The intersection of Yoga and Christianity raises important
questions about their compatibility. In other words, is there any problem to
add some Yoga-ish flavour into Christianity, and its beliefs and practices?
With the International Day of Yoga coming up in June, it is timely to evaluate
and explore pertinent aspects of the practice of Yoga. Since, Yoga is in
vogue—from movies to magazines to gyms to schools, it is practised by people
worldwide, today. As such, there seems to be a silent tug of war among
Christians about the practice of Yoga. While some remain lukewarm, some are
vehemently against its practices, while another section of people views it as
harmless.
In the west, Yoga spread as a result of Swami Vivekananda’s
speech to the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago on September 11, 1893.
Then, in 2014, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi in his speech at the
United Nations General assembly proposed the idea of International Yoga Day.
Then, on June 21, 2015, the first International Yoga Day was observed by many
countries. In 2015, the Nagaland Baptist Churches Council opposed holding
International Yoga Day in Nagaland. Also, issued an official letter to
Christians to refrain from practising Yoga in 2017. However, the International
Day of Yoga has been consistently observed in Nagaland since its inception,
with educational institutions and various organisations promoting it as a means
of enhancing overall wellbeing, despite the call from the apex Christian
organisation of Nagaland to abstain from it. Still, a pertinent question
arises: Does Yoga align with Biblical principles? Can Yoga be contextualised
with a Christian framework? Can Yoga be Christianised?
A Brief History: Yoga and its Philosophy
Some Naga Christians have embraced Yoga with promptness. The
reasons can be threefold— they are unfamiliar with the philosophy that forms
its foundation or they see no association between Yoga with the Hindu religion.
Also, thirdly, since the present Nagaland Government, for the past two terms,
is in coalition with the RSS born BJP, the legislators belonging to the BJP
must please their masters in the centre. The reason is, they could get a place
in Nagaland just because the Government in the centre is ruled by the BJP.
Otherwise, there is a very dim chance for the people of Nagaland to even favour
BJP, even as a party.
The beginning of the practice of Yoga can be traced back to
the Indus valley civilisation—to the pre-Vedic and Vedic periods.
Archaeological discoveries reveal the figure of a man seated in a yogic
position among the ruins belonging to that period. Ishwar Basavaraddi (2015) in
his article “Yoga: Its Origin, History and Development,” explains a
mythological tradition that Lord Shiva is the first teacher of Yoga. David
Frawley (2015) in his book “Siva: The Lord of Yoga,” states that the centrality
of Shiva in Yoga is rarely utilised or understood. He explains that Lord Shiva
is the originator of Yoga postures (asana), breathing, mantra, inner seeing and
meditation.
In the Vedas, the concept of Yoga was evident, often in
Homas (fire ceremonies) though the word “Yoga” was not used. The sages sit in
straight, still, sitting positions along with breath control, concentration and
other physical disciplines implying the practice and elements of Yoga (RV
1:18.7; 10:136; 114.9; AV 15). In the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, the
meaning of Yoga is well defined and explained. For instance, in Bhagavad Gita,
Lord Krishna spoke about three paths of Yoga leading to enlightenment to
Arjuna. From this yogic tradition, many sacred texts emerged – one being the
noteworthy Yogasutra. Yogasutra was compiled and organised by Patanjali in the
2nd century BCE, considered to be the mother and textbook of all Yoga (Oommen
2008, 2-4).
Today, what most people perceive as simply Yoga is Hatha
Yoga. According to Singh and Pande, Hatha Yoga is a physical Yoga that teaches
about controlling one’s body. It is a preparatory process so that the body can
sustain higher levels of energy. It prepares the body for physical purification
free from disease so that higher meditation could be performed. The process
begins with the body, then the breath, the mind, and the inner self (Singh and
Pande 2016, 57-58).
