Yoga

Yoga

Catholics on Yoga
In 1989 the Vatican issued a warning:

          Lord in heaven. The Good News of resurrection is bad news to a yoga master whose ultimate goal is liberation from his body! Pilates, however, is a form of exercise. The problem is usually the music in the exercise studio. The music tends to be New Age or chants or something other than Christian. So while your body may be benefiting, what is your mind being programmed?"

Lord in heaven. The Good News of resurrection is bad news to a yoga master whose ultimate goal is liberation from his body! Pilates, however, is a form of exercise. The problem is usually the music in the exercise studio. The music tends to be New Age or chants or something other than Christian. So while your body may be benefiting, what is your mind being programmed?”

Lord in heaven. The Good News of resurrection is bad news to a yoga master whose ultimate goal is liberation from his body! Pilates, however, is a form of exercise. The problem is usually the music in the exercise studio. The music tends to be New Age or chants or something other than Christian. So while your body may be benefiting, what is your mind being programmed?”
Even though Christians claim that yoga can be Christianized, Sannyasin Arumugaswami, managing editor of Hinduism Today, disagrees. He says that Hinduism is the soul of yoga “based as it is on Hindu Scripture and developed by Hindu sages. Yoga opens up new and more refined states of mind, and to understand them one needs to believe in and understand the Hindu way of looking at God…..A Christian trying to adapt these practices will likely disrupt their own Christian beliefs.”
Warnings from Archbishop Rivera
Archbishop Norberto Rivera, of Mexico City, gives stern warnings about yoga in his “Pastoral Instruction on New Age.” He says, “Yoga is essentially a spiritual and bodily exercise that comes from Hindu spirituality. Its postures and exercises, though presented as only a method, are inseparable from their specific meaning within the context of Hinduism.”
Is it harmless to do postures only?
According to people who have been harmed by yoga practices, the postures themselves have occult significances. The breathing and mind work are add-ons. The postures alone are designed to create altered levels of consciousness, plus they can trigger reactions just as the breathing and mind work do. They also give homage to Hindu gods.   Yoga is a direct door to the occult. Some people who get involved in New Age or occult practices need deliverance from evil spirits, according to Fr. Amorth, the Vatican exorcist.


Does yoga cause psychological damage?
Yes. According to studies from psychiatrists and psychologists from all over the world, yoga, TM, and other Eastern meditation practices cause various psychological problems. This article reviews 75 scientific articles on the side- effects of meditation, which were relaxation-induced anxiety and panic; paradoxical increases in tension; less motivation in life; boredom; pain; impaired reality testing; confusion and disorientation; feeling ‘spaced out’; depression; increased negativity; being more judgmental; feeling addicted to meditation; uncomfortable kinaesthetic sensations; mild dissociation; feelings of guilt; psychosis-like symptoms; grandiosity; elation; destructive behavior; suicidal feelings; defenselessness; fear; anger; apprehension; and despair.(Perez-De-Abeniz,Alberto and Holmes, Jeremy. Meditation: Concepts Effects and Uses in Therapy. International Journal of Psychotherapy, March 2000,Vol. 5 Issue 1, p.49, 10p).
How widespread is yoga practice in our Church? Some Catholics are getting involved in one of the larger yoga societies or ashrams. Unfortunately, many priests, nuns, teachers, and spiritual counselors encourage Eastern practices, especially yoga, often mixing them with Catholic mysticism. This problem adds to the general confusion about the legitimacy of these practices, especially when they are allowed to be taught at parishes and retreat centers. In the document, Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life, the Vatican has asked centers of spirituality to stop teaching New Age!
In summary, we need to be aware of these facts.
l)         The Vatican document has identified
        Yoga as New Age.
2)       Yoga is a direct door to the occult.
3)       The Vatican document states that New Age cannot be accepted by faithful Catholics
4)       Yoga can cause psychological damage
If we want to do stretching, why not do Pilates from a teacher who is not using New Age music. In this way our bodies will benefit from these activities, and our spirits will not be subjected to any beliefs or practices which are contrary to our Christian faith.
Anne Feaster
swordoflightandtruth.org
Feel free to copy & distribute


Does yoga cause psychological damage?
Yes. According to studies from psychiatrists and psychologists from all over the world, yoga, TM, and other Eastern meditation practices cause various psychological problems. This article reviews 75 scientific articles on the side- effects of meditation, which were relaxation-induced anxiety and panic; paradoxical increases in tension; less motivation in life; boredom; pain; impaired reality testing; confusion and disorientation; feeling ‘spaced out’; depression; increased negativity; being more judgmental; feeling addicted to meditation; uncomfortable kinaesthetic sensations; mild dissociation; feelings of guilt; psychosis-like symptoms; grandiosity; elation; destructive behavior; suicidal feelings; defenselessness; fear; anger; apprehension; and despair.(Perez-De-Abeniz,Alberto and Holmes, Jeremy. Meditation: Concepts Effects and Uses in Therapy. International Journal of Psychotherapy, March 2000,Vol. 5 Issue 1, p.49, 10p).
How widespread is yoga practice in our Church? Some Catholics are getting involved in one of the larger yoga societies or ashrams. Unfortunately, many priests, nuns, teachers, and spiritual counselors encourage Eastern practices, especially yoga, often mixing them with Catholic mysticism. This problem adds to the general confusion about the legitimacy of these practices, especially when they are allowed to be taught at parishes and retreat centers. In the document, Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life, the Vatican has asked centers of spirituality to stop teaching New Age!
In summary, we need to be aware of these facts.
l)         The Vatican document has identified
        Yoga as New Age.
2)       Yoga is a direct door to the occult.
3)       The Vatican document states that New Age cannot be accepted by faithful Catholics
4)       Yoga can cause psychological damage
If we want to do stretching, why not do Pilates from a teacher who is not using New Age music. In this way our bodies will benefit from these activities, and our spirits will not be subjected to any beliefs or practices which are contrary to our Christian faith.
Anne Feaster
swordoflightandtruth.org
Feel free to copy & distribute

