YOGA AND THE CHRISTIAN
Sandeep Poonen
Yoga is a Hindu science that claims to teach people how to unite their soul with the "Supreme Soul", and merge their will with the "Cosmic Will".
The practice of yoga has three main components:
1) The physical exercise component,
2) The mental meditation component, and
3) The verbal chanting component.
1) The physical exercise component,
2) The mental meditation component, and
3) The verbal chanting component.
These three are combined to make yoga what it is.Let us think of these three separately.
1) There is nothing inherently holy or evil about the physical exercise component by itself. If someone stretches his leg in a certain way, that is neither holy nor evil. None of the physical stretching exercises in yoga need be connected with any religion. So we can stretch our muscles and body parts even if it was a Hindu (or a Muslim or a Buddhist) who first taught it. A typical yoga lesson in Western countries may not emphasize the spiritual connection initially. So when people hear that some Christians are opposed to the practice of yoga, they wonder why. The reason is that the more advanced you get into yoga, you invariably move towards the ultimate purpose behind these exercises. So while breathing exercises may appear to be innocent initially, even these could be initial stepping stones that have its overall aim as "merging the individual will with the Cosmic Will."
2) When it comes to the mental meditation component, we need to recognize that meditation as prescribed in yoga is very different from the meditation taught of in the Bible. Yoga teaches people to empty their minds of all thoughts (good and bad) as they meditate. That is simply not the way a Christian must meditate. The Bible tells us to meditate on God's Word at all times. So we are not called to empty our minds, but rather to FILL our minds with God's Word - meditating especially on the verses that tell us how much God loves us (e.g. Psalm 139:17-18, Isaiah 49:15-16, Jeremiah 29:11, etc). And beyond that, to how the love of God compels us to obey His commands and change habits, thought patterns, and mindsets to reflect His love. Yoga prescribes a peace that comes from the vacuum of a fully-emptied mind. Christianity offers the peace of Jesus Christ through the filling of our hearts and minds with the Holy Spirit (John 14:26-27).
3) The verbal chanting component is what we must also avoid altogether. Yoga typically teaches people to keep chanting the word "Om" - a syllable that is supposed to be the highest manifestation of God-consciousness in Hinduism. The invoking of Om to relax is much more than a blind chant of some random syllable. It is an opening of the mind to other spirits. As Christians, we must never seek to achieve any sort of relaxation by such chants. We do not even chant the Name of Jesus, because that Name is not a 'mantra' - and our Lord specifically forbade us from using meaningless repetitions in prayer. The Lord gives us rest in our minds through the Holy Spirit and not by chanting.
It is best to avoid group yoga classes, as these classes are most often led by yoga instructors who subscribe to underlying yogic philosophy. Submitting to their instructions may possibly open your inner being to spirits other than the Holy Spirit, if you are not strong in the Lord. Even if you are strong in the Lord, your example may encourage weaker believers to go to such classes - and they may suffer. So, if there are certain stretches that help your body but also seem to be a yoga exercise, you could practice them on your own in your own home. But if you find any uneasiness in your spirit in doing them, then avoid even that. There are many other forms of exercise that you can engage in, to keep yourself physically fit.
I want to make one additional clarifying note in this context:
There are some who were involved in yoga before coming to a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ, and have experienced the spiritual impact of Hindu yogic practices. When such people become Christians, it is best for them to avoid yoga altogether, even the physical exercise component. Others might be able to see those exercises as just harmless physical stretches, but those who have practiced this and delved into the mental and spiritual acts within yoga simply cannot see it that way anymore. So it's best that such people avoid yoga altogether and not be led into temptation.
I see a similar analogy to this in Romans 14, where Paul was dealing with two groups of people: one who felt that it was absolutely sinful to eat meat that had been offered to idols, while others had no problem with it. I can fully understand how absolutely abhorrent and sinful it must have been for those who had been used to offering meat to idols, to now feel that they could eat it. But yet we know that Paul himself didn't seem to have a problem eating food offered to idols (Rom.14:14).
To me, the freedom expressed in Romans 14 for two very different points of view is my guide to how I have attempted to express my thoughts on yoga and the Christian.
Finally, let me end with this: We know the mind of the Spirit in all matters by peace in our hearts (Rom.8:6).
