Yoga: Untold Spiritual Truths

More and more people, including Christians are embracing yoga. Many embrace it because they feel that it is nothing more than a fancy form of stretching. Very few will ever take a chance to actually research and study for themselves what yoga actually is. Normally I wouldn't care if someone wanted to practice yoga, unfortunately, I have had a lot on my mind these past few weeks when I start seeing friends and their families embracing yoga I would cringe.

So I decided to speak with some of my friends who are Hindu to inquire as to what Yoga is. Needless to say I was a bit surprised when I found out that real yoga isn't what they teach at the YMCA or your local gym, these are ansana--poses that are used to invite the "divine" into your life--by the way the divine that you are inviting in could be one or more of 330 million gods. 

Now I already know what many people are thinking "Rai, whatever you write doesn't matter because I am going to continue going to my Saturday yoga class." That is fine, but my heart wouldn't be allowed rest if I didn't at least let you know what yoga is in all actuality. 

First off, let's start with the word Yoga. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root word “yug,” which literally means to yoke or unite. This union is not referring to your fingers touching your toes or your nose reaching your knees. It's also not referring to the union of mind and body, although, this is commonly repeated within the yoga community. The union that the word yoga is referring to is that of uniting individual consciousness (our individual experience of reality) with Divine consciousness (the essence of truth as perceived when we quiet our five senses and reconnect with the Supreme Self within). When practitioners of yoga greet one another they literally use a greeting (Namaste) that says "the divine in me, bows to the divine in you." If you think that you can use yoga only for physical training and not be affected by its spiritual side, you are wrong. You are wrong if you believe the many websites and teachers in the West who declare that yoga is just a harmless physical exercise. The Bible warns of such spiritual seduction: ““Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”” (1 TIMOTHY 4:1).

Let’s look at this from a purely logical point of view. First of all, anyone who truly understands yoga (such as a Hindu) will tell you that yoga positions were neverdesigned to be exercises. They were designed to do one of two things – worship one of more than three million Hindu gods and/or facilitate the flow of prana (life force energy) through the body. As Fr. Pacwa states in his book, Catholics and the New Age, ” . . . (H)indus did not devise these exercises for athletic limbering or muscle building. All were meant to lead the practitioner to enlightenment and awareness of his or her inner divinity.” (pg. 33).

Many yoga postures are named after things found in nature. Animal-named poses range from cobra, eagle to cat, including animals of several different families. In his pastoral instruction on the New Age,  A Call to Vigilance: Pastoral Instruction on New Age, Bishop Carerra writes: “However much proponents insist that these techniques are valuable as methods, and imply no teaching contrary to Christianity, the techniques in themselves . . . in their own context, the postures and exercises, are designed for their specific religious purpose. Even when they are carried out within a Christian atmosphere, the intrinsic meaning of these gestures remains intact.”

So even if you think you’re stretching your back, if you’re using the Sun Stretch to do so, whether you intend to or not, you’re still posing in a position of worship to the Sun god because that’s what this pose was designed to do. It was never designed as a back stretch.

Let us look at some Yoga positions spiritually: 

1. Sun salutation

The Sun Salutation is often one of the first series of poses done directly after seated breathing exercises during morning yoga sessions. The Salutation is meant to greet the sun and is used as a way to worship the Hindu sun god, Surya, who us the symbol of health and immortal life.

The 12 distinct poses of the Sun Salutation each have their own mantra and the series is meant to celebrate the sun and the sun-god.

2. Downward Facing Dog Pose

This sound funny at first but after you’ve watched a dog wake up and go into a deep stretch, the name of the pose takes on a new meaning. The spiritual implication behind the pose lies in the act of a combined stretch with a moment in which the yogi turns inward simultaneously connecting to your center while stretching your body into a long line has a unifying effect positioning your spirit within while you stay connected to the outside world.

3. Tree Pose

The essence of Tree Pose is to find balance. However, balance is not found in this pose in a rigid manner such as one might associate with a balanced ballet position. In Tree Pose, your body may sway like a tree does in the wind but your foot stays rooted into the ground. This gives the body freedom to move and find its balance while you envision being rooted in the ground developing your spiritual acceptance of your body’s position in space as claimed.

4. The lotus position

Lotus position is an exercise used in opening yourself up for the spirit to come in.

It is usually depicting a sexual act especially the way you sit crossing your legs with all your fingers touching the thumb. There comes something in the spiritual realm that is known as the diamond which is like a penis and it comes and enters you. The lotus position forms a spiritual penis and it enters you and performs sexual acts with you. You cannot refuse it so it just comes and enters you.

5. Headstand Poses

Headstand poses are among the most difficult for yogis to achieve but they are also some of the most spiritually impacting poses. Kundalini uses head stand poses to awake and uncoiled the serpent (Satan or snake) energy in the base of the spine bringing it to the crown of the head. In a head stand pose, they claim, one can achieve an even mind, partial enlightenment and even fearlessness.

6. Animal Poses

There are a variety of animal poses in yoga named after the animals that they resemble.

For instance, a cat pose is done with an arched back while the cobra pose looks like a snake rearing its head. The spiritual purpose of each animal pose is to allow you take or posses the attributes of that animal. For instance, the eagle pose is claimed to bring you a clear mind’s eye and a lion’s pose can help you feel brave and in control.

7. Strength Poses

Certain poses are claimed to put you in a power stance and help you develop a greater appreciation for the natural world while helping you feel like a stronger individual. The popular warriors pose is said to help you feel spiritually powerful while the tree pose is meant to make you feel calm, balanced and in control. Seated poses, like the lotus poses, are meant to help you turn inward during guided and self meditation for a deeper state of enlightenment.

Yoga is spiritual and worship of other gods

1. Yoga is spiritual and worship of other gods; it is idolatry.
2. The doctrine of yoga is called pantheism which is the view that everything is God and man is God.
3. Yoga teaches us to focus on ourselves instead of focusing on the one true God.
4. It encourages us to seek the answers to life difficult questions within our own conscience instead of in the Bible.
5. It also leaves one open to deception from Satan who searches for victims who he can turn away from God.

Yoga is more of a spiritual discipline than a physical discipline and these are the Yoga untold spiritual truths.