Does yoga cause psychological damage?
Yes. According to studies from psychiatrists and psychologists from all over the world, yoga, TM, and other Eastern meditation practices cause various psychological problems. This article reviews 75 scientific articles on the side- effects of meditation, which were relaxation-induced anxiety and panic; paradoxical increases in tension; less motivation in life; boredom; pain; impaired reality testing; confusion and disorientation; feeling ‘spaced out’; depression; increased negativity; being more judgmental; feeling addicted to meditation; uncomfortable kinaesthetic sensations; mild dissociation; feelings of guilt; psychosis-like symptoms; grandiosity; elation; destructive behavior; suicidal feelings; defenselessness; fear; anger; apprehension; and despair.(Perez-De-Abeniz,Alberto and Holmes, Jeremy. Meditation: Concepts Effects and Uses in Therapy. International Journal of Psychotherapy, March 2000,Vol. 5 Issue 1, p.49, 10p).
How widespread is yoga practice in our Church? Some Catholics are getting involved in one of the larger yoga societies or ashrams. Unfortunately, many priests, nuns, teachers, and spiritual counselors encourage Eastern practices, especially yoga, often mixing them with Catholic mysticism. This problem adds to the general confusion about the legitimacy of these practices, especially when they are allowed to be taught at parishes and retreat centers. In the document, Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life, the Vatican has asked centers of spirituality to stop teaching New Age!
In summary, we need to be aware of these facts.
l)         The Vatican document has identified
        Yoga as New Age.
2)       Yoga is a direct door to the occult.
3)       The Vatican document states that New Age cannot be accepted by faithful Catholics
4)       Yoga can cause psychological damage
If we want to do stretching, why not do Pilates from a teacher who is not using New Age music. In this way our bodies will benefit from these activities, and our spirits will not be subjected to any beliefs or practices which are contrary to our Christian faith.
Anne Feaster
swordoflightandtruth.org
Feel free to copy & distribute