Hatha Yoga concentrates on Asanas (posture); Parnayama
(breath control); Mudra (hand positions while practising Yoga); Bandhas (lock
the energy in specific areas of the body and direct their flow into the spinal
cord for awakening Kundalini); and Shatkarma (six processes) includes six
purification practices (Saraswati 2008, 421-525). One needs to understand that
Yoga is much more than asanas or postures. And that, each posture or asana is
significantly connected to Hindu gods. For instance, the Sun Salutation or “the
Surya namaskar is a series of positions designed to greet Surya, the Hindu Sun
god”. B. K. S Iyengar (1997, 24), clarifies in his book “The Illustrated Light
on Yoga”, that, asanas are named after the god and goddess of Hinduism;
legendary heroes; Hindu sages; animals and trees etc.
Interestingly, the popularity of Yoga has ignited the entire
world as not religion. However, religion is derived from the Latin word meaning
“to bind back” and Yoga means to “join.” Thus, both in its philosophy and essence,
Yoga is undoubtedly a religion at its core, because the word Yoga itself is
derived from Sanskrit yuj meaning “to unite,” “to join” and “oneness,” which
exceedingly suggest religious implication with nothing left to be confused
about. Now, those definitions mentioned above give rise to a quest, and that
is, union with what or union with whom? As per Hindu teachings found in the
writings of yogis and gurus, it is a union of mind, body, and soul; of one’s
lower ego with higher selves; a union with the universe, that is, god.
Yoga is fundamentally a spiritual practice that seeks to
attain union with Brahman, the Hindu concept of god. Consequently, Yoga cannot
be reduced solely to a physical exercise aimed at promoting physical and mental
wellbeing without acknowledging its inherent spiritual dimensions and
theological underpinnings. Ishwar V Basavaraddi, director MDNIY, Ministry of
AYUSH Govt. of India, in his article (2016) “Yoga: Modern Lifestyle and
International Acceptability,” commented that, many people today have
misunderstood Yoga as only physical and breathing exercise, without
understanding that Yoga has a holistic approach which can transform one’s life
from ordinary to extraordinary personality. Thus, the transformative potential
of Yoga can be seen as a means of spiritual deception, wherein individuals
become fascinated in its practices, abandoning biblical principles, leading to
a profound shift away from the Truth and towards spiritual confusion and
darkness.
It is not astonishing to hear testimonies from Nagas who
were instructed by their Yoga trainer to focus on Jesus while doing Yoga, but
that is problematic when one recalls the Hindu concept of god. Also, it is
susceptible that Yoga offers physical healing when its dangers are remarkably unalluring.
Yoga, when not done appropriately brings more harm than healing. Iyengar (1997,
23-24) worries that improper practice of asanas and pranayama leads to
respiratory diseases and damage to the nervous system though it prepares one to
be free from diseases. Shree Purohit Swami, a Hindu teacher recalls his
encounter “... In India and Europe, I came across some three hundred people who
suffered permanently from wrong practices …” (as cited in Wilson and Weldon
1980, 72). Besides, it affects the spiritual life of a practitioner as it has
spiritual implications, and this reason is more than enough for the Christians
to not embrace Yoga with alacrity before examining the underlying factor.
As previously noted, Yoga is trending and is practised
worldwide. Some Christians have adopted Yoga and have termed it Christian Yoga.
However, it was not encouraged by Hindu yogis as they see the problem with the
term “Christian Yoga.” Baba Prem expresses his view about Christian Yoga in his
article “There Is No Christian Yoga,” that — it was quite astonishing to see on
the flyer ‘Christian Yoga! This Thursday night....’ I could feel the wheels
spinning in my brain. ‘Christian Yoga,’ I thought. Now while Christians can
practice Yoga, I am not aware of any Christian teachings about Yoga. Yoga is
not a Judeo/Christian word! ... It is a Hindu word, or more correctly a
Sanskrit word from the Vedic civilisation. So how did we get Christian Yoga?...
