YOGA and Christianity – Are They Compatible?
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YOGA and Christianity – Are They Compatible?
By Chris Lawson
Western Culture Embraces Yoga
It is no secret that Yoga is taking Western civilization by storm. In
just a little over a hundred years, a mystical revolution has occurred
that millions of Westerners have wholeheartedly embraced. Amazingly, the
Western Judeo-Christian view is in the process of a paradigm shift
toward the same perspective as yogic India.
To illustrate the magnitude of the Yoga explosion, consider
Yoga Journal’s “Yoga in America Study 2012.” This study reveals some incredible statistics:
• 20.4 million Americans practice Yoga, compared to 15.8 million from the previous 2008 study.
• Practitioners spend $10.3 billion a year on Yoga classes and products.
The previous estimate from the 2008 study was $5.7 billion.
• Of current non-practitioners, 44.4 percent of Americans call
themselves “aspirational yogis”—people who are interested in trying
Yoga.1
Yoga (or Yogic spirituality) is influencing Christians and
non-Christians alike. It only takes 0.27 seconds to come up with over
411,000,000 results for Yoga on Google’s search engine. When searching
Amazon.com’s “All” category for Yoga, one quickly comes up with a
staggering 143,081 results. That’s just within Amazon.Com. If one
searches for book titles only on Amazon.com, the search yields 26,316.
Certainly, the influence of Yoga can be found almost everywhere. In
Time Magazine’s book,
Alternative Medicine: Your Guide to Stress Relief, Healing, Nutrition, and More, it states:
Hard to believe now, but yoga was once considered
heretical, and even dangerous. As recently as a century ago, yogis in
America were viewed with suspicion; some were actually thrown in jail.
Today, though, most gyms offer it, many public schools teach it, and a
growing number of doctors prescribe it . . . It may have taken 5,000
years, but yoga has arrived.2
Just What is Yoga?
No doubt, many, probably most, of the millions of Westerners who practice
postural Yoga
have never read a simple definition of what Yoga really is. Below, I
have presented a small selection of definitions of Yoga. While there are
countless descriptions on the Internet and in libraries, the
definitions I have chosen are an accurate overall representation of the
meaning of Yoga.
According to
Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary,
Yoga is essentially: “a practice involving intense and complete
concentration upon something, especially deity, in order to establish
identity of consciousness with the object of concentration; it is a
mystic and ascetic practice, usually involving the discipline of
prescribed postures, controlled breathing, etc.”3
The
Merriam Webster Online Dictionary adds: “a Hindu
theistic philosophy teaching the suppression of all activity of body,
mind, and will in order that the self may realize its distinction from
them and attain liberation.”4
Cyndi Lee, expert yogi and writer for Yoga Journal, defines Yoga as such:
The word yoga, from the Sanskrit* word yuj means to yoke
or bind and is often interpreted as “union” . . . The Indian sage
Patanjali is believed to have collated the practice of yoga into the
Yoga Sutra an estimated 2,000 years ago.