VERDAD

SOBRE EL

YOGA

Por un tiempo el Yoga ha sido popular en el occidente, y parece que sigue ganando popularidad. Se ofrecen clases de Hatha Yoga en estudios de danza, hospitales y escuelas. Algunas escuelas ofrecen un “recreo yoga”. También se enseña en parroquias Católicas. Atrae a los americanos porque ofrece a la vez ejercicios de estiramiento y un medio de calmar la mente. Veamos más detenidamente al yoga.
Qué es yoga?
El diccionario de biblioteca Webster dá una clara definición de yoga. Afirma, “Yoga es un sistema filosófico hindú, estricta disciplina spiritual practicada para ganar control sobre las fuerzas del propio ser para ganar poderes del oculto pero principalmente para lograr union con la Deidad o Espíritu Universal.” Lo cierto es que el yoga es parte de la religion hindú. Significa “unión con dios ó yunta con dios.” La meta del hinduísmo es descubrir tu Verdadero Yo, el cual es dios ó Braham. Cómo descubren ellos éste Verdadero Yo o yo-dios? Ellos ven al yoga como una senda para este descubrimiento del Verdadero Yo ó dios-realización, y ellos usan ejercicios físicos, meditaciones y mantras para lograrlo. La literatura hindú afirma, “La yugada sabia en el yoga pronto logra lo Absoluto (braham)” (Bhagavad-Gita V.6) Tomado de The Shambala Guide to Yoga por Georg Feuerstein p.vii)
Contradicen éstas ideas a la creencia Cristiana?
Sí. Los hindúes creen en la reencarnación (muchas vidas) y karma. A través de la práctica de yoga, el hindu lucha por liberarse del cautiverio del karma que es la ley de causa y efecto que carga al alma con los efectos del pecado y lo mantiene atado con el ciclo del renacer. Como Cristianos, sabemos que por su muerte, Cristo nos redimió, y que morimos solamente una vez, como las escrituras lo establecen en Hebreos 9:27. Sabemos que al morir somos juzgados por nuestro Dios. Sabemos que El es un Dios personal que nos ha creado, nos ama, y nos perdona. El es un Dios que escucha nuestras oraciones, y las responde de acuerdo a Su medida de tiempo y Su Divina voluntad. El hindú cree que eventualmente el se convertirá en dios o Braham, como una gota dentro de un oceáno…
Cuáles son los diferentes tipos de yoga?
Johnnette Benkovic describe las cuatro formas más populares de yoga en su libro, The New Age Counterfeit, p 11. Son como sigue:
Hatha Yoga: Salvación a través del ejercicio físico – manipulación física del propio cuerpo para crear un estado alterado de conciencia, el que ocurre como resultado del efecto del ejercicio en el sistema nervioso central.
Japa Yoga: La senda “ mecánica” a la salvación –
El uso repetitivo de mantra (palabra sagrada), por lo general el nombre de un dios hindú o un espíritu maligno. Esto crea un estado por la cual la mente es conciente pero no se da cuenta de nada o de ningún pensamiento. Este estado es llamado conciencia pura ó conciencia transcendental.
Kundalini Yoga: Salvación a través de la serpiente –
El hinduísmo enseña que en la base de la columna vertebral hay un triángulo en el que reside el “Kundalini Shakti” (Serpiente Poder). Por lo general en estado latente pero que cuando se le despierta, viaja por la columna vertebral hasta el extremo de la cabeza, pasando a través de seis centros psíquicos llamados “chakras”. Al atravesar un chakra, uno recibe poderes y experiencias psíquicas. Cuando alcanza el chakra más alto supuestamente es realizado el logro de lliberación y el poder de desempeñar milagros.
Tantra Yoga: Salvación a través de sexo,
Tantra es la senda del placer e indulgencia.
Hatha Yoga es el tipo más común de yoga en los E.E.U.U.
De acuerdo a la Shambala Guide to Yoga por Georg Feuerstein, p. 26, “El corazón del Hatha-Yoga es indudablemente el control de respiración (pranayama), y son dadas una variedad de técnicas para manipular la energía del cuerpo (prana) a través de la respiración. (los hindúes creen que el Prana es la fuerza universal de la vida, dios-fuerza o
fuerza de energía.
Qué enseña el Vaticano sobre yoga?
El Vaticano recientemente emitió un documento de 62 páginas llamado “Jesucristo, Portador del Agua Viva : Una reflexión cristiana sobre la Nueva Era.” Lista el yoga como una de las tradiciones que fluye dentro de la Nueva Era, (ver #2.1) El documento también afirma, “Yoga, Zen, TM y ejercicios tántricos llevan a una experiencia de auto realización ó iluminación” de acuerdo a los pertenecientes a Nueva Era. Agrega que ellos creen que “cualquier cosa que pueda provocar un estado alterado de consciencia se cree que puede conducir a unidad e iluminación” (#2.3.4.1) El documento continua diciendo, “ Es por consiguiente necesario identificar con exactitud aquellos elementos que pertenecen al movimiento Nueva Era, los cuales no pueden ser aceptados por aquellos que son fieles a Cristo y a su Iglesia.” (#4) EL Padre Amorth, quien es el exorcista del Vaticano, dice “Yoga, Zen, y TM no son aceptables para los cristianos. Muchas veces éstas aparente prácticas inocentes pueden producir alucinaciones y condiciones esquizofrénicas.”
Puede el Yoga ser Cristianizado?
De acuerdo a Clare Merkle, quien anteriormente pertenecio a la Nueva Era y ex-practicante Yogi, no existe cosa tal como Yoga Cristiana. Merkle dice que “las llamadas versions “Cristianizadas” también acrecientan el riesgo al combinar creencias cristiana y prácticas místicas que abren mas aun a los practicantes al mal uso y ruina spiritual. Más común que la crisis es la lenta metamorfosis de la creencia en Cristo y su Iglesia a la creencia en la perfección espiritual a través de la auto realización. No obstante la sola realización física como suprema importancia a la salud spiritual.” Además, el término “Yoga Cristiano” le dá a la gente la impression que es inofensivo, lo cual no es así. (Clare Merkle ha aparecido en EWTN network, en el programa de Johnnette Benkovic, “Living His Life Abundantly”. Ella ha sido muy dañada por la Nueva Era. Y puede ser contactada via e-mail a crossveil@go.com Para más información detallada sobre yoga, leer su artículo “Yoga –Health or Stealth?” de su website llamado crossveil.org.)
Es inofensivas hacer sólo las posturas?
Según Merkle, “Las posturas físicas tienen una significación oculttista y pueden provocar reacciones como lo hacen la respiración y la mente. Son aditivos que aumentan la efectividad de las posturas, las que tecnicamente no son sólo estiramiento. Tenemos funciones nerviosas, endocrinas, orgánicas, neuro esqueléticas y cognitivas que son muy delicadas y están interconectadas. Mediante la manipulación de cualquier clase de poder desconocido o del oculto, a través del uso de la voluntad o intelecto, o la simple estimulación a través de ejercicios orientados, éstos pueden y han causado algunas crisis en personas.” Cuando se le preguntó por qué la gente recibe más energía y se fatiga menos haciendo yoga, ella respondió “ El Yoga pueda dar energía simplemente por el estiramiento que aumenta la circulación y el tono muscular. Pero, también trabaja sobre el sistema endocrino. Conocí a una señora que hizo el “yoga poder”en el trabajo y dejó de dormir. Cuando le pregunté qué estaba haciendo, ella describió una postura diseñada a encender la glandula pituitaria a través de la postura y respiración pranayámica, la cual está diseñada a dar poder oculto a la glandula. Hay innumerables casos de personas que experimentan lo que los orientales llaman un despertar kundalini – se siente como un hidrante de fuego ascendiendo por la columna vertebral – efectos secundarios incluyen desvelo, disociación, ver espíritus, poderes extraordinarios o crisis nerviosas y colapso por años. Acabo de ser contactada por una persona que está teniendo lo que se llama una irrupción kundalini – (ya descrito) Esta persona tiene un ser en su interior que empuja su cuerpo por todas partes, tuvo que dejar el trabajo y mudarse con alguien. Y ésta persona no puede “mantenerse en el cuerpo” como él/ella lo describe. Sólo referí ésta persona a un exorcista. Así como la Ouija se considera un juego de salón al principio, puede tener ramificaciones inmensas. El Yoga es puerta directa a lo oculto. Y cuanto más espiritual y sensible la persona, mayor es la posibilidad de experimentar cosas más intensamente. Igualmente, cualquier debilidad psicológica latente que esté presente puede ser exacerbada.”. Crisis psicoticas no son poco frecuentes. De acuerdo al Padre Amorth, el exorcista del Vaticano, la gente
que se envuelve en Nueva Era/oculto a veces necesita ser
liberada de espíritus malignos.
Ha advertido el Papa Juan Pablo II contra el inmiscuirse en religiones orientales?
Sí, en noviembre 16, 2003 Our Sunday Visitor publicó un artículo llamado “Es mucho un estiramiento?” por Marianna Bartholomew. Su artículo advirtió al Vaticano sobre el yoga, y decía “La Iglesia está llamando a los Católicos a afirmar su fe y considerar si influencias de la Nueva Era como el yoga están sutilmente erosionando su intimidad con Dios.” Ella cita al papa Juan Pablo II en su libro Cruzando el Umbral de la Esperanza, cuando previene a “aquellos cristianos que entusiastamente acogen ideas originadas en las tradiciones religiosas del lejano oriente.”
Qué tan difundida es la práctica del yoga en nuestra Iglesia?
Hablando de los Cristianos, Merkle indica que “Muchos se han envuelto en una de las grandes sociedades de yoga o ashrams. Añadiendo a la confusión general acerca de la legitimidad del yoga es la guía que los cristianos reciben
del ahora considerable grupo de clero Católico, maestros y consejeros espirituales que practican, escriben acerca y defienden prácticas orientales, especialmente el yoga, mezclándolos frecuentemente con misticismo Católico. (el énfasis subrayado es mío). Conozco un centro de rehabilitación católico para religiosos que enseña yoga a aquellos que han tenido crisis nerviosas.” Un sacerdote que atendía un ashram introdujo a Clare Merkle en el yoga.
Resumiendo, tenemos que darnos cuenta de los siguientes
hechos:
1)       El documento del Vaticano ha identificado al Yoga
como Nueva Era.
2)       Yoga es una puerta directa a lo oculto.
3)       El documento del Vaticano establece que la Nueva Era no puede ser aceptada por los fieles católicos
Si queremos hacer ejercicios, porqué no hacer aeróbicos, caminar, bailar o nadar. De esta manera nuestros cuerpos se benefician de estas actividades y nuestros espíritus no estarán sujetos a cualquier creencia o practicas contrarias a nuestra fe Cristiana.
        Sword of Light & Truth Ministries, Inc.
                     3889 Valley Park Dr.
                         Lilburn, Ga. 30047
        Para ordenar más folletos, llamar 770-921-1634

