Is Yoga Demonic, Evil or Satanic? A Christian Concern

By
Matthew Schoenherr
-
36
Christ in yogic meditation

As you know, I’ve been studying meditation and moving down that path. It comes from a place where I want to know what Jesus knew, and I think that’s a question we should all be asking ourselves as Christians. How do we close the gap between us and our Creator? Christ has said He is the way. So if Christ way is the way, what steps did He take in His life?

I don’t think it’s just as simple as, “I’m going to be a nice person”. I don’t think it’s as simple as you follow the 10 commandments and you have nothing else to worry about. I think there’s more to spiritual evolution than following a couple good guidelines for behavior, right?

If Christ has said His example is the example to follow, then how do we follow that example? Through my research, some clues point to the possibility that Christ went to India. Again, I don’t know how viable this is and maybe that’s part of my problem, but there’s a big gap in the Bible where Christ is a child and then He disappears for what? A couple decades? Then He comes back and He’s baptized by John the Baptist and moves in to this life of leadership and sacrifice.

(Note: Further research has pointed out that this time is referred to as the “Lost Years of Jesus”. There have been numerous stories about Jesus traveling far and wide, but most seem to have been dismissed by contemporary religious scholars. Curious? Read “Unknown Years of Jesus” at Wikipedia.)

Somebody asked me recently, “Matt, are you a Christian? I see that you’re studying under Sadhguru.” I said “Yes, I am a Christian” or at least I wear the Christian label. I hail from Roman Catholic roots and—in me trying to follow Christ example—I’m exploring meditation right now. If prayer is us communicating to God, meditation is us listening to God, right? That’s how I’ve got it sorted in my mind.

Then they asked “Since when do you have to have spend money for enlightenment?” When you go to a conference, it costs money to put on a conference. I’m okay paying a $250 ticket for a conference; that’s not out of bounds at all. Compare that with a Tony Robbins event! How much are you spending there? $1,200+ for the same weekend? So, this question, we’ll throw out.

Now, back to the question about being a Christian and studying under Sadhguru. I feel like my belief has grown. I sit through church now and I feel I’ve got a whole new dimension of understanding about the Scriptures. I feel like I’m even more clear as a result of having studied meditation.

But then they volleyed with some links from folks who had also studied yoga and ended up opening themselves to demonic possession and all sorts of evil?

I’ll admit! My faith is shaken in the yogic path now, so I’m trying to get clarity. If any of you guys have any insight, please sound off.

I’m asking the question now. I’m asking “All right, is there more to this further on down the road?” No, I’m not detecting any kind of evil intent from any of the Sadhguru teachings. I’ve vetted him against other gurus and—some of the other gurus—they don’t feel right. They feel like they’re off in the bushes. They feel like they’re making up certain things. Do a search on human levitation. That’ll open up some weird stuff. (People hopping and calling it levitation.)

I did that vetting process and I’ve been praying all along, right? I’ve been praying all along, “Lord, if I am on the wrong path, please correct me. I don’t want to spend a minute on the wrong path. If I am not intended to be studying Kriya yoga or following Christ in this manner, then correct me, please!”

And, so far, nothing’s come.

In fact, the only thing that’s come from this has been a greater understanding or a greater depth experienced in Scripture, so when I go sit in church on Sunday, I feel like I have even more clarity than I’ve ever had in the past. I understand (or I feel like I understand.)

Who knows?

Maybe I’m going crazy.

But I feel like I understand when Christ says “It’s all through me,” he’s not talking about Jesus of Nazareth (which is always where I got stuck. “Really? Okay, it’s all through you.”) In my mind now, it’s Christ Consciousness. It’s this evolution towards Divinity. Christ has even said in the Book of John, “These things and greater, you can do if you’re in the faith.” That tells me we’ve got a huge responsibility to study and follow his path and see what it is we can see.

How do you take that? I think most Christians don’t take the responsibility, and so they stop seeking and they just show up to church and maybe they say prayers over their meals and whatever. I think most folks stop way before taking this responsibility. And I don’t think Christ was lying and I don’t think Christ was crazy, so must be that this is the truth, right? If Christ has said we can do even larger miracles than He did, why is nobody doing it? Why is nobody doing it?

Answer that question.