The Sutra is a collection of 195 statements that serves as a
philosophical guidebook for most of the yoga that is practiced today. It
also outlines eight limbs of yoga: the yamas (restraints), niyamas
(observances), asana (postures), pranayama (breathing), pratyahara
(withdrawal of senses), dharana (concentration), dhyani (meditation),
and samadhi (absorption).5
Goutam Paul, author of
Bhagavad Gita: The Ultimate Science of Yoga states:
When we talk about linking or connection, an obvious
question arises: to connect what with what? The very word “connection”
implies that there must be two different entities separated from one
another, and they need to be connected. The ancient Vedic* text Bhagavad
Gita explains that these entities are the individual consciousness and
the universal Supreme consciousness. Some may call this universal
consciousness an all-pervading energy, whereas most theists consider
this Supreme consciousness to be God. . . . The purpose of Yoga is to
connect the individual energy with the universal energy, or put another
way, to connect the individual being to its source—the Supreme Being.6
One large online archive of New Age, occult, and mysticism-oriented literature states:
The ancient Yogis recognised long ago that in order to
accomplish the highest stage of yoga, which is the realisation of the
self, or God consciousness, a healthy physical body is essential. For
when we are sick, our attention is seldom free enough to contemplate the
larger reality, or to muster the energy for practice…
The roots of Yoga can be traced back roughly 5,000 years to the Indus
Valley civilization. . . . According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,
the ultimate aim of Yoga is to reach “Kaivalya” (freedom). This is the
experience of one’s innermost being or “soul” (the Purusa). When this
level of awareness is achieved, one becomes free of the chains of cause
and effect (Karma) which bound us to continual reincarnation.7
The
Index of Cults and New Religions lists the different types of Yoga:
Karma Yoga (spiritual union through correct conduct)
Bhakti Yoga (spiritual union through devotion to a Guru)
Juana Yoga (spiritual union through hidden knowledge)
Raja Yoga (spiritual union through mental control)
Hatha Yoga (spiritual union through body control/meditation)
Kundalini Yoga (spiritual union through focusing inner energy)
Tantra Yoga (spiritual union through sexual practices)8
Swami Nirmalananda Giri of the Atma Jvoti Ashram, answering the question to “What is Yoga?” states:
What do we join through yoga? Two eternal beings: God,
the Infinite Being, and the individual spirit that is finite being. In
essence they are one, and according to yogic philosophy all spirits
originally dwelt in consciousness of that oneness.9
The
Concise Dictionary of the Occult and New Age describes how Yoga is done:
Typical exercises, such as those found in hatha yoga, are
practiced under the tutelage of a guru or yogi, a personal religious
guide and spiritual teacher. Gurus teach students to combine a variety
of breathing techniques with asanas, or relaxation postures. In
each of the postures, students must first enter the position, then
maintain it for a certain length of time, and finally leave it.10
This dictionary further states that people in the West have mistaken
Yoga to be “mere breathing and relaxation exercises,” when in reality
“[t]he practice of yoga serves as a gateway to Eastern mysticism and
occult thinking.”11 It adds:
Certain postures, such as the lotus position, are taken
to activate the psychic energy centers [the chakras]. And specific
breathing exercises are practiced to infuse the soul with cosmic energy
floating in the air. A guru might have students gaze at a single object,
such as a candle, to develop and focus concentration. The guru might
have them chant a mantra to clear their minds and become one with the
object in front of them. The goal is to achieve increasingly higher
meditative states until reaching oneness with the cosmic
consciousness.12
Understanding the Meaning of “Occult”
The word “occult” comes from the Latin
occultus or “hidden,”
and those who employ the term generally do so in an attempt to describe
secret and mysterious supernatural powers or magical (magick) religious
rituals.
Throughout history, there have been those who attempted to gain
supernatural power or knowledge through occult means. Occultism also can
generally refer to witchcraft, Satanism, neo-paganism, or any of the
various forms of psychic discernment such as astrology, séances, palm
reading, and a myriad of other spiritual methodologies for contact with
the spirit world. The term occult is often interchangeable with the term
metaphysics—these terms share the belief that there is a universal
energy (e.g.,
Chi, Prana, Ki, etc.) that exists in all things. By engaging in the occult (i.e., metaphysical arts), this energy is
awakened.
Yoga in all its forms is simply one spiritual genre among many designed
to induce practitioners into altered states, thereby gaining access
into the world of occult spirituality.
Kundalini—the Energy Behind Yoga
Internationally recognized occult authority, Hans-Ulrich Rieker (author of
The Yoga of Light: Hatha Yoga Pradipika)
describes the vital role kundalini plays in Yoga when he states,
“Kundalini [is] the mainstay of all yoga practices.”13 With this in
mind, a brief look at “kundalini energy” (the root of Yoga) is in order.
Born as Chinmoy Kumar Ghose (1931-2007), Sri Chinmoy was an Indian
spiritual “master,” spirit medium, occultist, and interfaith guru.