Yoga has been popular in the West for some time, and seems to be gaining in popularity. Hatha Yoga classes are being offered in dance studios, hospitals, and schools. Some schools offer a “yoga break”. It is also being taught in Catholic parishes. It appeals to Americans because it offers stretching exercises as well as mediations that calm the mind. Let’s take a closer look at yoga.

What is yoga?
Webster’s Library Dictionary gives a clear definition of yoga. It states, “Yoga is a system of Hindu philosophy, strict spiritual discipline practiced to gain control over the forces of one’s being to gain occult powers but chiefly to attain union with the Deity or Universal Spirit.” The truth is that yoga is part of the Hindu religion. It means “union with god or yoke with god.” The goal of Hinduism is to discover your True Self, which is god or Brahman. How do they discover this True Self or god-self? They view yoga as a path to this discovery of the True Self or god-realization, and they use postures (asanas), meditations, and mantras to attain it. Hindu literature states, “The sage yoked in yoga soon attains the Absolute (brahman)” (Bhagavad-Gita V.6) Taken from The Shambhala Guide to Yoga by Georg Feuerstein p. vii)

Do these ideas contradict Christian belief?
Yes. Hindus believe in reincarnation (many lives) and karma. Through the practice of yoga, the Hindu strives to free himself from the bondage of karma which is the law of cause and effect which burdens the soul with the effects of sin and keeps it tied with the cycle of rebirth. As Christians, we know that Christ redeemed us by his death, and we die only once as the scriptures state in Hebrews 9:27. We know we are judged by our God at our death. We know him to be a personal God who created us, loves us, and forgives us. Many Hindus believes that they will eventually become god or brahman, like a raindrop into an ocean

