What is the Christian view of yoga?

For many Christians in the West who don't understand the history behind it, yoga is simply a means of physical exercise and strengthening and improving flexibility of the muscles. However, the philosophy behind yoga is much more than physically improving oneself. It is an ancient practice derived from India, believed to be the path to spiritual growth and enlightenment.

The word yoga means "union," and the goal is to unite one's transitory (temporary) self with the infinite Brahman, the Hindu concept of "God." This god is not a literal being, but is an impersonal spiritual substance that is one with nature and the cosmos. This view is called "pantheism," the belief that everything is God and that reality consists only of the universe and nature. Because everything is God, the yoga philosophy makes no distinction between man and God.

Hatha yoga is the aspect of yoga that focuses on the physical body through special postures, breathing exercises, and concentration or meditation. It is a means to prepare the body for the spiritual exercises, with fewer obstacles, in order to achieve enlightenment. The practice of yoga is based on the belief that man and God are one. It is little more than self-worship disguised as high-level spirituality.

The question becomes, is it possible for a Christian to isolate the physical aspects of yoga as simply a method of exercise, without incorporating the spirituality or philosophy behind it? Yoga originated with a blatantly anti-Christian philosophy, and that philosophy has not changed. It teaches one to focus on oneself instead of on the one true God. It encourages its participants to seek the answers to life's difficult questions within their own consciousness instead of in the Word of God. It also leaves one open to deception from God's enemy, who searches for victims whom he can turn away from God (1 Peter 5:8).

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Whatever we do should be done for God's glory (1 Corinthians 10:31), and we would be wise to heed the words of the apostle Paul: "Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise" (Philippians 4:8, NLT). A Christian should exercise caution and pray for discernment regarding involvement in yoga.

The Christian Claim about yoga:

It teaches one to focus on oneself instead of on the one true God. It encourages its participants to seek the answers to life's difficult questions within their own consciousness instead of in the Word of God. It also leaves one open to deception from God's enemy, who searches for victims whom he can turn away from God.

Response: Yoga which has its roots in the Vedas is all about union with God. In fact the word yoga denotes union.

Yoga stems from the Vedas - the Indian holy texts that were composed from around 1900 BC. The "eight limbs" of yoga are practiced as posture, breathing, meditation and correct living.

It becomes apparent, that Christianity is ever so ready to export its teachings throughout the world, but refuses to give the same acceptance to other religions. In fact because many of these teachings pre-date Christianity, Christians label them pagan teachings.

The great difference between Hinduism and the Abrahamic religions are: Monotheism in Abrahamic religions represents the denial of gods in God, while the monotheism of Hinduism represents the affirmation of gods in God. Failure to recognize this tempts the followers of Abrahamic religions into branding Hinduism as pagan.

What is Vedanta?

The Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York bases its teachings on the system of Vedanta, especially as explained by Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886) and his disciple Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) and demonstrated in their lives. Vedanta is the philosophy that has evolved from the teachings of the Vedas, which are a collection of ancient Indian scriptures -- the world's oldest religious writings.

    According to the Vedas, ultimate reality is all-pervading, uncreated, self-luminous eternal spirit, the final cause of the universe, the power behind all tangible forces, the consciousness that animates all conscious beings. This is the central philosophy of the Vedantist, and his religion consists of meditation on this spirit and prayer for the guidance of his intellect along the path of virtue and righteousness.

    From the philosophical standpoint, Vedanta is non-dualistic, and from the religious standpoint, monotheistic. The Vedanta philosophy asserts the essential non-duality of God, soul and universe, the apparent distinctions being created by names and forms which, from the standpoint of ultimate reality, do not exist. Vedanta accepts all religions as true and regards the various deities of the different faiths as diverse manifestations of the one God.

    According to Vedanta, religion is experience and not mere acceptance of certain time-honored dogmas or creeds. To know God is to become like God. We may quote scripture, engage in rituals, perform social service, or pray with regularity, but unless we realize the Divine spirit in our hearts, we are still phenomenal beings, victims of the reparative existence. One can experience God as tangibly 'as a fruit lying on the palm of one's hand,' which means that in this very life we can suppress our lower nature, manifest our higher nature, and become perfect. Through the experience of God, one's doubts disappear and the 'knots of the heart are cut asunder.' By ridding himself of the desires clinging to his heart, a mortal becomes immortal in this very body. That the attainment of immortality is not the prerogative of a chosen few but the birthright of all is the conviction of every follower of Vedanta.