Teaching Yoga in the West from the time he moved to New York City in
1964, Chinmoy spent 43 years in the West producing “prayers and
meditations, literary, musical and artistic works.” Giving spiritual
meditations twice a week at the United Nations building (since 1970),14
Chinmoy’s occult philosophy for life was, “When the power of love
Replaces the love of power Man will have a new name: God.”15 Man becomes
“God”? According to Chinmoy, yes!
Like many other occultists who promote yogic spirituality intertwined
with “love,” Chinmoy masterfully crafted his occultism under the guise
of “Concentration, Meditation, Will-Power and Love.” These themes are
expanded upon in Chinmoy’s occult manifesto,
Kundalini: The Mother Power where Chinmoy explains Yoga’s occult foundation, goals, and the purpose of manifesting the kundalini
serpent power.
Chinmoy likened “kundalini arousal” (varying states of demonic
possession) to a “game” that is to be “played” between Shakti “The
Mother Power” (a Hindu goddess) and the adept who seeks to manifest
kundalini. The “power” and “force” that Chinmoy encourages people to
“play with” is, in actuality, in many varying religious contexts,
demonic spirits (fallen angels) that masquerade as “The Mother Supreme,”
“kundalini,” “Chi,” “prana,” etc. Chinmoy wrote:
When the kundalini is awake, man is fully aware of the
inner world. He knows that the outer world cannot satisfy his inner
needs. He has brought to the fore the capacity of the inner world, which
he has come to realise is far superior to the capacity of the outer
world. He has brought to the fore the hidden powers, the occult powers,
within himself. Either he uses these powers properly or he misuses them.
When he divinely uses the powers of kundalini, he becomes the real
pride of the Mother Supreme. When he misuses them, he becomes the worst
enemy of man’s embodied consciousness and of his own personal
evolution.16
Here in the West there are many who feel that the powers of kundalini
yoga are nothing but rank superstition. I wish to say that those who
cherish this idea are totally mistaken. Even the genuine spiritual
Masters have examined kundalini yoga and found in their own experiences
the undeniable authenticity of its hidden occult powers.17
The kundalini power is the dynamic power in us. When the dynamic
power and the spiritual knowledge go hand in hand, the perfect harmony
of the Universal Consciousness dawns and the conscious evolution of the
human soul reaches the transcendental Self [godhood].18
Kundalini Awakening
If Kundalini is “the mainstay of all Yoga practices,” as Rieker and
other Yoga authorities maintain, the Yoga practitioner must understand
clearly what the “kundalini” power is, how “it” operates, and what its
effects are.19
Kundalini is a term which in Sanskrit means “coiled.” This “yogic
life force” supposedly moves through the chakras (energy centers that
are “activated one by one through the breath”20 in the human body in
order to bring one into a state of occult enlightenment. According to
occult philosophy, Kundalini is a non-physical field of energy that
yogis say not only surrounds the physical body but can infuse the body.
Lee Sannella, M.D., a noted Psychiatrist, Ophthalmologist, and
cofounder of the Kundalini Clinic in San Francisco, explains in his book
The Kundalini Experience: Psychosis or Transcendence:
According to this [tantric] Indian tradition, the kundalini is a type of energy—a “power” or “force” (shakti)—that
is held to rest in a dormant, or potential, state in the human body.
Its location is generally specified as being at the base of the spine.
When this energy is galvanized, “awakened,” [which is done during Yoga],
it rushes upward along the central axis of the human body, or along the
spinal, to the crown of the head. Occasionally, it is thought to go
even beyond the head. Upon arriving there, the kundalini is said to give
rise to the mystical state of consciousness, which is indescribably
blissful and in which all awareness of duality [separation] ceases.21
For those who have doubts that all Yoga has the capacity to arouse
kundalini energy, perhaps one ought to think again. After all, the Yoga
postures themselves were designed specifically to receive this serpent
power.
