04/03/2024
As written by @ Juster K. Waweru (The share button is unavailable)
Yoga: Modern Day Health and Fitness Practice or Ancient Mysticism
I’ve debated on whether to share this post for a while. The more I’ve hesitated, the more I’ve witnessed people especially born again Christians flock into this global fad. Some of them are renowned and trusted media personalities who are born again believers. Some have even gone ahead to become yoga instructors. I know some people might not agree with this post and that’s understandable. I only ask that you think through the facts and do your own research regarding the spiritual implications of Yoga.
There’s a lot to be said about this practice. If you know someone who’s already joined or at the verge of joining, kindly do share this information. You’ll have helped a brother or sister. Remember, God’s people are perishing because of lack of knowledge. This post is a call for you to decide for yourself based on the Word of God and common knowledge out there regarding the principles and practices of yoga.
Why Yoga?
With human beings becoming victims of modern diets, obesity and sedentary life is a major concern for those who value their health and physical appearance. Yoga seems like an exotic and less strenuous way of restoring youthful vigor. Millions of people have today embraced this ancient form of exercise in this age of stress and busyness. Yoga is now practiced globally in YWCAs, YMCAs, schools and colleges, spas, and even churches.
A 2001 cover story in the Time Magazine tried to explain why Yoga seems to work well for many people. The explanation included both scientific and spiritual elements:
The Scientific: Breathing exercises have shown to decrease blood pressure and lower levels of stress hormones. Stretching the body through various poses promotes better drainage of the lymphatic vessels, the body’s waste removal system. Holding postures may build muscle tone, which enhances physical well being and protects delicate joints from injury.
The Mystical: Enlightenment and good health require the free flow of of the life force (prana) and the proper balance between seven major energy hubs (chakras). (An eighth chakra, or aura, surrounds the body and encompasses the other seven). The three lower chakras serve the body’s physical needs, while the five upper chakras are associated with the spiritual realm.
Firmer Muscles and God Realization:
Most people have assumed yoga to be nothing more than an exotic way to achieve beautiful body. However, the principles and practices of yoga developed as ascetic (severe self discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence typically for religious reasons) and physical means to achieve the spiritual purposes of Hinduism. Yoga is much more than a series of maneuvers designed to relieve tension. It is a practice based on mystical doctrines that emerged from Hindu tradition as far back as five thousand years ago. Yoga is taken from the Sanskrit (the classical and liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It is also one of the 22 official languages of India) word “yuj” meaning “to join” and literally means “union with god”. The Hindu Vedic scriptures provide the theological and philosophical basis for yoga’s presupposition.
A major text on yoga states, “The main aim of yoga is realization of the Absolute Brahman.” Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Universal Being, the Supreme Absolute or Pure Consciousness. His manifestation to men is known through the Hindu god Shiva. It is Shiva, the Hindu divinity who plays an integral part in the practice of yoga. The primary concern of Yoga is to heighten god-consciousness by elevating the awareness of the spiritual body. Swami Vishnudevananda, a foremost promoter of Yoga and author of “The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga”, explains how this is accomplished. Swami declares, “The supreme power of nature” is a coiled serpent lying at the base of the spine. She is the goddess Shakti, whom Hindus believe is “the giver of immortality and eternal happiness.” But Shakti can only fulfill her promise by achieving union with Shiva, her companion. Shiva is one member of the of the Hindu Trinitarian godhead including Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Shiva is said to reside at the center of the forehead between the eyebrows.
The purpose of yoga is to arouse the serpent powers of Shakti so that she rises through the “Sushumma”, a hollow canal said to be running through the spinal cord. On the ascension, Shakti passes through the six chakras or spiritual energy centers. The seventh chakra, her destination, is Shiva. Once Shakti merges with Shiva, union or yoga is achieved. The next goal is permanent union to become a liberated soul and be unlimited by time and space - “at one with god.” The person who accomplishes this goal then possesses all powers, psychic abilities and sinless perfection.
The meditative aspects of yoga are designed to still the senses by gazing at an object without blinking (referred to as “tratak”). Some yoga meditations involve the recitation of a mantra and Hindu prayers.
Most people who begin Yoga assume that the positions are merely techniques to calm the body and improve physical fitness. But yoga has distinctly religious purposes involved in every aspect of it. The postures (asanas) are sometimes designed with devotional intent, such as “Surya Namaskar,” or Sun Salutation. They are to be practiced facing the rising sun and repeating the twelve names of the Lord Sun. Other positions are named after gods (like Baby Krishna and Lord Nataraja poses) and animals (lion, scorpion, cobra, etc). Once the yoga novice has learned a few basic postures, she or he is quickly introduced to the breathing exercises (pranayamas). This aspect of yoga is designed for the purposes of controlling prana or “vital breath”. The vital breath is a form of soul energy that originates with the Universal Life Force (god or Brahman) and permeates all living matter. Yoga’s breathing exercises control prana, a practice claimed to be beneficial in ridding the body of diseases. Prana may also be transmitted as a spiritual healing force by laying of hands and connecting one’s mind with “cosmic power of god”. Yoga’s ultimate purpose is union with Brahman and acquisition of resultant peace and harmony which Hindus believe comes from such god-realization. The supposed consequence of this achievement is the complete cessation of sickness, evil, stress and domination of the spirit by the body. In this state, perfect souls may then unite immortally with god.
The original intent of yoga, a variant of Hinduism, therefore, was to achieve spiritual union with the impersonal Supreme Absolute deity. The book “Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation” states, “Yoga is accomplished when the individual spirit merges with the Universal Spirit (god) in a spirit of oneness.
Modern yoga instructors often de-emphasize these religious overtones, but such departure cannot lessen the ultimate result. It is poor logic to assume that the commitment to a religious system of false gods may be excused by divorcing part of the system from its ultimate aim. Yoga ultimately strives for the deification of man and his spiritual enlightenment. It also promotes release from the endless cycles of reincarnation, an unbiblical teaching.
The Bible teaches that a chasm of sin separates us from our Creator. This gulf can only be spanned by an act of reconciliation to God through believing in the death of His Son Jesus Christ. It is by the blood of Jesus that the separation brought about by Adam’s disobedience is eradicated. Care for ones physical wellness is important but not at the risk of aligning oneself with pagan principles and practices. As Christians we ought to make our bodies a welcoming place for the Holy Spirit to reside ( 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19-20).
Note: I have borrowed heavily from the book “Larson’s Book of World Religions” because He brings out in a sober way the Christian perspective on all major World Religions.
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