I'm copying and pasting this response to an article in Sojourners about yoga.
This gentleman had a great response.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
"How can Christian believers be SO naive. The kind of yoga that Jacobs learned in India denies the gospel of Jesus Christ. It denies the divinity of Christ. To them, embracing Jesus as "just a good teacher" is their way of attracting westerners (with $$) to come to their ashram. They encourage you to embrace your OWN divinity. Jesus is NOT the way, the truth and the life, but only a shining light for us to find our OWN divinity. It is a subtle and attractive deception that easily lures the ignorant and naive Christian to repeat the story of Genesis 3 where Satan encourages Eve to rebel and be her own autonomous god , saying, "“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”.
The goal of all yoga is to obtain oneness with the universe. That's also known as the process of enlightenment, or union with Brahman (Hinduism's highest god). The word "yoga" means "union" or "to yoke." It is based on the philosophy of pantheism. It is a mystic and ascetic Hindu discipline for achieving union with the supreme spirit through meditation, prescribed postures and controlled breathing, etc. The goal of Jesus was to heal us from the mistake of thinking that we could DO something (like Yoga) to bring about union with God. "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus" - 1 Timothy 2:5.
Jesus brings a union that Yoga cannot.
Yogi authority Gopi Krishna writes:
"All the systems of yoga...are designed to bring about those psychosomatic changes in the body which are essential for the metamorphosis of consciousness".
Psychosomatic means "The constant and inseparable interaction of the psyche (mind) and the soma (body)."
The Bible says that our transformation comes from Christ alone.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Our transformation comes from the Holy Spirit, not Yoga.
"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" 2 Corinthians 3:18.
The article says that Jacobs took to "Kundalini Yoga." In Hindu mythology and occult anatomy, the goddess Kundalini is thought of as a female serpent lying dormant at the base of the spine. Arthur Avalon comments that "kundalini is the Divine Cosmic Energy in bodies." She represents the female half of the divine polarity in man. While lying at the base of the spine, she is separated from Shiva, her divine "lover" and masculine counterpart, who resides in the brain. When aroused by yoga practices, she uncoils, travels up the spine toward her lover, opening the alleged psychic centers called chakras in the process. When the crown or top chakra is reached, the union of Shiva/Shakti occurs, supposedly leading the practitioner to divine enlightenment and union with Brahman. "Traditionally she is known as Durga the creatrix, Chandi the fierce and bloodthirsty, and Kali the destroyer. She is also Bhajangi the serpent. As Chandi or Kali she has a garland of skulls around her neck and drinks human blood."
Kundalini arousal is not, as commonly thought, restricted to hatha yoga practice. Even yoga authorities have said that all yoga is ultimately kundalini yoga and that yoga is meaningless without it. Have you ever seen anyone who is in the process of experiencing a Kundalini "awakening" or "arousal?" The "union" one experiences here is NOT with God.
1 Timothy 4:1 "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."
2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
Nothing was said about physical therapy or making any connection with yoga. When you do physical therapy, do you do so with a goal of attaining "spiritual health?" Does your physical therapy help you to cultivate "compassion and consciousness in relationship with God and others?" Is your physical therapist a "yoga prodigy" who teaches you how to have a "Kundalini arousal?" that is "highly spiritual" , "more traditional and spiritually authentic?" No? Maybe you are just getting physical therapy and it really has nothing to do with yoga? Then, why call it yoga? Why not call it physical therapy?
The problem with Yoga is that you cannot separate Yoga from it's spiritual roots. Imagine treating Baptism and Communion as an Underwater Therapy and Wine Tasting business! Envision a Fitness Rabbi, Diet Pope and Gaming Imam! Picture Hot Baptism (at your local gym), Power Mass and Gentle Genuflecting! How about a 200 hour Certified Communion Teacher greeting students with Hallelujah and denying any Christian connection? How about marketing Baptism pants to display one’s physical accomplishments! Silly, ain't it?
The roots of Yoga are found in Hinduism. Hinduism is not like a recipe ingredient that can be extracted from yoga. Professor Subhas Tiwari of Hindu University of America. “The simple, immutable fact is that yoga originated from the Vedic or Hindu culture. Its techniques were not adopted by Hinduism, but originated from it… The effort to separate yoga from Hinduism must be challenged because it runs counter to the fundamental principles upon which yoga itself is premised…“Efforts to separate yoga from its spiritual center reveal ignorance of the goal of yoga.“ (HinduismToday.com – 9/1-3/09). Christian yoga is an oxymoron.
What are some of the positions that are taught in yoga and where did they come from?