Yoga’s Dangers of Psycho-spiritual and Psycho-physical “Emergencies”
Volumes of material could be quoted from regarding the dangers of Yoga,
meditation, and other psycho-spiritual and physio-spiritual practices.
Modern practitioners—and even medical doctors—are now testifying to the
fact that physical dangers associated with practicing Yoga are a
reality. In fact, people who have done Yoga for purely “physical
exercise” have been spiritually affected to the point of being
systematically dismantled by hostile “forces,” over which they have no
power. Eastern gurus call this type of Yoga effect “enlightenment,” yet
it is anything but that!
In India today, countless millions of Yoga practitioners are
influenced by the spirit world, achieving manifold “possession” states
and “manifesting” the kundalini-shakti power (also called “serpent
power”). It is the same in the West, only it falls under different names
and in a Western context. One should note well that it was not until
the 19th and early 20th centuries that Yoga was touted as a
physio-postural “exercise” in Britain and the USA.22
The following is a mere sampling of what can occur when the
kundalini-shakti “force” is “aroused,” “galvanized,” “awakened,”
“summoned,” etc. These “spiritual emergencies” can even occur during
Hatha Yoga sessions at the local fitness center. Depending on the
teacher (yogi/yogini) one has, you never quite know what you will get.
In Lee Sannella’s book
The Kundalini Experience: Psychosis or Transcendence,
Sannella tells how the “Physio-Kundalini” experience is “a dramatic
occurrence . . . culminating [in a] state of ecstatic unification.”23 He
adds:
[T]he kundalini causes the central nervous system to
throw off stress . . . usually associated with the experience of pain . .
. It appears to act of its own volition, spreading through the entire
psychophysiological system to affect its transformation.24
[T]he kundalini produces the most striking sensations . . . the
“heat” generated by “friction” of the kundalini . . . causes turbulence,
which may be experienced as painful sensations . . . spontaneous bodily
movements, shifting somatic sensations.25
Amongst other kundalini symptoms, “spiritual emergency” scenarios26
and numerous case studies of destructive kundalini manifestations,
Sannella mentions Swami Narayanananda, author of “the first detailed
book on the kundalini experience.”27 Sannella notes that Narayanananda’s
book:
. . . distinguished between a partial and a full arousal
of the kundalini energy. Whereas partial arousal can lead to all kinds
of physical and mental complications, only the kundalini’s complete
ascent to the center at the crown of the head will awaken the true
impulse to God-realization, or liberation, and bring about the desired
revolution in consciousness. Only then can the body-mind be transcended
in the unalloyed bliss of enlightenment.28
Narayanananda catalogued a listing of sensations and experiences that
occur as kundalini symptoms. Sannella summarizes some of these:
* There is strong burning, first along the back and then over the whole body.
* The kundalini’s entrance into the central spinal canal, called sushuma, is attendant with pain.
* When the kundalini reaches the heart, one may experience palpitations.
* One feels a creeping sensation from the toes, and sometimes the whole
body starts to shake. The rising sensation may feel like an ant crawling
slowly up the body toward the head, or like a snake wiggling along, or a
bird hopping from place to place, or like a fish darting through calm
water, or like a monkey leaping to a far branch.29
Sannella arranges the “physio-kundalini complex” into four basic
categories, which the following somewhat encapsulates and which Sannella
(and others) consider to be “therapeutic.” Of the
psycho-spiritual/physio-spiritual process Sannella contends, “[s]everal
of my kundalini cases are especially interesting because they serve as
support for my contention that the kundalini process can be looked upon
as being inherently therapeutic.”30
Therapeutic? I find that absurd reasoning! Surprisingly, Sannella admits to the dangers:
I must, however, sound a word of caution here. I firmly
believe that methods designed specifically to hasten kundalini arousal,
such as breath control exercises known as pranayama, are hazardous,
unless practiced directly under the guidance of a competent spiritual
teacher, or guru, who should have gone through the whole kundalini
process himself or herself.31
He says the Yoga breathing techniques “may prematurely unleash
titanic inner forces,” and the practitioner will have no way to control
these forces. He warns, “The kundalini can be forced, but only to one’s
own detriment.”32 Basically, one must go through varying stages of what
the Bible would consider demonic possession!