What are some of the different types of yoga?
Hatha Yoga is the most popular type of yoga in America and is thought to be exercise. In reality it is part of the Hindu religion. The Hindu believes that Hatha Yoga is salvation through postures or asanas. It is the physical manipulation of one’s body to create an altered state of consciousness which occurs as a result of the effect of the postures on the central nervous system. The goal of Hatha Yoga is to awaken the kundalini-shakti, , according to The Shambhala Guide to Yoga, p.26.(This kundalini power is thought to be an occult power.) Hinduism teaches at the base of the spine is a triangle in which lies the “Kundalini Shakti” (Serpent Power). This serpent is believed to be the goddess Shakti. It is usually dormant but when it is awakened it travels up the spine to the top of the head, passing through six psychic centers called “chakras”. As it passes through a chakra, one receives psychic experiences and powers. When it reaches the top chakra, it merges with the god Shiva, and supposedly the power to perform miracles and achieve liberation is realized. Hatha Yoga seeks to separate the body from the soul, through manipulation of the skeletal and muscle structure. This is why some people doing yoga have out of the body experiences. The ultimate goal is to attain union with the Hindu version of god, to attain union with brahman, and actually become brahman.

There is also a posture which gives honor and salutation to the sun. They face the sun, repeating the twelve names of the Lord Sun! Other positions are named after gods or animals. This is clearly in contradiction to the Christian faith!

Another type of yoga is called Raja Yoga, the path to Self-realization (realizing that you are god) through meditation and ecstasy. According to Swami Vishnudevanada, “Many people think that Hatha Yoga is merely physical exercise. But in reality there is no difference between Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga.” (The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga)

What does the Vatican teach about yoga?
The Vatican recently released a 62 page document
called Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian Reflection on the NewAge. It lists yoga as one of the traditions that flows into the New Age (See #2.1) The document also states, “Yoga, Zen, TM and tantric exercises lead to an experience of self-fulfillment or enlightment” according to New Agers.” It adds that they believe that “anything which can provoke an altered state of consciousness are believed to lead to unity and enlightment” (#2.3.4.1) The document goes on to say, It is therefore necessary to accurately identify those elements which belong to the New Age Movement, and which cannot be accepted by those who are faithful to Christ and his Church. (#4) Fr. Amorth, who is the Vatican exorcist, says “Yoga, Zen, and TM are unacceptable to Christians. Often these apparently innocent practices can bring about hallucinations and schizophrenic conditions.”
Pope John Paul II   cautions “those Christians who enthusiastically welcome certain ideas originating in the religious traditions of the Far East” in his book,   Crossing the Threshold of Hope. The Vatican also warned Catholics that Zen and yoga can “degenerate into a cult of the body” that debases Christian prayer.   (News Chronicle 12-l3-89)

Can yoga be Christianized?
Yoga cannot be Christianized because you cannot make an apple into an orange, and you cannot mix two religions.
Moira Noonan, an expert on New Age, also gives warnings against yoga. Once a teacher of the occult and New Age, she is now a devout Catholic and author of the book, Ransomed from Darkness, available on Amazon.com. She has told her story on TBN, EWTN and radio stations worldwide. She says, “Christians should not do yoga because yoga is part of a Religious system that is not compatible with Judeo-Christianity and mixing the two is Syncretism and the Catholic Church warns against that. The yoga system is designed to reach an impersonal god-head through manipulation of the   physical body and the chakra energy centers to attain enlightment. This view is Gnostic. Christians do not inherently believe that the physical body is evil and that it will reincarnate many times to reach enlightment. Reincarnation is a heresy that the Catholic Church has taught against in scripture and the Catechism. To a Christian, the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and will be resurrected with Our Lord in heaven.

What are some of the different types of yoga?
Hatha Yoga is the most popular type of yoga in America and is thought to be exercise. In reality it is part of the Hindu religion. The Hindu believes that Hatha Yoga is salvation through postures or asanas. It is the physical manipulation of one’s body to create an altered state of consciousness which occurs as a result of the effect of the postures on the central nervous system. The goal of Hatha Yoga is to awaken the kundalini-shakti, , according to The Shambhala Guide to Yoga, p.26.(This kundalini power is thought to be an occult power.) Hinduism teaches at the base of the spine is a triangle in which lies the “Kundalini Shakti” (Serpent Power). This serpent is believed to be the goddess Shakti. It is usually dormant but when it is awakened it travels up the spine to the top of the head, passing through six psychic centers called “chakras”. As it passes through a chakra, one receives psychic experiences and powers. When it reaches the top chakra, it merges with the god Shiva, and supposedly the power to perform miracles and achieve liberation is realized. Hatha Yoga seeks to separate the body from the soul, through manipulation of the skeletal and muscle structure. This is why some people doing yoga have out of the body experiences. The ultimate goal is to attain union with the Hindu version of god, to attain union with brahman, and actually become brahman.

There is also a posture which gives honor and salutation to the sun. They face the sun, repeating the twelve names of the Lord Sun! Other positions are named after gods or animals. This is clearly in contradiction to the Christian faith!