That’s where I’m at. I’ll admit to getting blown out of the water by some of these YouTube videos that were then sent to me by this guy talking to me on Facebook, Paul. (Hey Paul!) In the videos he sent, again, “demonic possession yoga” by folks who have become born-again Christians, several of whom say that they had this Christ experience where Christ came and whispered in their ear or shocked them with light. They felt this massive boost of love and then they had a course correction. That kind of thing blows me out of the water too. These folks are speaking with conviction; they are coming from a sense of their own clarity.

I don’t think their making up their experiences, so is it truly that yoga is the wrong path or is it that these veins of yoga—just like veins of Christianity—seem to be off in the bushes?

Is it that these certain gurus are off in the bushes, and maybe Sadhguru is on the right path? (But then I find a video where somebody actually studied under the Isha Foundation and had a demonic experience.)

So is it that these folks are not conducting themselves properly in the yogic arts?

I don’t know.

I don’t know. I don’t know what I don’t know, so not knowing what I don’t know, if you know or if you feel you know, please sound off on this video down in the comments below.

I need help. I need some guidance. I’ve reached out to Christian friends of mine. I’m blowing them out of the water with these questions. I have reached out to Isha Foundation. Here’s my note to them:

Recently, someone approached me on Facebook and asked if I was a Christian. I affirmed I was and now they have sent me a number of YouTube videos where folks are reporting demonic possession or attack as a result of their involvement with yoga. One testimonial even cites Isha.

I’ll admit; my faith that I’m on the right path with Kriya yoga has been shaken.

Has Sadhguru addressed this in video? Any insight?

Thank you in advance.
Matt

And their response:

Dear Matt,
Sadhguru has spoken about yoga extensively.

You can find more information here:

Well. That helped a little, but it doesn’t really answer the demonic possession issue.

Guys, I don’t know. This is where I’m at, I’m in a very questioning place, I thought I was moving down the right path and it was feeling good. People talk about “Oh yeah, it felt good, but then I got possessed.”

I don’t want to be possessed. That’s not a goal of mine.

If you got any insight, please share. As I continue to collect data and pray and seek revelation, I will report out and we’ll just move through this journey together, okay? All right guys, this has been Matt Schoenherr. Good luck to us all.

This post is part of an ongoing discussion around the practice of yogic meditation. To see more of the discussion, go here.

UPDATE 01/17/2016

As of the past couple weeks, I have ultimately arrived at a place where I HAVE RENOUNCED MY YOGIC PRACTICE. God has found it in His heart to place in my path not just one but TWO individuals who are able to witness God’s supernatural love as uncovered by confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Here is the story: https://levaire.com/my-salvation-experience/

More from Levaire

36 COMMENTS

  1. Matt, I must admit that I do not know a whole lot about yoga, but I do have a couple of comments on your post.
    1. You say that you have asked God to let you know if you should be studying yoga and to let you know if you are on the wrong path, yet you seem to dismiss the warning from fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, even those who have had negative experiences traveling the same path that you are now on. Maybe you should give those voices of experience a little more consideration. God often speaks to us through others.
    2. You said, “In my mind now it’s Christ Consciousness. It’s this evolution towards Divinity.” I think this is an incorrect understanding of Scripture. We are to become “like” Christ; we are not to “become” Christ. We are to imitate him in the way that He lived and loved, but we will never become God, like He was/is. We become “like” Him through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. As we read Scripture and obey the commands found there, we will become more like Him.
    3. When Jesus said that his disciples would do “greater” things than He did, I believe he used greater in a “quantitative” sense rather than a “qualitative” sense. In other words, who could do any greater miracle than to raise someone from the dead? However, given the fact that Jesus was one man, assuming all of the limitations that a human body brings with it, his disciples, numbering in the billions throughout history, surely would be able to perform “more” miracles than he would while on this earth. Your question of why aren’t we doing that, is still a valid question, though.
    4. Finally, you ask about those who have experienced demon possession, “Is it possible that these folks are not conducting themselves properly in the yogic arts?” Is it possible that they were doing it “correctly,” and that you are not?
    I do not intend to offend you or belittle your search for a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, but I do believe that all that we need to have that deeper relationship with Christ is found in Scripture. My advice? Meditate on scripture. If you need training, get it from someone who is seeking Christ and not someone who is seeking after “something else.” God bless you, in your walk with Christ and your continue search for wisdom.