Symptoms of Kundalini Awakening
There is a very long list of symptoms that can occur during a kundalini
awakening. While proponents will tell you that there are many benefits,
they readily admit, as I have shown, that there are many terrible
consequences. Here are just a few of them:
Tremors * Shivering * Shaking * Cramps * Spasms *
Energy
rushes * Muscle twitches * Strong electricity circulating the body *
Tingling * Intense heat or cold * Involuntary bodily movements * Jerking
*
Periods of extreme hyperactivity * Periods of fatigue * Intensified
or diminished sexual desires * Headaches * Pressures within the skull
*
Racing heartbeat
*
Emotional outbursts
* Rapid mood shifts *
Feeling
of grief, fear, rage, depression * Spontaneous and uncontrollable
laughing and weeping * Mental confusion * Convulsions * Altered states
of consciousness33
I don’t recall Jesus or the disciples ever likening the fruit of the
Spirit or the working of the Holy Spirit with any of these symptoms!
What About “Christian” Yoga?
In an eye-opening article titled “Yoga Renamed is Still Hindu: I
challenge Attempts to Snatch Yoga From its Roots,” Professor Subhas R.
Tiwari of the Hindu University of America made some very interesting
points in response to inquiries from several journalists around the
country. As a graduate with a Master’s degree in Yoga philosophy from
the famed Bihar Yoga Bharati University, Professor Tiwari’s response was
featured in an article in
Hinduism Today. Professor Tiwari enlightened undiscerning American’s with the following:
In the past few months I have received several calls from
journalists around the country seeking my views on the question of
whether the newly minted “Christian Yoga” is really yoga.
My response is, “The simple, immutable fact is that yoga originated
from the Vedic or Hindu culture. Its techniques were not adopted by
Hinduism, but originated from it.” . . . The effort to separate yoga
from Hinduism must be challenged because it runs counter to the
fundamental principles upon which yoga itself is premised. . . . Efforts
to separate yoga from its spiritual center reveal ignorance of the goal
of yoga. . . .
[Yoga] was intended by the Vedic seers as an instrument which can
lead one to apprehend the Absolute, Ultimate Reality, called the Brahman
Reality, or God. If this attempt to co-opt yoga into their own
tradition continues, in several decades of incessantly spinning the
untruth as truth through re-labelings such as “Christian yoga,” who will
know that yoga is—or was—part of Hindu culture?34
Some may ask, “Well, can’t I just do the Yoga exercises and forego
the religious or spiritual aspects?” One researcher has this to say:
There is absolutely no problem in stretching exercises in
and of themselves. . . . No one can deny that stretching helps the
blood flow, that breathing in oxygen helps our overall health. . . .
There are numerous exercise programs that incorporate stretching that in
no way relates to yoga (and its perspective). . . . Religious
syncretism is probably the most dangerous thing we can involve ourselves
in because we can rationalize its purpose. . . . Essentially one cannot
practice a portion of Hinduism and continue to walk with the true
Christ who is not a Hindu Guru.35
A former occultist who is now a Christian explains:
You cannot separate the exercises from the philosophy. . .
. The movements themselves become a form of meditation. The continued
practice of the exercises will, whether you . . . intend it or not,
eventually influence you toward an Eastern/mystical perspective. That is
what it is meant to do! . . . There is, by definition, no such thing as
“neutral” Yoga36
The Conflict Between Yoga, “Christian” Yoga, and the Gospel
Is Yoga a religion that denies Jesus Christ? Yes. Just as
Christianity denies the Hindu MahaDevas such as Siva, Vishnu, Durga and
Krishna, to name a few, Hinduism and its many Yogas have nothing to do
with God and Jesus . . . all of Yoga is all about the Hindu religion.