Christianity is subconsciously attempting to return to the spiritual roots of civilisation—the
Vedic civilisation…offering Yoga classes allowed the Christians to secretly
practice Hinduism without having to renounce their Christian tradition…It is
ironic that one religion would need to look to another to teach them about
love, peace, harmony and forgiveness…but the reality is that Yoga is a part of
Hinduism. Allowing one part to be taken from Hinduism opens a door for the
distortion of the teachings. We must remember that the roots to modern day Yoga
come from Vedic Yoga. The same Vedic Yoga that is the authority of
Hinduism…Hinduism should reclaim its full heritage and not allow other groups
to rename its sacred teachings under their banner, especially when they have no
history of those teaching within their own system. If they wish to ‘borrow’ and
say this comes from our brothers and sisters in Hinduism, then that is another
thing...Hinduism should guard against its sacred traditions becoming distorted
and taken away (Baba Prem 2005).
Roger Oakland in his article “Is there Christian Yoga?”
suggests that Baba Prem detesting Christians taking Hindu’s spiritual practice
and calling it Christian is understandable. Oakland further says “How would we
feel if there was suddenly a new craze called Hindu Communion. We’d say,
‘Communion is about Jesus Christ. It can’t possibly be called Hindu.’ How
tragic that a Hindu guru sees the problem, but Christian leaders don’t?”
(Oakland 2009).
Considerations
Things to ponder before indulging in the practice of Yoga—
•If Yoga
is not a religious activity, then why is there a concept of Yoga taught in the
Hindu scriptures such as Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita?
•Can we
Christianise Yoga through linguistic substitution? — Can we replace the word
Yoga with any Christian word/ Bible passages and make it Christian Yoga or Holy
Yoga?
•Yoga
teaches self-worship and that is idolatry—focusing within to seek peace. It
teaches life’s problems can be solved by focusing on one’s consciousness.
Bhagavad Gita states “Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the
self.”Yoga is the search of the self,
the god within us. Do Christians need Yoga to ease life’s problems? Have we, as
Christians, unknowingly emphasised self-absorption rather than embracing the
Biblical call to self-denial and Cross-bearing in our walk with Christ?
•Yoga aims
to awaken kundalini-shakti by arousing each chakra until it reaches the head
where one acquires spiritual bliss, and samadhi or salvation follows. The Bible
never teaches spiritual connection via arousing divine energy force. In fact,
the Bible teaches us to focus on Jesus, the “author and perfecter of faith”
(Heb. 12:2). Spiritual fellowship comes through a personal relationship with
true God, who is the fountain of life (Psm. 36:9), not chakras. Do Christians
need Yoga to strengthen their spirituality or to connect with God?
•Yoga is
beyond the physical realm. The main objective of Yoga is to get liberation from
rebirth, and pain and it teaches how to control and empty one’s mind to gain
salvation/Samadhi. Yoga says only when you realise you are divine or experience
god, you can be free from pain, sadness or suffering and attain inner peace
contrary to what the Bible teaches. Do Christians need Yoga to get salvation?
Biblically speaking, Christian Yoga is an oxymoron—both are
contradictory. Yoga and Biblical teaching present different worldviews as seen
in the following—
a) Creation: According to Yoga philosophy, the created world
is the result of the union between Purusa and Prakriti (Giri 2006, 109).
Contrarily, the Bible says that God created everything out of nothing (Gen.
1:1; Heb.11:4) and that the universe, including all matter, came into existence
through the will of eternal God.
b) Evolution of the World: The order of creation in the
Bible teaches that God created human beings from lower components like the dust
of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Gen.
2:7).In contrast, Yoga teaches that
creation is a descent from the above.Human intellect was first to appear, and his body comes at the end
(Oommen 2008, 53).
c) God: According to Yoga philosophy, god is considered an
impersonal, spiritual substance, coextensive with all of reality. This doctrine
is called pantheism, the view that everything is god. Thus, it differs clearly
from the theism of Biblical Christianity. In the Bible, God reveals Himself as
the personal Creator of the universe (Gleghorn 2002).
d) Salvation: Yoga puts very little value on the Grace of
God, for salvation comes as a result of the prolonged effort on the part of the
yogi which makes salvation through work. Christians focus and trust in the love
of God and that salvation is a free gift, which is a result of the Grace
realised through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary that
gives way to salvation by faith. According to the Bible, only by faith in
Jesus, we are justified (Jhn. 6:35). God is the Creator; humans are one of His
creations. As such, human beings are certainly unique, for unlike any other
creatures, we are created in the image of God. Nevertheless, Christianity
differs from Yoga in that God and human beings are distinct. Human beings are
created beings and there is not an iota of doubt that they can have fellowship
with God, yet, are distinct from God (Oommen 2008, 51, 53).