Another type of yoga is called Raja Yoga, the path to Self-realization (realizing that you are god) through meditation and ecstasy. According to Swami Vishnudevanada, “Many people think that Hatha Yoga is merely physical exercise. But in reality there is no difference between Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga.” (The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga)

What does the Vatican teach about yoga?
The Vatican recently released a 62 page document
called Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian Reflection on the NewAge. It lists yoga as one of the traditions that flows into the New Age (See #2.1) The document also states, “Yoga, Zen, TM and tantric exercises lead to an experience of self-fulfillment or enlightment” according to New Agers.” It adds that they believe that “anything which can provoke an altered state of consciousness are believed to lead to unity and enlightment” (#2.3.4.1) The document goes on to say, It is therefore necessary to accurately identify those elements which belong to the New Age Movement, and which cannot be accepted by those who are faithful to Christ and his Church. (#4) Fr. Amorth, who is the Vatican exorcist, says “Yoga, Zen, and TM are unacceptable to Christians. Often these apparently innocent practices can bring about hallucinations and schizophrenic conditions.”
Pope John Paul II   cautions “those Christians who enthusiastically welcome certain ideas originating in the religious traditions of the Far East” in his book,   Crossing the Threshold of Hope. The Vatican also warned Catholics that Zen and yoga can “degenerate into a cult of the body” that debases Christian prayer.   (News Chronicle 12-l3-89)

Can yoga be Christianized?
Yoga cannot be Christianized because you cannot make an apple into an orange, and you cannot mix two religions.
Moira Noonan, an expert on New Age, also gives warnings against yoga. Once a teacher of the occult and New Age, she is now a devout Catholic and author of the book, Ransomed from Darkness, available on Amazon.com. She has told her story on TBN, EWTN and radio stations worldwide. She says, “Christians should not do yoga because yoga is part of a Religious system that is not compatible with Judeo-Christianity and mixing the two is Syncretism and the Catholic Church warns against that. The yoga system is designed to reach an impersonal god-head through manipulation of the   physical body and the chakra energy centers to attain enlightment. This view is Gnostic. Christians do not inherently believe that the physical body is evil and that it will reincarnate many times to reach enlightment. Reincarnation is a heresy that the Catholic Church has taught against in scripture and the Catechism. To a Christian, the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and will be resurrected with Our Lord in heaven.

“ The Vatican cautioned Roman Catholics that Eastern meditation practices such as Zen and Yoga can “degenerate into a cult of the body” that debase4s Christian prayer. “ The love of God, the sole object of Christian contemplation, is a reality which cannot be “mastered” by any method or technique”, said a document issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. [at that time under Cardinal Ratzinger now Pope Benedict VI.

No Christians, should not do Yoga because Yoga is part of a Religious system
that is not compatible with Judeo-Christianity and mixing the two is
Syncretism and the Catholic Church warns against that. The Yoga system is to
reach an impersonal God head through manipulation of the physical body and
the Chakra energy centers that it teaches to attain enlightenment. This view
is Gnostic. Christians do not inherently believe that the physical body is
evil and that it will reincarnate many times to reach enlightenment.
Reincarnation is a heresy that the Catholic Church has taught against in
scripture and the Catechism. To a Christian the body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit and will be resurrected with our Lord in Heaven. The Good News of
Resurection is bad news to a Yoga Master whose ultimate goal is liberation
from his body?

Yoga and Theology of the Body

No Christians should not do Yoga because Yoga is part of a Religious system
that is not compatible with Judeo-Christianity and mixing the two is
Syncretism and the Catholic Church warns against that. The Yoga system is to
reach an impersonal God head through manipulation of the physical body and
the Chakra energy centers that it teaches to attain enlightenment. This view
is Gnostic. Christians do not inherently believe that the physical body is
evil and that it will reincarnate many times to reach enlightenment.
Reincarnation is a heresy that the Catholic Church has taught against in
scripture and the Catechism. To a Christian the body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit and will be resurrected with our Lord in Heaven. The Good News of
Resurection is bad news to a Yoga Master whose ultimate goal is liberation
from his body!

Pilates is a form of exercise. The problem is usually the music in the
exercise studio. The music tends to be New Age or chants to something other
than Christian. So while your body may be benefiting, what is your mind
being programmed? . Jesus makes it clear in Hosea " My People perish for
lack of knowledge"

Yoga—a New Age Practice

Moira Noonan

Raised as a Catholic, author Moira Noonan began her apprenticeship in New Age practices and ideas as a college student. Over a twenty-five year timeframe, she worked in Religious Science ministry, as a psychic counselor and a therapist. She became certified and developed expertise in such areas as Hypnotherapy, Past-Life Regression, Astrology, the Course in Miracles, Reiki, channeling, crystals, goddess spirituality, clairvoyance, and other occult practices.

In 1993, after a series of powerful conversion experiences, she returned to the Church, and is now a popular speaker in the Christian community, witnessing and evangelizing, and explaining the deeper meaning and influences of the New Age movement. Noonan has told her story via religious cable and radio stations worldwide. She has a featured chapter about her conversion in Prodigal Daughters, Ignatius Press.

