We have received a number of questions about Yoga. Is it merely exercise and not incompatible with Christianity or is it another religion? We asked our friend and fellow missionary to non-Christian religions, former professional astrologer/New Ager, Marcia Montenegro from Christian Answers to the New Age to share her insights on the Basic Spirituality of Yoga:
Yoga is one of the most popular topics I am asked about when I speak in churches or at conferences. I twice practiced Hatha Yoga at separate times while participating in the New Age for about 20 years, prior to coming to a saving faith in the true Jesus Christ. At that time, Yoga was primarily understood as a spiritual practice even though it was beginning to slowly branch out into the secular world. Â
I watched as Yoga migrated further into mainstream culture as “exercise,†cleverly marketed in such a way that the image of a woman doing a Yoga pose (asana) or sitting in the Lotus position became the norm, and was always associated with health, beauty, peace, and strength.Â
The Yoga being discussed here is Hatha Yoga, only one of many Yogas. Yoga, as a whole, is a complex esoteric system oriented toward attaining liberation from a false reality and uniting with the ultimate reality or god (however that god may be perceived). Hatha Yoga, meaning “Sun†and “Moon,†is a practice whereby the body becomes a deliberate tool for this path to a purported enlightenment; that is, becoming more spiritually aware of the true inner divine Self and the need for liberation from this life. The concept of Sun and Moon also represents the goal of uniting opposites into one, based on the belief that there are no real distinctions, but that all is truly one (in non-dual Hinduism; there is dualistic Hinduism which teaches distinctions). So, we cannot even get away from spirituality when using the name “Hatha Yoga.â€Â
“The word hatha is itself an indication of the goals and objectives of this practice: ha means “sun,†and tha means “moon.†Thus, “hatha yoga†is the practice that enables a practitioner to balance his or her solar and lunar energies.†(From Yoga Journal article “What is the Purpose of Asana?â€)Â
Indeed, the word “Yoga†itself means “union.†But it is not union of body and mind, according to the popular adage. Although defined in various ways, the classic meaning is union of the Atman, or inner divine self, with Brahman, the supreme Hindu god (or one Hindu god who manifests as many gods). Yoga is also defined as awakening to and union with the “higher self†or “higher consciousness†in New Age terms, which is the realization of the inner divine self.Â
Hatha Yoga, popular today from the corner gym to boutique studios peppering every city and maybe even every town, is also a part of Kundalini Yoga. Kundalini, as with all Hindu concepts, is layered with complexity; but, essentially, it is believed to be an invisible energy coiled at the base of the spine. Awakening this energy through meditation and certain Yogic practices is a spiritual work.Â
The Yoga poses, postures, or asanas are not designed as an exercise but as preparation for more advanced Yoga styles of meditation in order to aid in this enlightenment. The postures can induce meditative states and are a discipline to train the body into submission for deeper meditative states of more advanced Yoga.Â
“Exercising postures or Asanas in Hatha Yoga has two essential objectives. The first is that to practice any real meditation, one needs at the least one posture in which one can be perfectly comfortable for a longer period of time. The more such postures one can master, the better the basis for developing the inner meditation techniques. The second objective of exercising asanas in Hatha Yoga is to bring health and energy to body and mind by opening the nadis.”(“Hatha Yoga†)Â
The nadis are allegedly “subtle†channels in the body through which flow Prana, the sacred energy of the universe (“subtle†means they are invisible). The so-called breathing techniques of Yoga, Pranayama, as well as the poses – the asanas — are meant to open these channels so that the energy of Kundalini can flow through and vitalize the person on all levels, especially spiritually. In Eastern spiritual practices such as Yoga, Qi-Gong, and Hindu meditation, breath is considered to be sacred and to be a link to a divine source. This is why Pranayama is essential in Yoga. The concepts and terms are all so interconnected, that it is difficult to detach them from each other. Explaining one leads to a necessity in explaining another, and another after that. There is no real end to it. It is like grabbing the end of a string and pulling on it, only to discover that the string is part of a tangled web that can never be unraveled. This is how I see Yoga.Â
Some asanas honor mythical Hindu heroes or Hindu gods, such as the warrior pose, done to honor the Hindu god, Shiva, who created a warrior, Virabhadra, to avenge the death of Shiva’s wife. Another asana, lying on one’s back with split legs, honors Hanuman, the monkey god (see “The Heroes, Saints, and Sages Behind Yoga Pose Namesâ€).Â
Chakras, which means “wheels,†are allegedly invisible energy centers ranging from the pelvic area to the top of the crown (sometimes the crown chakra is said to be an endpoint and not a chakra). Each one is correlated to a specific purpose but needs to be activated by kundalini. The asanas are done partly to prepare the chakras for the kundalini.Â
Yoga’s popularity has turned “chakras†into an almost everyday word. Once a little-known term used in the New Age and the occult, it now is liberally sprinkled in the language of alternative treatments, meditation, and even health advice. Chakras are assumed to exist, even though they don’t. The concept is entirely spiritual. Â
Yoga no longer hides its spirituality as forcefully as it once did. Presenting it as mere exercise has concerned and angered some practitioners and many Hindus, who are calling for it to be brought back to its proper spiritual standing. Several years ago, I noticed that the popular Yoga Journal was including more spiritually oriented articles, including chants to Hindu gods.