    Vedanta asserts that Truth is universal and all humankind and all existence are one. It teaches the unity of Godhead, or ultimate Reality, and accepts every faith as a valid means for its own followers to realize the Truth. The four cardinal principles of Vedanta may be summed up as follows: the non-duality of the Godhead, the divinity of the soul, the unity of existence and the harmony of religions. On these four principles the faith of the Vedantist is based.

    The essential teachings of Vedanta, as stated by Swami Vivekananda are: "Each soul is potentially divine, the goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature: external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy -- by one, or more, or all these -- and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details."

Yoga an Overview

The purpose of this overview is to give the reader an opportunity to decide whether to embrace the Christian view on yoga or the actual teachings of yoga.

When making this comparison, please keep in mind that:

Christianity teaches that the only way to God is to repent of one’s imperfections (sins) and accepting Jesus Christ who died for our sins as one’s Lord and Savior.                                       

Jesus Christ provides a relationship with the Father and eternal life through His death on the cross and resurrection (Rom. 5:10).

Yoga claims that moksha or liberation can be obtained through self effort by performs the necessary steps that lead to Self or Soul realization. Paramahansa Yogananda’s  definition of Self realization: “Self-realization is the knowing in all parts of body, mind, and soul that you are now in possession of the kingdom of God; that you do not have to pray that it come to you: that God's omnipresence is your omnipresence; and that all that you need to do is improve your knowing.”

What is the real meaning of Yoga?

Yoga is a discipline to improve or develop one’s inherent power in a balanced manner. It offers the means to attain complete Self-Realization. The literal meaning of the Sanskrit word Yoga is ’Yoke’. Yoga can therefore be defined as a means of uniting the individual spirit with the universal spirit of God.

According to Patanjali, Yoga is the suppression of modifications of the mind.

Who was Patanjali?

Wikipedia - Patanjali was a sage in Hinduism, thought to be the author of a number of Sanskrit works. The greatest of these are the Yoga Sutras, a classical yoga text. There is doubt as to whether the sage Patanjali is the author of all the works attributed to him as there are a number of known historical authors of the same name. A great deal of scholarship has been devoted over the last century to the issue of the historicity or identity of this author or these authors.

Patanjali’s definition of yoga:

Yogas chitta vritti nirodha, it means that yoga is for the purpose of removing the fluctuations which normally occur in the mind.

Yoga is of four primary types:

Karma Yoga, Yoga of Action,

Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion and love for God and for the whole of creation - animals, as well as humans, and all of nature.

Jnana Yoga, the science of God Realization, a step by step means of reuniting the soul with Spirit, man with his Creator.

Rajas Yoga or eightfold path, the path of prayer and meditation, as described by the sage, Patanjali, in the Yoga Sutras as the eightfold path, or the eight limbs of yoga:

1.     Yama - Non-violence, truthfulness, chastity, non-stealing and detachment to worldly pleasures

2.     Niyama - Purity, contentment, austerity, self-study

3.     Asana - Yoga postures

4.     Pranayama - Breathing techniques, control of prana

5.     Pratyahara - Withdrawal of senses

6.     Dharana - Concentration

7.     Dhyana - Meditation

8.     Samadhi - Super conscious state, enlightenment.

History of Kriya Yoga

Wikipedia - Kriya Yoga is described by its practitioners as the ancient Yoga system revived in modern times by Mahavatar Babaji through his disciple Lahiri Mahasaya, c. 1861. Kriya Yoga was brought to international awareness by Paramahansa Yogananda's book Autobiography of a Yogi and through Yogananda's introductions of the practice to the west from 1920. Kriya Yoga is the "Yoga of Action".

According to Yogananda the ancient Yogic text the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, contains a description of Kriya Yoga in the second chapter II.49: "Liberation can be attained by that pranayama (breathing technique) which is accomplished by disjoining the course of inspiration and expiration."

The Kriya yoga system consists of a number of levels of pranayama, mantra, and mudra based on techniques intended to rapidly accelerate spiritual development and engender a profound state of tranquility and God-communion. Yogananda attributes his description of Kriya Yoga to his lineage of gurus, Sri Yukteswar Giri, Lahiri Mahasaya, and Mahavatar Babaji. The latter is reported to have introduced the concept as essentially identical to the Raja Yoga of Patanjali and the concept of Yoga as described in the Bhagavad Gita.