I highly recommend that people read Moira Noonan’s book, RANSOMED FROM DARKNESS, The New Age, Christian Faith and the Battle for Souls. In her easy-to-read book, she writes about her journey in and out of New Age. She exposes the true nature of the New Age movement, its true origins and purposes, and explains the dangers.

“There is no such thing as Christian Yoga,” states Moira Noonan. Yoga, which originates in Indian religions, is considered to be a part of the New Age movement and therefore is inconsistent with Christianity. The concept of yoga is to become self-enlightened and to attain self-salvation. This is not of our God.

Moira Noonan says that Pilates is a form of exercise. However, the problem is usually the music in the exercise studio. The music tends to be New Age or chants that are something other than Christian. So while your body may be benefiting, how is your mind being programmed? Jesus makes it clear in Hosea, "My People perish for lack of knowledge."

Moira Noonan currently lives in California. To learn more about yoga and other New Age practices, go to Moira Noonan’s web site: www.spiritbattleforsouls.org

Yoga in India

Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India, with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The word “yoga” means “to control”, “to yoke”, “to unite”, or “contemplation” or “absorption”. Yoga is a particular path to salvation offered by Hinduism. It involves the body, mind and spirit, which can include physical postures, breath control and chanting of religious mantras.

Yoga focuses on the purification of the physical body as leading to the purification of the mind and vital life force energy. In India the purpose and the ultimate goal of different forms of yoga is to achieve unity and to enjoy an eternal relationship with the Hindu god Vishnu.

Reference: Yoga – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yoga in North America

In North America Yoga is advertised on web sites as follows... Yoga originated in India 5000 years ago. It involves poses and postures, breathing exercise, meditation and chanting (not Christian). Yoga practitioners say yoga has physical benefits; that it is not about exercise; that it is about breathing correctly and integrating that breath into your being; that yoga enhances your strength, the balance of body and mind and increases your energy. They stress achieving self control, mental clarity, powers of relaxation, peace of mind, and happiness; and infuse a sense of balance and internal harmony. It is stated that yoga is a way of life developing harmony of mind and body.

This way of thinking is not Christian. See the following for an explanation from the Vatican.

Catholics on Yoga

The Vatican released of document on New Age February 3, 2003, called, JESUS CHRIST THE BEARER OF THE WATER OF LIFE, A Christian reflection on the “New Age”. It states in 2.3.4.1 The fundamental principles of New Age thinking—“There is no need for Revelation or Salvation which would come to people from outside themselves, but simply a need to experience the salvation hidden with in themselves (self-salvation), by mastering psycho-physical techniques which lead to definitive enlightenment.” In 2.3.4.3. What does New Age say about the world—“the concept of matter as waves or energy rather than particles, is central to much New Age thinking. The universe is an ocean of energy … the universe is “spirit” … the world itself is divine and it undergoes an evolutionary process which leads from inert matter to higher and perfect consciousness. … God and the world, soul and body, intelligence and feeling, heaven and earth are one immense vibration of energy.” In 2.4 New Age and culture—New Age has the “philosophy of egoism … on the level of feelings, instincts and emotions … There is a search for wholeness and happiness.”

And what does our Lord Jesus Christ teach? “Take up your cross and follow Me.” New Age is the opposite. New Age does not understand the Catholic teachings on the merit of suffering, such as, “Join your sufferings to the Passion of Christ for the good of souls.” New Age has no concept of sin. Therefore, for them there is no need for the sacrament of confession, self-sacrifice and penance. New Agers do not surrender to our personal God, Jesus Christ, and trust in Him for their salvation. The goal of New Age thinking is to be happy—self fulfillment. By making use of techniques and methods they want to rise to higher levels of life force energy and comic powers and become one with the universe. In this way they think that each person can be their own god and experience self-salvation within themselves.

In 1989 the Vatican issued a warning:

“The Vatican cautioned Roman Catholics that Eastern meditation practices such as Zen and Yoga can “degenerate into a cult of the body” that debases Christian prayer. “ The love of God, the sole object of Christian contemplation, is a reality which cannot be “mastered” by any method or technique”, said a document issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (at that time under Cardinal Ratzinger now Pope Benedict VI).

Yoga and Theology of the Body

Christians should not do yoga because yoga is part of a religious system that is not compatible with Judeo-Christianity and mixing the two is Syncretism and the Catholic Church warns against that. The yoga system teaches to reach an impersonal godhead through manipulation of the physical body and Chakra energy centers to attain enlightenment. This view is Gnostic. Christians do not inherently believe that the physical body is evil and that it will reincarnate many times to reach enlightenment. Reincarnation is a heresy that the Catholic Church has warned against in scripture and the Catechism. To a Christian the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and will be resurrected with our Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven.

By Moira Noonan, U.S. Catholic Author

and Lorraine Vincent, Canadian Catholic Freelance Writer

Acupuncture and Bodywork such as Reflexology

By Lorraine Vincent

The Vatican released of document on New Age February 3, 2003, called, JESUS CHRIST THE BEARER OF THE WATER OF LIFE, A Christian reflection on the “New Age”. The following is taken from this document. While you read the introductory paragraph, you will discover the dangers of New Age healing methods. This whole section will shed some light on acupuncture and bodywork such as reflexology. I highlighted these three words in the document for your convenience. This document shows that the practice of acupuncture, also touches on the same surrounding or interpenetrating forces of inner energy or cosmic energy.