e) Human’s Fundamental problem: Yoga regards human problems
primarily in terms of ignorance that is— human beings simply do not realise
that he/she is “god.” The solution is union with “god” through personal strife
and effort. However, Christianity sees human’s primary problem as sin, a
failure to match both the character and standards of a morally perfect God.
Human beings are, thus, separated from God and in need of reconciliation. The
solution is Jesus Christ, who takes away the sin of the world (Eph. 1:7; Rom.
3:23-25; 1 Cor. 6:2). Through Jesus’ death on the Cross, God reconciled the
world to Himself. He now calls human beings to freely receive all the benefits
of His salvation through faith in Christ alone. Unlike Yoga, Christianity views
salvation as a free gift. It can never be earned; it can only be received
(Gleghorn 2002).
f) Emptying the Mind: The Bible talks about the renewing of
our mind (Rom. 12:2; Eph.4:23; 2 Cor. 10:5), which means transforming one’s
thoughts, perspectives, and attitudes to align with God’s will and Truth,
leading to a Spirit-filled life. Intense focus on the object leads to
meditation resulting in emptying the mind according to Yoga. The Bible teaches
us to meditate on the Word and to fill our minds with the Word of God (Psm.
1:1-3;119:27; Heb. 8:10).
g) Jesus, the Only Way: Yoga believes that a person can
attain salvation through work such as performing asanas/postures, meditation,
knowing or realising he/she is god, arousing kundalini through chakras etc.
However, the Bible declares in John 14:6 that “I am the way and the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus stresses that
salvation, in contrast to what many believe, is not obtainable through any
other way. Jesus is not “a way” but “the way” implying that only one way
exists.Thus, according to the Bible,
Jesus is the only way to get salvation. Jesus is “the Way” because He is “the
Truth” and “the Life.” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 322). 1 John 5:12 says,
“He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not
have the life.” I Timothy 2:5 reads, “There is one God, and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Acts 4:12 also echoes this truth
“There is salvation in no one else! Under all heaven there is no other name for
men to call upon to save them.”
All the above passages are the claims that resonate with the
claims of Jesus; in fact, the specific teaching of Jesus (Jhn 14:6). If human
beings could have reached God through any other way, then Jesus would not need
to die. His death illustrates the fact that there is no other way. Jesus is the
only one without sin (Heb. 4:15); the only sacrifice for sin (1 Jhn 2:2; Heb.
10:26); the only one who came to earth as God’s only Son and returned to heaven
(John 3:13); the only one ever to die, conquered death and rose again (Heb.
2:14-15; Jhn. 11:25-26); the only mediator between God and human beings (1 Tim.
2:5) and the only one whom God has raised to the highest place and gave Him a
name above every other name (Philip. 2:9). Jesus is unique and He is the one
whom He claimed to be (Rom.1:4), the unique Son of God and the only way by
which a person can have a personal relationship with the true and living God.
h) Yoga Postures Worship Hindu Gods: In Romans 12:1 it says,
“...offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is
your true and proper worship.” Thus, Christians are expected to live a holy and
pure life with total surrender to our living God and not worshipping gods in
any form or manner. God had commanded in the Bible not to have any other god or
to worship any other rather than Him (Exo. 20:4; 23:13; Psm. 81:9).
i) Yoga’s Benefits Come with a Cost: Yoga may give health
benefits and calm stress, but its dangers are a deathtrap when not practiced
appropriately. Moreover, Yoga cannot offer true peace because true peace comes
from God. The apostle Paul in Philippians 4:6-7 exhorts, “Do not be anxious
about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.”
While cultural
adaptation is a natural human tendency, followers of Christ need a counter-cultural
approach, as new creations, born from above and changed from within, with
values and lifestyles that are contrary with those of the world (1 Cor.