Kriya Yoga was introduced to the West by Paramahansa Yogananda. However it is claimed that, long before Yogananda was born, a saint named Babaji lived in the Himalayas. One day, Jesus appeared to him, and told him that although Jesus' followers still do good works, they have forgotten how to commune with him inwardly in meditation. Jesus told Babaji to send someone to the West to remind his people that the goal of life is to become one with God through inner communion. That person was to be Yogananda.

Kriya Yoga is a meditation technique that quickly accelerates one’s spiritual growth. It teaches “Self-realization “a knowing - in body, mind, and soul – that we are one with omnipresence of God. All we have to do is improve our knowing.

“Kriya,” he wrote, “is the easiest, most effective, and most scientific avenue of approach to the Infinite. In contrast to the slow, uncertain theological path to God,

Kriya can still be learned from Ananda Sangha   530-478-7560, Ananda Sangha
14618 Tyler Foote Rd. Nevada City, CA 95959 and other groups. Kriya Yoga and represents an entire way of life.

Yoga is the stilling of the mind until it rests in a state of total and utter tranquility, so that one experiences life as it is: as Reality.

Through the practice of Yoga, one experiences life through the clearest of lenses, lenses not colored by thoughts of good or bad, or mine or yours. When the fluctuations of the mind are totally removed, we are at one with everything and all that is.

St. Paul knew Kriya Yoga, or a technique very similar to it, by which he could switch life currents to and from the senses. He was therefore able to say: “Verily, I protest by our rejoicing which I have in Christ, I die daily.” 1 Corinthians 15:31,

By daily withdrawing his bodily life force, he united it by yoga union with the rejoicing (eternal bliss) of the Christ consciousness. In that felicitous state, he was consciously aware of being dead to the delusive sensory world of maya (the world is not what it appears to be, it is illusive).

“All the greatest and most important problems are fundamentally unsolvable. They can never be solved, but only outgrown. This out growing proves on further investigation to be a new level of consciousness. Some higher or wider interest appears on the horizon, and the unsolvable problem loses its urgency, fades out when confronted with a new and stronger life urge.” Carl Jung.

Yogananda's gospel, however, originated not in the Bible, but in Vedanta. Although he used the English word Bliss instead of the Sanskrit word ananda, he argued that Bliss was the goal of life (which, for him, was identical to the experience of God), that the search for Bliss could be achieved only by destroying desire and attachment, and that behavior is shaped by innate tendencies known as samskaras (fluctuations that ordinarily occur of the mind). Although he avoided use of the word prāna or pranayama, he prescribed specific techniques for “the control, regulation and turning back of the life-force to transcend the body and mind and know the ‘Self’ in its native State.

His use of Christian language reflected his effort to present a faith through which all other religions found their true meaning. He explicated the “one truth” underlying all religions, explaining “that unless we know our self as spirit, as the fountain-head of Bliss, separate from Body and mind, our existence is devoid of meaning; our life is akin to that of a brute. We can know God only by knowing ourselves, for our natures is similar to His. Man has been created after the image of God. If the methods suggested are correctly practiced, we will know ourselves to be Blissful spirit and in it one will feel God.

Did early Christians change Christ’s message?

The Jewish people, at the time of Christ, had arrived at a crossroads. In their decision to live by high principles, the Jews, as a people, were far ahead of most peoples of their time. They had taken the next step, also, of recognizing that living for God is the highest principle. They had chosen God, and for this reason, as the Bible states, God chose them.

The most important step on the spiritual path, however, is to make oneself receptive to divine guidance. The next step for the Jewish people would have been to welcome practical spiritual guidance ,  not only through written laws, but through enlightened masters like Jesus Christ who themselves were in tune with God’s will.

Jesus came to teach the Jewish people the true meaning of freedom: not liberation from outer slavery such as they’d endured in Egypt and in Babylon, and were enduring to a lesser degree under Roman rule, but freedom from the tyranny of delusion: from material desires and attachments, from the demands of an arrogant and self-affirming ego. He came to help them understand that their original “contract” with God was primarily inward. Inner communion with God was the essence of Jesus Christ’s message and was recognized as such by spiritually-minded Jews.