Tokens of Eastern spirituality, like drawings of Ganesha (a popular Hindu elephant-headed god) on clothing, and the Aum (Om) design as a tattoo and printed on clothing and totes, have become widespread. The Aum/Om symbol (looks somewhat like a backward capital E with embellishment) is considered to be a sacred sound that has a spiritual effect on the person chanting it and is said or chanted in some Yoga classes.Â
As we see from the information, the main terms used in Hatha Yoga are spiritual or are connected to the vast network of Hindu spiritual beliefs:Â
Asanas
Aum
Chakras
Hatha Yoga
Kundalini
Nadis
Prana/Pranayama
Yoga
Â
Like other arcane systems, Yoga is endlessly complicated and convoluted. But just touching on the essentials of Yoga practice reveals a spiritual dimension, hidden to most, that should not be ignored. Can we do Yoga as exercise without the spirituality? I would rephrase that as: “Can we get close to a fire and not get burned?†Maybe, but why try? There are numerous ways to exercise without getting near Yoga.
The world is captivated by the idea of prolonging youth and health, and Yoga feeds on that. But all of that will come to a crashing end for everyone. The basics of Yoga are a non-Christian and non-eternal spirituality, but Yoga itself is not basic to life, and certainly does not compare to the eternal life and the glorified resurrected body through faith in Christ.Â
On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:7b-8 NASB)ΩÂ
Before trusting Christ, Marcia Montenegro was a professional astrologer and was involved in Eastern and New Age practices for many years. Through her ministry, Christian Answers for the New Age, Marcia speaks around the country and on radio, and writes on New Age and occult topics. She has a Masters in Religion from Southern Evangelical Seminary, Charlotte, NC, and serves as a missionary with Fellowship International Mission, Allentown, PA. Based in Arlington, VA, she is the mother of an adult son and author of SpellBound: The Paranormal Seduction of Today’s Kids, (Cook, 2006). She is also co-author of Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret (MCOI Publishing, 2020) with Don and Joy Veinot You can find her online at: CANA or on Facebook at Christian Answers for the New Age
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Thank you so much for this article.
I got caught up in yoga when it first became popular in the United States. I had no knowledge then of salvation, the Bible etc. I just wanted to be fit and “hip”
We didn’t have computers or smart phones then, so I did not have the back-ground info you have here.
Thankfully, God rescued me out of it with Dave Hunt’s “Seduction of Christianity.”
I so appreciate the definitions and further explanations of yogic terms here, so I can witness with some more knowledge when talking with a practitioner…especially folks looking at it as just “exercise”.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply to what I wrote. I am so glad you were rescued, and now want to inform others!
Great explanation, Marcia…very informative…
Thanks again. We have to keep speaking of this over and over. Westerners have been sold a bill of goods. And it’ll take a while for them to “get it†just like it did for us.
There are so many great ways to relax and exercise without a Hindu ritual. Walk, stretch, garden.
Thanks for reading and for the comment, Lena!
Marcia, thank you! I read this more than once, as I was sending it to my friends seeing “yoga as just exercise “.
My 9yo son is my youngest and he wants to know “why is yoga bad?â€, so I turned to your article… he fell asleep, but we’re going to come back to it soon enough…
This is very interesting! I know a
little bit about yoga and thanks for explaining it so well. Now I understand it better and the terms are so interesting to learn. This is a good knowledge that I can share to christians who are not aware or have a little knowledge of it like me before I read this. Again, thank you.
Hi, Anne – Thanks so much for reading it and for your comment. I’m glad you find it helpful!
I’ve been researching and blogging about yoga for over 10 years, and have read some of your articles(along with articles by others who understand the dangers of this practice. By far, this is the clearest article I’ve read to date! I’ll definitely use it as a resource!
Thank you Marcia for your faithfulness in warning Christians on this issue. How do I best respond to a christian who says they do this for stretching, exercising? Thank you!
Hello, Chris – Thanks for reading. The best way I know to respond is by giving information, which is what this blog does. So if the person is willing to read it, or if you can sum it up, then that should help. I do not advocate trying to persuade someone. They need to be willing to examine the information for themselves and then it’s up to them. I also point out that stretching and Yoga are not one and the same, and that Yoga is not the only exercise out there!
Hello, Debbie! I appreciate you reading my articles and this blog. So glad to hear that this one communicated the information for you in a good way. Thanks again for your comment!