Yoga teaches that each posture reflects a mental attitude, whether that attitude be one of surrender, as in a forward bending asana, or the strengthening of the will, through backward bending postures, or the creation of a physical prayer or meditation with the body, as in the practice of the Lotus position.
Surya-namaskar or "salute to the sun" posture, used at the beginning of most classes, pays homage to the Hindu sun god.The Sanskrit word surya means sun. Namaskar is the Hindi word for Namaste, from the root nam, to bow. Namaskar means salutation, salute, greeting or praise. Namaste literally means, " I bow to the divinity within you.” In other words, there is no need for God because you ARE God!
Savasana (the Corpse Pose)-The Sanskrit word shava means corpse hence this is the Corpse. The shava-asana is also known as the mrta-asana. It is suggested that you start and end each yoga session with this pose.
Bhujangasana (the Cobra or Snake Pose) - The Sanskrit word naga means snake or serpent. The naga-asana is also known as the bhujanga-asana. The Sanskrit word bhujanga, which also means snake, is derived from the root bhuj which means to bend or curve. "This posture increases the gastric fire; it destroys all diseases and by constant practice leads to the awakening of Kundalini." - The Gheranda-samhita II.42-43.
The so-called "Praying Hands" gesture (putting one's palms together with fingers pointing upward) is a mudra (Hindu prayer gesture) which pre-dates Christianity? This is closely linked with the Hindu "Namaste" greeting ("I bow to the divine within you") and other Eastern religious practices.
Nataraja-asana - The King of the Dance Pose - The Sanskrit word nata means dancer and raja means king. Nataraja is another name for Shiva (Hindu God), the Lord of the Dance, whose cosmic dance is the creation and destruction of the world.
Garuda-asana - The Eagle Pose - The Sanskrit word garuda means eagle. In Hindu mythology Garuda is known as the king of birds. He transports the God Vishnu (shown with a bow and arrow in the illustration to the left) and is said to be eager to help humanity fight againt deamons.
Catholics face a more formidable skeptic. In 1989 the Vatican issued a document saying the practice of Eastern traditions like yoga "can degenerate into a cult of the body," warning Catholics against mistaking yoga's "pleasing sensations" for "spiritual well-being." It was signed by then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. In a 2003 document the Vatican further distances itself from New Age practices, including yoga.
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
“6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth“ (2 Timothy 3:1-7).
Don't be gullible."
Jeff Iversen
This gentleman had a great response.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
"How can Christian believers be SO naive. The kind of yoga that Jacobs learned in India denies the gospel of Jesus Christ. It denies the divinity of Christ. To them, embracing Jesus as "just a good teacher" is their way of attracting westerners (with $$) to come to their ashram. They encourage you to embrace your OWN divinity. Jesus is NOT the way, the truth and the life, but only a shining light for us to find our OWN divinity. It is a subtle and attractive deception that easily lures the ignorant and naive Christian to repeat the story of Genesis 3 where Satan encourages Eve to rebel and be her own autonomous god , saying, "“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”.
The goal of all yoga is to obtain oneness with the universe. That's also known as the process of enlightenment, or union with Brahman (Hinduism's highest god). The word "yoga" means "union" or "to yoke." It is based on the philosophy of pantheism. It is a mystic and ascetic Hindu discipline for achieving union with the supreme spirit through meditation, prescribed postures and controlled breathing, etc. The goal of Jesus was to heal us from the mistake of thinking that we could DO something (like Yoga) to bring about union with God. "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus" - 1 Timothy 2:5.
Jesus brings a union that Yoga cannot.
Yogi authority Gopi Krishna writes:
"All the systems of yoga...are designed to bring about those psychosomatic changes in the body which are essential for the metamorphosis of consciousness".
Psychosomatic means "The constant and inseparable interaction of the psyche (mind) and the soma (body)."
The Bible says that our transformation comes from Christ alone.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Our transformation comes from the Holy Spirit, not Yoga.
"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" 2 Corinthians 3:18.
The article says that Jacobs took to "Kundalini Yoga." In Hindu mythology and occult anatomy, the goddess Kundalini is thought of as a female serpent lying dormant at the base of the spine. Arthur Avalon comments that "kundalini is the Divine Cosmic Energy in bodies." She represents the female half of the divine polarity in man. While lying at the base of the spine, she is separated from Shiva, her divine "lover" and masculine counterpart, who resides in the brain. When aroused by yoga practices, she uncoils, travels up the spine toward her lover, opening the alleged psychic centers called chakras in the process. When the crown or top chakra is reached, the union of Shiva/Shakti occurs, supposedly leading the practitioner to divine enlightenment and union with Brahman. "Traditionally she is known as Durga the creatrix, Chandi the fierce and bloodthirsty, and Kali the destroyer. She is also Bhajangi the serpent. As Chandi or Kali she has a garland of skulls around her neck and drinks human blood."