The challenge the Jewish people faced was to awaken to God’s love by accepting the guidance of Jesus Christ, an enlightened master, and through that love, to enter into communion with God. But for this next step the Jews, as a people, were not ready.

The early Christians and the Greco-Roman world

Jesus, not surprisingly, was opposed by the narrowly orthodox Jews of his day – the pedants and the prelates who, enclosed in high walls of dogmatism, condemned his fresh perception of truth, inspired as it was from within. The orthodox Jews’ rejection of Jesus had the effect of pushing his followers out into the Greco-Roman world, where the overall approach to life was radically different from the more-or-less unsystematic teachings of Jesus Christ.

In the Greco-Roman world, institutionalism had already been developed to a fine art. As Christianity entered into that world, the early church leaders thought it necessary to adapt Christ’s message to that culture,  for most of them, the only culture they knew. They therefore perceived a need to get organized, and to encase Christ’s teachings in a formal structure, under strict administrative control.

As Christianity became absorbed by the Greco-Roman world, it adopted the rigid disciplines of Greek reasoning to bolster the teachings it was formulating, and shunned the more fluid perceptions that come with soul-intuition. Slowly there emerged an authoritarian Church, centralized and all-powerful. As soon as the Church was in a position to do so, it declared a need for fixed definitions, that is to say, dogmas to protect Christ’s teachings from numerous ideological assaults. Dogmatic definitions offered a safe and easy way of “refuting” error.

Is there value in studying comparative religions?

“Comparative Religions 101: Study the world’s major faiths and religions side by side and learn their similarities and differences.” This simple course description is included in thousands of college and university catalogs advertising a class that is often required for graduation. Books and websites are devoted to the subject of comparative religions, many times with the goal of validating and presenting each as a respectable option for mankind’s spiritual needs. Education is always beneficial when it is pursued from a foundation of truth; however, if we study comparative religions with the goal of changing our thinking about God and His Word, such an undertaking can be dangerous. Christians who are grounded in their faith should have no problem studying the world’s man-made religions. Even so, there are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Who/what is facilitating the study of comparative religions? In Luke 6:39–40, Jesus gave this warning: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” The way the subject of comparative religions is presented makes a huge difference in whether it is helpful or harmful. A book on comparative religions that is written with bias toward Islam or atheism can create doubt or fear in a reader. A teacher who treats Christianity with contempt and expresses personal disdain for the things of God can disturb the faith of many, especially in young or immature believers. Psalm 1:1–3 applied to this question warns Christians to avoid the “counsel of the ungodly” and those who “sit in the seat of scoffers.” So, before reading a book or taking a class on comparative religions, first learn the qualifications and philosophical slant of the author or the teacher.

2. What is the purpose of the study of comparative religions? If our purpose in studying comparative religions is so that we can be more fruitful witnesses, then doing so can be helpful. Missionaries headed to the foreign field need to be educated about the religions of the culture to which they are sent. Educating ourselves about the religions of our region can help us craft a more successful approach in presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, if the study is motivated by our own spiritual unrest or questions about whether the Bible is true, such a study will most likely only increase confusion. Young adults may see the study of comparative religions as a wise endeavor, now that they are free from parentally imposed church attendance. They often dive into the study of other religions, believing they will uncover truth for themselves. The results are often disastrous, leaving the student disillusioned and determined to believe nothing. When biblical truth is studied on par with man-made idolatry, Christianity is easily discarded as “one more religion.”

3. From what perspective is the comparative religions course being taught? Christians should always study comparative religions from a Christian perspective. Excellent resources abound that showcase the fundamental beliefs of other religions and demonstrate how they differ from biblical truth. When approached from a solid foundation, the study of comparative religions only reaffirms the incomparable truths of Christianity. Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.” It is our responsibility to be selective about who or what we allow to teach us or our children. We should approach every field of study from a solid foundation with convictions based on the unchanging Word of God (1 Peter 1:24–25).

Putting Christianity on par with other religions is similar to cleaning a huge mess of fish while wearing a diamond ring. If the ring slips off and gets lost in the slime, it can be tossed out with the garbage. Only much later is its absence missed, but by then there’s no way to know where to begin looking for it. The ring may be a lost cause because it is so easily hidden in the mass of fish entrails. Some people can lose their faith like that, when they fill their minds with the world’s confusing nonsense in the name of a comparative study of religion. When they go to retrieve their faith, they realize it is no longer there. Many never recover it and simply walk away into atheism and emptiness. Christians should only study comparative religions when the purpose is evangelism and the teacher or textbook subjects itself to God’s truth.