2.2.3. Health: Golden living

Formal (allopathic) medicine today tends to limit itself to curing particular, isolated ailments, and fails to look at the broader picture of a person's health: this has given rise to a fair amount of understandable dissatisfaction. Alternative therapies have gained enormously in popularity because they claim to look at the whole person and are about healing rather than curing. Holistic health, as it is known, concentrates on the important role that the mind plays in physical healing. The connection between the spiritual and the physical aspects of the person is said to be in the immune system or the Indian chakra system. In a New Age perspective, illness and suffering come from working against nature; when one is in tune with nature, one can expect a much healthier life, and even material prosperity; for some New Age healers, there should actually be no need for us to die. Developing our human potential will put us in touch with our inner divinity, and with those parts of our selves which have been alienated and suppressed. This is revealed above all in Altered States of Consciousness (ASCs), which are induced either by drugs or by various mind-expanding techniques, particularly in the context of “transpersonal psychology”. The shaman is often seen as the specialist of altered states of consciousness, one who is able to mediate between the transpersonal realms of spirits and gods and the world of humans.

There is a remarkable variety of approaches for promoting holistic health, some derived from ancient cultural traditions, whether religious or esoteric, others connected with the psychological theories developed in Esalen during the years 1960-1970. Advertising connected with New Age covers a wide range of practices as acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic, kinesiology, homeopathy, iridology, massage and various kinds of “bodywork” (such as orgonomy, Feldenkrais, reflexology, Rolfing, polarity massage, therapeutic touch etc.), meditation and visualisation, nutritional therapies, psychic healing, various kinds of herbal medicine, healing by crystals, metals, music or colours, reincarnation therapies and, finally, twelve-step programmes and self-help groups. The source of healing is said to be within ourselves, something we reach when we are in touch with our inner energy or cosmic energy.

Inasmuch as health includes a prolongation of life, New Age offers an Eastern formula in Western terms. Originally, reincarnation was a part of Hindu cyclical thought, based on the atman or divine kernel of personality (later the concept of jiva), which moved from body to body in a cycle of suffering (samsara), determined by the law of karma, linked to behaviour in past lives. Hope lies in the possibility of being born into a better state, or ultimately in liberation from the need to be reborn. What is different in most Buddhist traditions is that what wanders from body to body is not a soul, but a continuum of consciousness. Present life is embedded in a potentially endless cosmic process which includes even the gods. In the West, since the time of Lessing, reincarnation has been understood far more optimistically as a process of learning and progressive individual fulfilment. Spiritualism, theosophy, anthroposophy and New Age all see reincarnation as participation in cosmic evolution. This post-Christian approach to eschatology is said to answer the unresolved questions of theodicy and dispenses with the notion of hell. When the soul is separated from the body individuals can look back on their whole life up to that point, and when the soul is united to its new body there is a preview of its coming phase of life. People have access to their former lives through dreams and meditation techniques.

Reiki and Acupuncture

The following has been taken off Moira Noonan’s web site, with her permission.

It will give you an insight into New Age healing practices such as reiki and acupuncture.

What is reiki? How does it "work"? Why is it perilous?

Proponents of reiki believe that there are "vibrational" fields around humans that influence our well-being -- energies that surround and interpenetrate. It is similar to the Eastern concept of " ki" or "chi" energy that many non-Christians in Asia believe flows around the human form as sort of an aura or psychic influence.

When they are out of balance, manipulating these fields can bring healing, claim those who practice it.

Basically, the reiki healer (pronounced ray-kee) is supposedly affecting or activating the energy of a person with his own energy or channels -- sort of a laying on of the hands, but without a vital component: the Holy Spirit. If such impersonal energy or spiritual forces exist and are manipulated in such a fashion, especially without the Name of Christ, it enters a dangerous area. Evil spirits are attached to it.

While such practices may cause some relief (just as psychic healing can, at least temporarily), it invites in spirits of darkness that are only too happy to masquerade as angels of light -- if indeed they are not behind the reiki energy to begin with.

The devil mimics all that God does, and this includes healing. Just as the Holy Spirit gives us "words of knowledge," there are psychics who rely on their own occult energy to read thoughts ("telepathy"), divine wisdom from objects ("psychometry"), see at a distance ("clairvoyance"), and peer into the future ("precognition").

The problem is that such power is not only vastly less effective than the force that flows from God and His saints, but also come with the bondage of owing forces of darkness in return. Psychics, fortunetellers, mediums, and channelers are often very problem-plagued people, and many succumb at an early age. Despite initial relief, those "healed" by them can end up worse than they were to start with, until they go to Jesus.

We are called to pray for those involved in such practices. Many are those who argue that the Vatican went too far in condemning (as it did, in a document about the New Age, Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life) the practice of acupuncture, which also touches on the same surrounding or interpenetrating forces.

But the Catholic Church is wisely cautious (the "narrow gate") and clearly it is the Holy Spirit Whom we are to go to when we want to cause a spiritual affect -- not our own or some other cosmic field of "energy."