Modern so-called “yoga” is dishonest to Hindus and to all non-Hindus
such as the Christians.—Danda, Dharma Yoga Ashram, Classical Yoga Hindu
Academy; an e-mail written to Lighthouse Trails Research
Altogether, Western Yoga has become a launching platform for
occultism—the very thing that lies at the heart of Buddhism Hinduism,
and New Age spirituality. Even the Christian church has been affected by
alleged “Yoga for Christians.” Consider the names of such “ministries”
that mix Scripture and “Jesus” with Yoga, and then sell it as Christian
Yoga exercise: Yahweh Yoga, Holy Yoga; Body Prayer, Christ-Centered
Yoga, New Day Yoga, Trinity Yoga, Yoga Devotion, Grounded in Yoga, Be
Still Yoga, Atoning Yoga Extending Grace, and many more.
Most Christians would probably acknowledge that occultic practices
are the antithesis of biblical Christianity. But when it comes to
Yoga—also the outworking of occultism—they seem oblivious. And yet, the
philosophies and practices of yogic mediation have the capacity to
“unhinge” (dismantle) humans—in every way. These philosophies come from
ancient occultism and originally started back in the Garden of Eden. The
voice of that old serpent, the Devil and his satanic forces, put forth
the exact same lie today that has fueled the world of the occult through
all the ages—that humanity can become God. “[Y]e shall not surely die .
. . ye shall be as gods” (i.e., like God; Genesis 3:4-5).
The very nature of many of the meditative yogic practices are
engineered to (1) blow out the discernment faculties of human beings,
(2) create an insulating barrier of spiritual resistance against the
biblical Gospel, and (3) generate personal hostile opposition towards
Jesus of Nazareth and His teachings. Consider the difference: the Bible
teaches that man is sinful and the wages of sin is death; Jesus Christ,
came in the flesh, died on the Cross, and was resurrected, paying the
penalty for man’s sin with His own shed blood. He then offers salvation
freely to “whosoever” believeth on Him by faith. Yoga (i.e., Hinduism),
on the other hand, is completely the opposite. Man is already divine,
and that divinity only needs to be “awakened” through Yoga. No sin, thus
no need for a Savior. Man will save himself.
In place of God’s Word as the ultimate authority, a new higher
authority called “experience” is embraced. Thus, the Jesus Christ of the
Bible, the clear teachings of Scripture, and the established historical
doctrines of the Christian faith, along with “biblical separation” from
occult pagan spirituality, are thrown out of the window.
The reality that practitioners of Yoga, including Christian
practitioners, can become physiologically and psychologically “unhinged”
is a terrifying consideration. When one yields to the spiritual forces
of darkness that fuel the world of yogic spirituality, one ought to be
prepared to face dire consequences—that for millennia yogis in the East
have endured, and by which have tragically been destroyed.
Practicing Yoga can result in the severe dismantling of the human
personality, resulting in total spiritual devastation, and oftentimes
including demonic possession. The respect, honor, and adoration of rats,
snakes, monkeys, cows, and the worship of 330 million gods of Hinduism
surely ought to speak volumes to the Western Yoga practitioner who
thinks he or she can Christianize Yoga or simply turn it into a benign
physical exercise program.
When you stop and realize that increasing numbers of Christian
churches are now allowing Yoga classes, and when you look at the sheer
facts, this is simply hybridized yogic evangelism in the church. Sadly,
the bulk of Western Christians seem to be blind to this.
Paul the Apostle, remembering the sinful disaster that took place in
the garden of Eden, warned the early church at Corinth about the danger
of spiritual deception in the name of Christ:
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled
Eve through his subtlity, so your minds should be corrupted from the
simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:3)
The question this booklet title asks is:
Are Yoga and Christianity compatible?
I hope and pray that after reading this material you will answer that
question with a resounding No. We live in a world where forces of
darkness, of which the Bible speaks, are seeking to deceive us. But
Scripture also says we can protect ourselves through His provision. We
do not have to walk in spiritual darkness.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye
may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
(Ephesians 6: 11-13)
To order copies of YOGA and Christianity – Are They Compatible?, click here.
