach anyone to “empty your mind,” since the owner and all the instructors are born again Christians.
Before I had back issues, I had my own martial arts school, an aikido school, although some aikido people said of me, “He’s not doing aikido! He’s doing combat jujitsu!” In retrospect, I should have just called it “Dave’s self-defense school.” That’s what I was doing, teaching basic self-defense skills to street cops and other ordinary citizens who were more concerned with defending themselves and less concerned with philosophy.
In both schools, I took techniques and analyzed them for their value in promoting health while subtracting out any Taoist/Confucian/Shinto connotations. For example, diaphragmatic breathing, once divorced from “emptying your mind,” is simply a way to get more oxygen into your bloodstream quickly and efficiently. As the Bible says:
“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” — 1 Corinthians 6:12
Yes, all are lawful for me, but not all are expedient, not all are helpful or beneficial; and I would never want my practice to cause a brother or sister who might be weaker in faith to stumble.
As Doug said here, “Geri makes a good point not to go to yoga classes where people will see you and think you are agreeing to their religion.” Basically, he is paraphrasing this verse:
“Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.” — 1 Corinthians 8:13
Doug, I hear you when you say, “I’m not religious.” Neither am I; neither is Bibleguy317; neither is Geri.
And don’t take it to heart or think anyone is not liking you; we wish only the best for you, and I believe we would all like nothing more than to see you in a strong personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
For as the Bible says:
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” — John 3:17
May the grace and peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with all of you,
dave
The devil will always whisper to the children of God: “It’s ok to go to Doctors! Just ignore the Hippocratic oath, caduceus and Rod of Asclepius” He’s a liar.
And let’s not forget the serpent in the medical symbols of healing and the brass serpent Moses used and that Christ our healer was lifted up like Moses lifted up the serpent.