What is postmodernism?

We live in a postmodern world. Or, so we’re told. But what does this mean? On one level, postmodern is a word used to describe major changes in the underlying ways people think — especially the way people view truth and reality. Postmodern is a term of contrast which implies modern. But before modern, there was pre-modern. To understand postmodern, it helps to consider the main differences in the way each of the three “moderns” relate to truth and reality.

Pre-modern era was one in which religion was the source of truth and reality. God’s existence and revelation were givens in the culture. In the modern era, science became the source for truth and reality. During this period, religion and morality were arbitrarily demoted to the subjective realm. In the present, postmodern era, there is no single defining source for truth and reality beyond the individual. Postmodernism simply radicalized relativism and individualism and then applied them to all spheres of knowledge, even science.

In a postmodern world, truth and reality are understood to be individually shaped by personal history, social class, gender, culture, and religion. These factors, we are told, combine to shape the narratives and meanings of our lives. In this sense they are culturally embedded, localized social constructions without any universal application. Post moderns are suspicious of people who make universal truth claims. Such claims of universal meaning are viewed as imperialistic efforts to marginalize and oppress the rights of others. The most important value of post modernity is the inadmissibility of all totalizing ways of viewing any dimension of life. Post modernity, as a worldview, refuses to allow any single defining source for truth and reality. The new emphasis is on difference, plurality and selective forms of tolerance.

Postmodern thinking is full of absurdities and inconsistencies. It is, for example, the worldview that says no worldview exists. It is an anti-theory that uses theoretical tools to neutralize all theories. It demands an imposed uniformity in an effort to resist uniformity. It employs propositional statements to negate truth based on propositional statements.

Dominate postmodern concerns for plurality, diversity and tolerance have not led to a more stable and secure society. Instead, the postmodern era exchanged one misguided mood for another. Post modernity was fueled by a shift from the human optimism of modernity (based on scientific certainty and technological progress), to a pessimistic mood of skepticism and uncertainty. One observer noted that, “Modernity was confident; post modernity is anxious. Modernity had all the answers; post modernity is full of questions. Modernity reveled in reason, science and human ability; post modernity wallows (with apparent contentment or nihilistic angst) in mysticism, relativism, and the incapacity to know anything with certainty.”

This mood change was fueled by the devastation and disappointments of two world wars. Philosophies of despair and nihilistic existentialism became popular fare throughout Europe. These philosophies would later provide the ideological framework for the rejection of authority and institutionalism in America.

During the 1960s and 70s, the prevailing attitudes against authority, institution and establishment produced overwhelmingly negative effects on the nation. It was during this same period that we experienced a massive societal shift away from the institution of marriage and family. This involved alarming increases in divorce rates and the widespread acceptance of co-habitation. Anyone who denies these devastating consequences is not living in reality.

As a result of these changes, pastors, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists are stretched to the limit as they try to help overwhelming numbers of people pick up the broken pieces of their lives and become whole again. Yet many of these helpers are equally lost because they accept the postmodern lie. What is the lie? It is the wholesale rejection of universal reason and absolute truth. It is the delusional mindset that there is no objective goodness and rightness. These prevailing opinions have led to the dismissal of an absolute deity.

Let’s not misunderstand; God is warmly welcomed in the postmodern world as long as he doesn’t try to play God. Post modernity returns value to faith and affirms the nurturing of our spiritual being as vital to humankind. Unfortunately, with the loss of truth, people will now seek faith without boundaries, categories, or definition. The old parameters of belief do not exist. As a result, people will be increasingly open to knowing God, but on their own terms.

Yet the true and living God will not be defined by finite creatures. While postmodern philosophers have tried to write the obituary of the “God’s eye view of the world,” the Creator of the universe still determines the standard of truth, goodness and beauty. Scripture warns, “Remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow!” (Galatians 6:7). If you are lost in the postmodern world, the God who revealed himself through Jesus Christ is your only way out (see John 14:6). He is the savior who can forgive our sins and the shepherd who can lead us out of the confusion and despair of post modernity.