Christianity and Yoga

Christian Sites and Resources:

Women in Grace’s website posts on Yoga – This link provides a list of all this website’s excellent posts and videos on Yoga.

“Death of a Guru:  A Remarkable Guru of One Man’s Search for Truth” by Rabi R. Maharaj and Dave Hunt –    Rabi R. Maharaj came from a long line of Brahmin priests and gurus and trained as a yogi. He meditated for many hours each day, but gradually disillusionment set in. He describes Hindu life and custom, vividly and honestly tracing his difficult search for meaning and his struggle to choose between Hinduism and Christianity. (from Amazon book description)

“Yoga and the Body of Christ:  What Position Should Christians Hold?” by Dave Hunt  –  The author—an avid promoter of biblically based physical, mental, and spiritual wholeness—distinguishes pure truth from popular belief in this revealing expose. Every Christian should be informed of the true origins and effects of the practice of yoga and its ungodly roots in Kundalini energy—which, literally defined, means an awakening of the “Serpent Power.”(from Amazon book description)

wwww.TheOtherSideOfDarkness.com –  website of Beth Eckert a former New Ager and yoga practitioner.  She speaks extensively about the deceptions of yoga, especially so-called “Christian Yoga.”

www.TruthBehindyoga.com –  a website by former yoga teacher and Reiki master, Jessica Smith.   She studied at an ashram in India and lived at a Buddhist center in Berkeley.  She had a profound spiritual experience encountering dark spiritual realities behind her practices.  She is now dedicated to sharing the truth behind these practices.

Testimony of Deliverance from a Demon of Yoga by Corinna Craft  – From the Deep Healing International website www.deephealing.eu.  Corrina Craft now maintains a website about her experiences with yoga at whatsthematterwithyoga.wordpress.com.

The Spiritual Deception of Yoga by William of Fife, Scotland – William was an avid yoga disciple who turned to Christ after suffering from severe depression.  From the www.cai.org website.

“Downward Facing:  The Dark Side of Yoga” – from the Women of Grace website.  A ministry to Catholic women.

“Yoga in philosophy and practice is incompatible with Christianity” by James Manjackal – James Manjackal, MSFS, is a Catholic priest from Kerala, India.  His pages include his article along with several others from Catholic clergy as well as others.

“Yoga: More than meets the eyes? by Ed Hird” – from VirtueOnline an Anglican website.  This article is a condensation of Ed Hird’s blog post on his blog which can be found here.

TM Siddhi Techniques & Yoga Testimony of Teri Johnson – from Aslan’s Place website.

”Christian Yoga:  Rooted in Hindu Occultism” by Chris Lawson  This article discusses the occult aspects of yoga with much background and references on the true origins of yoga and its incompatibility with Christianity.   This is from the website Spiritual Research Network – A Discernment Resource Ministry

RevelationMovement.com – Christian Indian scholar and intellectual, Vishal Mangalwadi,  has an amazing view from the East about how Christianity helped shape Western society.  Vishal studied under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi before becoming a Christian and has written several books on the new age, Hinduism, yoga, and Eastern culture.  He studied with Francis Schaeffer at L’ Abri in Switzerland.   Link to video on yoga: Yoga: Seven Paths to Salvation in Hinduism

“Yoga and Christianity: Are They Compatible?”  – a well-researched article by Michael Gleghorn from the Probenet website. Includes references to ancient Hindu texts. PDF Version (May be downloaded and distributed)

“Yoga and New Trends in Christianity” – Excellent article from the “Light for the Last Days” website.  Excellent contrast of Hindu versus Christian philosophy.

“Innocent Yoga?” – Dr. John Ankerberg & Dr. John Weldon – a well-researched paper from the Ankerberg Theological Research Institute (www.ankerberg.com) based on New Age and Yoga sources.   The author of this website has had many similar experiences to the story of a woman named Carole whose story is included in this article.

“Yoga:  The Occult?” – Dr. John Ankerberg & Dr. John Weldon – well-researched paper with excerpts on the dangers and complications of yoga and meditation from noted gurus such as Sri Chinmoy and Gopi Krishna.   If you think the dangers of Yoga are non-trivial, here is an excerpt from the article:

“Yoga authority Hans Ulrich Rieker admonishes in The Yoga of Light, “Yoga is not a trifling jest if we consider that any misunderstanding in the practice of yoga can mean death and insanity,” and of Kundalini yoga, he says that if the breath is “prematurely exhausted [withdrawn] there is immediate danger of death for the yogi.

“Kundalini Yoga” – Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon – Most recent Ankerberg Institute article on Kundalini Yoga and aspects of Kundalini spirit “power” and “possession.”

“Yoga Theory and Practice:  Separable? Part One” by Dr. John Ankerberg & Dr. John Weldon – Background article on how Yoga theory and practice are inseparable.

“Yoga Theory and Practice: Separable? Part Two” by Dr. John Ankerberg & Dr. John Weldon – Part two of “Yoga Separable”.

Mike Shreve’s Story – the testimony of Mike Shreve former Kundalini yoga teacher and founder of the truelight.net website.

Vail Carruth’s Story – the testimony of Vail Carruth former teacher of Transcendental meditation. On truelight.net website.

“Out of Kundalini” -Testimony of  Virgo Handojo – testimony of an Indonesian man’s journey to Christ

Critical considerations regarding Yoga as a spiritual path towards transcendence   – a presentation of Yoga and Hindu Spirituality with a critical analysis of its spiritual disciplines from a Christian perspective by Ernest Valea.  The site includes several other excellent articles contrasting Christianity and Eastern Religions as well.  Main Homepage of the site: World Religions: Comparative Analysis

“Yoga: Health or Stealth”  – an article describing the theological and spiritual pitfalls of yoga practice from a Roman Catholic perspective. From the Roman Catholic ministry:  The Cross and Veil.

“Yoga: From Hippies to Hip” – an excellent article from Christian Answers for the New Age (CANA) website discussing the spiritual roots of many aspects of yoga.

Trancenet.org’s page on Transcendental Meditation (TM) – information and research on Transcendental Meditation (TM) and other religious groups by a former TM’er.