Thank you for this article. So many Christians are being deceived into thinking that Yoga and meditation are harmless. They do not realize the religious/spiritual/new age aspects of it, which can be harmful to one’s Christian health and well-being; or even to a non believer’s health and well-being.
Thanks for reading it, Toni!
I warned my niece about the spirituality of yoga 10 years ago. She and other family members laughed at me. Once professing Christ, she is now heavily involved in a prominent new age cult in California and parts of the mid west, and has plans to travel to India. She attributes her life style to meditation and her daily devotion to yoga practices. We battle not against flesh and blood. Thank you for helping to point believers towards the armor they need to battle this seductive and pervasive deception. Pray for Beth.
Julia, so sorry about your niece. I have heard this story before about others. Yoga has a way of drawing some into its spirituality. It can be very alluring and make one feel peaceful and spiritual, but it is not a true peace found only in Jesus.
You say “it is not a true peace found only in Jesus.” What? How would you know that the peace that I feel is not a true peace? You can only judge that from the outside intellectually; you don’t know what my experience is. Who are you to judge and make those distinctions? If yoga can make one feel peaceful, how is that not also God? Without yoga and meditation, I would have very little access to peace where I feel a connection to God. I can’t get there by thinking about it. When I go to church, we don’t do enough to help my body settle so that I can feel a sense of peace. It’s all just intellectual. What I see happening in Christianity that really saddens me is that Christians choose to believe that everything else but the way they believe is wrong; that makes Christians feel special and that’s a trap that doesn’t happen with yoga. Many Christians like you it seems, think they have the answer and everyone else doesn’t. That’s great for your ego but it creates a lot of division and strife in our society and our world. What we need is unification. We are all loved by God and I believe that Jesus will bring all of us home when we die. Why would he not?
Hello, Joyce, I stand by my statement that true peace is only found in Jesus because that is what God tells us. Everyone is born at war with God because our natural self is have our own will and think we can be good on our own. But God makes it clear that we are separated from him by our sin and can only be reconciled through faith in Christ, which is why Jesus told Nicodemus he had to be born from above in John 3.
Perhaps you think “peace” is a feeling. I cannot know what you are feeling, that is true. But peace as the Bible talks about it is not a feeling; it is a state of being reconciled with God through Christ and no longer at war with him. So Yoga cannot bring such peace; it is a false peace that may be feeling based or based on the New Age-Hindu spirituality of Yoga.
This is not my opinion; it is what God says in his word. I do not know what you think of the Bible but in historic Christianity, the Bible is God’s word and is authoritative. Being with God after death is not home for everyone. One is adopted into God’s family upon faith in Christ (Romans 8:15; Ephesians 1:5) and then one’s home is with God after death. This was made clear by Jesus himself who said in John 8:24 “unless you believe I am he, you will perish in your sins.” That means they would die unforgiven and unreconciled. Yoga offers a false peace. There is nothing wrong with relaxing the body and I never said there was. I was pointing out the spiritual intent and nature of Yoga.
Hey Marcia… it’s Ken Van Lysebettens. I look fondly back on our days together at the MCO boot camps and our shared meals together as a team and remember your faithful service to both the ministry and His church. Thank you for your articles that make these issues clear to those believers who have decided to follow Him. In this broken world filled with conflicting messages it gives my heart great encouragement to read and hear true believers standing up consistently for the message of the Cross and for the truth that is found in Christ. You have never grown weary of seeking the lost and bearing the truth for His Kingdom’s sake for which we owe you a debt of gratitude.
Grace and peace to you and yours Marcia…
Hello, Ken! Great to hear from you. I have such fond memories of those MCO boot camp days! Don provided us with such great opportunities and great fellowship. I so appreciate your encouraging words, and the time you took in reading this and writing the comment. Thank you for that, Ken, and God bless!
Thank you so much! I came here originally to learn more about the Enneagram after listening to your interviews w/ Haley on Kindled.
However, I have loved doing yoga for years and have never been introduced to it as dangerous from a Christian perspective. I thought if I didn’t do the meditations or say the words, and focused on Truth throughout my practice, I could enjoy my stretch and move on with my day!
I didn’t realize the names and poses were dedications to false gods! I do appreciate your work and praise God for His work in you and using your former life to bring to light the dangers we walk into as Believers.
You may also be interested in the latest book she co-authored, Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret. She just did a point/counterpoint on Premier Christian, “Should Christians embrace the Enneagram? Todd Wilson & Marcia Montenegro“
Hello, Jessy, thanks for your comment. So glad you heard the interview with Haley and then found this blog. It is always good to know all aspects of spiritual practices like Yoga so one can make decisions about it. Thank you so much for the encouraging words!
Hi Marcia, blessed day! This link very refreshing and informative. Many Christians practices yoga as if it is only an exercise with realizing the spiritual implications and dangers it may bring to the one practicing it.
John, thank you so much for reading this and for your encouraging comment. I appreciate it!