3:19-23). True believers do not blend in easily without checking God’s Word.
True believers are not lukewarm. Believers have freedom in Christ, but this
freedom does not mean to do whatever one desires; rather it means freedom to
follow God faithfully, knowing that our salvation is not due to good works or
rules, but by the free gift of God (Eph. 2:8,9).
Yoga is a strictly religious and a spiritual activity rooted
in Hinduism. Christians do not need Yoga to connect with God or to hydrate
spiritual dryness episodes. Yoga aims to unite with the ultimate reality/truth;
but for Christians, Jesus is the truth, our reality. Yoga focuses on oneself
and happiness, but Christians are called to live in holiness. Yoga and Bible
are poles apart, their contradictions are evidently perceived, and hence, as a
follower of Christ, I do not buy the tagline of “Christian Yoga” no matter how
trendy and catchy it may sound.
On a recent occasion of International Day of Yoga, 2022,
State President, BJP Nagaland, Minister Temjen Imna Along tweeted: “Yoga indeed
has the power to purify the mind and body and eliminate negative energies from
the body.” I hope he knows the fact that eliminating negative energies through
Yoga is connected with the chakras. Also, practicing asanas stimulates the
chakras, activates and awakens the kundalini shakti. Once all the negative
energies are eliminated, the result is the release of dormant energy; the body
becomes full of strength, and the mind becomes light, creative, joyful and
balanced/enlightenment (Saraswati 2008, 10-11). The Bible clearly speaks of
‘sin’ rather than ‘negative energies,’ and the problem of sin can be solved
only in Jesus Christ, and not by human works or efforts. In fact, in Jesus,
Christians have the ultimate/supreme solution to sin.
The Bible teaches us to reject anything that claims to come
from God but teaches different gospel than the one presented in the Bible. As
Galatians 1: 8 confirms “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach
to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”
The teachings of Yoga oppose Biblical teachings, hence whatever is contrary to
the Bible should be fervidly rejected and condemned.
Nagaland is a Christian majority state, and it is saddening
to see Naga Christians being influenced by teachings that are totally contrary
to the Bible. It is heartbreaking to see Naga Christians being influenced by
the world, rather than exerting a positive Christian influence. It is painful
to see our Naga Churches becoming silent when there is an urgency to voicing
out Biblical standpoint. It is agonising to see our people following the trend,
the pattern of Yoga with alacrity. It is traumatising to see Naga Christians
trying to Christianise Yoga. One may think that as long as one does not delve
deep into the spiritual aspect of Yoga or into the higher limbs, it is okay and
safe.
Another issue is that we do see and read in the News Media
of Government servants having to do Yoga on International Yoga Day, be it by
choice or not. I remember a story being told to us about Dr. Talimeren Ao, who
was the first captain of the independent Indian National Football team. It
seems there was a football match in England, slated to be played on a Sunday.
Dr. T. Ao refused to play that match because it was a Sunday, and when
interviewed, it is told, he responded that Christians do not play on Sundays;
and the match was postponed just because the spectators demanded to watch Dr.
T. Ao playing. Can there be anyone among Christians in the Nagaland Government
willing to stand for the truth?
As mentioned, Yoga cannot be separated from its physical and
spiritual aspects; it is interconnected, a cluster of various techniques aimed
to attain enlightenment. The saying of Billy Ray Hearn (founder of Sparrow
Records) mirrors our present Naga Christians state when he says, “When
something new comes along, the Church usually rejects; then they tolerate it;
then it becomes acceptable; and finally, it becomes traditional.” As I read and
retrospect, I cannot help but identify Yoga as a sin. For, Sin is anything we
do, think, or say that displeases God. Consequently, idolatry is sin,
self-worship is sin, focusing on oneself is sin and hence Yoga is sin.
The choice of whether to practice Yoga is an individual one,
and Naga Christians can prayerfully consider/choose what is most precious to
them as we cannot serve two masters. As 1 Corinthians 10:21 warns, “You cannot
drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in
both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.” May we prayerfully discern what
honors God in our lives.