Endnotes:
1. “Yoga in America Study 2012” (
Yoga Journal, http://www.yogajournal.com/press/yoga_in_america.
2. Lesley Alderman, “Bend and Be Well,”
Alternative Medicine: Your Guide to Stress Relief, Healing, Nutrition, and More (New York, NY: TIME Books, 2012), p.62.
3.
Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language (New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, Unabridged, 2nd ed., Deluxe Color 1955, 1983), p. 2120.
4. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yoga.
5. http://www.yogajournal.com/newtoyoga/820_1.cfm.
6. Goutam Paul,
Bhagavad Gita: The Ultimate Science of Yoga (http://www.cs.albany.edu/~goutam/ScYogaCamera.pdf).
7. http://www.experiencefestival.com/yoga.
8. http://www.sullivan-county.com/id3/expositer.htm#Y.
9. http://www.atmajyoti.org/med_what_is_yoga.asp.
10. Debra Lardie, contributing editors Dan Lioy and Paul Ingram,
Concise Dictionary of the Occult and New Age (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2000), pp. 288-289.
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
13. Hans-Ulrich Rieker,
The Yoga of Light: Hatha Yoga Pradipika (New York, NY: Seabury Press, 1971), p. 101.
14. http://www.srichinmoy.org.
15. Ibid.
16. Sri Chinmoy,
Kundalini: The Mother Power (Jamaica, N.Y: AUM Publications, 1992), p. 49.
17. Ibid., p. 51.
18. Ibid.
19. See
Hidden Dangers Of Meditation And Yoga: How To Play With Your Sacred Fires Safely by Del Pe.
20. “Chakras,” http://www.sanatansociety.org/chakras/chakras.htm.
21. Lee Sannella,
The Kundalini Experience: Psychosis or Transcendence (Lower Lake, CA: Integral Publishing, 1987, Revised 1992), p. 25.
22. See
Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice by Mark Singleton, 2010;
A History of Modern Yoga: Patanjali and Western Esotericism by Elizabeth De Michelis, 2005;
The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice by Georg Feuerstein, 2001.
23. Lee Sannella,
The Kundalini Experience, op. cit., p. 31.
24. Ibid.
25. Ibid., p. 32.
26. See also Grof & Grof’s
The Stormy Search for the Self: A Guide to Personal Growth through Transformational Crisis, 1992; and
Spiritual Emergency, 1989.
27. Lee Sannella, The Kundalini Experience, op. cit., pp. 48-49.
28. Ibid., p. 48.
29. Ibid.
30. Ibid., pp. 93-108, 113.
31. Ibid., p. 116.
32. Ibid.
33. Symptoms of Kundalini awakening, Submitted by zoya on Fri,
03/11/2011—11:57,
http://www.gurusfeet.com/forum/symptoms-kundalini-awakening.
34. Subhas R. Tiwari, “Yoga Renamed is Still Hindu” (
Hinduism Today, Jan/Feb/Mar 2006, Magazine Web Edition http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=1456).
35. Mike Oppenheimer, “Yoga, Today’s Lifestyle for Health” (http://www.letusreason.org/NAM1.htm).
36. Johanna Michaelsen,
Like Lambs to the Slaughter (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1989), pp. 93-95.
A. Sidebar on page 7: Goutam Paul,
Bhagavad Gita: The Ultimate Science of Yoga, op. cit., p.1.
To order copies of YOGA and Christianity – Are They Compatible?, click here.
About the author:
Chris Lawson is a missionary and an ordained pastor. Among his
achievements and calling as a career missionary, he has served as a
long-term church planter in the USA and also in Edinburgh, Scotland. He
is the founder and president of Spiritual Research Network, Inc., a
Christian outreach dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel and encouraging
biblical discernment. You can visit his website where there is extensive
research at: http://www.spiritual-research-network.com. Chris lives in
central California with his wife and children.
To order copies of YOGA and Christianity – Are They Compatible?, click here.