Kundalini arousal is not, as commonly thought, restricted to hatha yoga practice. Even yoga authorities have said that all yoga is ultimately kundalini yoga and that yoga is meaningless without it. Have you ever seen anyone who is in the process of experiencing a Kundalini "awakening" or "arousal?" The "union" one experiences here is NOT with God.
1 Timothy 4:1 "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."
2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
Nothing was said about physical therapy or making any connection with yoga. When you do physical therapy, do you do so with a goal of attaining "spiritual health?" Does your physical therapy help you to cultivate "compassion and consciousness in relationship with God and others?" Is your physical therapist a "yoga prodigy" who teaches you how to have a "Kundalini arousal?" that is "highly spiritual" , "more traditional and spiritually authentic?" No? Maybe you are just getting physical therapy and it really has nothing to do with yoga? Then, why call it yoga? Why not call it physical therapy?
The problem with Yoga is that you cannot separate Yoga from it's spiritual roots. Imagine treating Baptism and Communion as an Underwater Therapy and Wine Tasting business! Envision a Fitness Rabbi, Diet Pope and Gaming Imam! Picture Hot Baptism (at your local gym), Power Mass and Gentle Genuflecting! How about a 200 hour Certified Communion Teacher greeting students with Hallelujah and denying any Christian connection? How about marketing Baptism pants to display one’s physical accomplishments! Silly, ain't it?
The roots of Yoga are found in Hinduism. Hinduism is not like a recipe ingredient that can be extracted from yoga. Professor Subhas Tiwari of Hindu University of America. “The simple, immutable fact is that yoga originated from the Vedic or Hindu culture. Its techniques were not adopted by Hinduism, but originated from it… The effort to separate yoga from Hinduism must be challenged because it runs counter to the fundamental principles upon which yoga itself is premised…“Efforts to separate yoga from its spiritual center reveal ignorance of the goal of yoga.“ (HinduismToday.com – 9/1-3/09). Christian yoga is an oxymoron.
What are some of the positions that are taught in yoga and where did they come from?
Yoga teaches that each posture reflects a mental attitude, whether that attitude be one of surrender, as in a forward bending asana, or the strengthening of the will, through backward bending postures, or the creation of a physical prayer or meditation with the body, as in the practice of the Lotus position.
Surya-namaskar or "salute to the sun" posture, used at the beginning of most classes, pays homage to the Hindu sun god.The Sanskrit word surya means sun. Namaskar is the Hindi word for Namaste, from the root nam, to bow. Namaskar means salutation, salute, greeting or praise. Namaste literally means, " I bow to the divinity within you.” In other words, there is no need for God because you ARE God!
Savasana (the Corpse Pose)-The Sanskrit word shava means corpse hence this is the Corpse. The shava-asana is also known as the mrta-asana. It is suggested that you start and end each yoga session with this pose.
Bhujangasana (the Cobra or Snake Pose) - The Sanskrit word naga means snake or serpent. The naga-asana is also known as the bhujanga-asana. The Sanskrit word bhujanga, which also means snake, is derived from the root bhuj which means to bend or curve. "This posture increases the gastric fire; it destroys all diseases and by constant practice leads to the awakening of Kundalini." - The Gheranda-samhita II.42-43.
The so-called "Praying Hands" gesture (putting one's palms together with fingers pointing upward) is a mudra (Hindu prayer gesture) which pre-dates Christianity? This is closely linked with the Hindu "Namaste" greeting ("I bow to the divine within you") and other Eastern religious practices.
Nataraja-asana - The King of the Dance Pose - The Sanskrit word nata means dancer and raja means king. Nataraja is another name for Shiva (Hindu God), the Lord of the Dance, whose cosmic dance is the creation and destruction of the world.
Garuda-asana - The Eagle Pose - The Sanskrit word garuda means eagle. In Hindu mythology Garuda is known as the king of birds. He transports the God Vishnu (shown with a bow and arrow in the illustration to the left) and is said to be eager to help humanity fight againt deamons.
Catholics face a more formidable skeptic. In 1989 the Vatican issued a document saying the practice of Eastern traditions like yoga "can degenerate into a cult of the body," warning Catholics against mistaking yoga's "pleasing sensations" for "spiritual well-being." It was signed by then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. In a 2003 document the Vatican further distances itself from New Age practices, including yoga.
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
“6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth“ (2 Timothy 3:1-7).
Don't be gullible."
Jeff Iversen
1 comment:
Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.
brahmacharyasana
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