    • My response below, in [brackets]

      1. You say that you have asked God to let you know if you should be studying yoga and to let you know if you are on the wrong path, yet you seem to dismiss the warning from fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, even those who have had negative experiences traveling the same path that you are now on. Maybe you should give those voices of experience a little more consideration. God often speaks to us through others.

      [James, thank you for writing. I agree I can learn from others’ experiences; the challenge is whose? It’s not like I’m studying yoga neophytes; Sadhguru and the writings of Paramahansa Yogananda. These leaders obviously have their own experiences and there is considerably less fear and mistrust in their accounts. Even if I turn to the Bible, I can find conflicting notions:

      The argument for listening to others:

      Proverbs 12:15 ESV, The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

      Then the argument for not listening to everything we stumble across:

      Proverbs 5:1-23 ESV, My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol;

      How do I know these others who had bad experiences weren’t off in the bushes in their own practice? How do I know their reported newfound Christian faith is truly on the right path according to Christ?

      Even if I consider my own experience (which has been 100% positive so far), is my own judgment able to be trusted? How do I know the “yoga is evil” videos being sent to me aren’t there to snipe others off a valid path toward spiritual development? Seems like the kind of tool the Enemy might use, doesn’t it?]

      2. You said, “In my mind now it’s Christ Consciousness. It’s this evolution towards Divinity.” I think this is an incorrect understanding of Scripture. We are to become “like” Christ; we are not to “become” Christ. We are to imitate him in the way that He lived and loved, but we will never become God, like He was/is. We become “like” Him through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. As we read Scripture and obey the commands found there, we will become more like Him.

      [1 Peter 2:21 KJV, For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps…

      Oh, I agree, James. I’m not so egomaniacal as to believe I’ll become Christ if I continue to meditate. I HAVE, however, experienced a deeper shedding of worldly concerns and a more pronounced cleaving to God as a result of my ongoing spiritual studies and meditation practice.

      For example, one simple kriya yoga meditation has helped me to become more aware of the illusion created by having a physical body and an intellect. The meditation is simply a mantra of breathing “I am not my body; I am not even the mind” followed by seven exhalations of “Ah” to force this awareness throughout the body at a cellular level. The guided meditation can be found here (http://www.ishafoundation.org/Ishakriya) and Sadhguru’s explanation on why he recommends this meditation is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4hCvdDn7Zc

      So, some of the results in me? Less fear of man. Less vanity. Reduced body self-consciousness. Reduced need to keep up appearances. Less interest in chasing the almighty dollar. Less devotion to my own plan; more openness to God’s. Less lust. Less coveting. Less idolatry. More patience with my wife and children. Less need for things to be a particular way. More peace. More acceptance. More grace.

      Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t arrived. But this is all movement in the right direction by my book—and by the Good Book, for that matter. Much of this comes from the growing awareness—at the heart level—that all of this striving and building and struggle I’ve been engaged in for years is all founded in matters of the world—not of the Spirit.

      I’ve attended 12 years of Catholic schooling and many years of attending church on and off and after all this time, it wasn’t reading the Bible that brought me to this new level of peace and awareness—it was meditation. Intellectually, I knew a more spiritually-centric state was what I should be moving towards, but I was missing the manner by which to achieve it.]

      3. When Jesus said that his disciples would do “greater” things than He did, I believe he used greater in a “quantitative” sense rather than a “qualitative” sense. In other words, who could do any greater miracle than to raise someone from the dead? However, given the fact that Jesus was one man, assuming all of the limitations that a human body brings with it, his disciples, numbering in the billions throughout history, surely would be able to perform “more” miracles than he would while on this earth. Your question of why aren’t we doing that, is still a valid question, though.

      [John 14:12 KJV, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

      And

      Matthew 13: 58 KJV, And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

      Both these passages tell me that healing and amazing works (amazing by our reptilian standards) are within human grasp if our faith and understanding are great enough. Unfortunately, the world has been pulled over our eyes and we don’t take the responsibility to dive in deeper. I think we just say, “Oh, but that was Jesus. We can’t operate at His level” (even when He says we can.)

      As a result, we stop seeking His path. We say it’s enough that we believe in Him and we draw a line in the sand and say that’s where our responsibility stops. Then we try to be on our best behavior without taking any more steps to actually mirror Christ’s example, but—as we see regularly in the news—good behavior is often undermined by other more base features of our personality. If we try to follow set rules for behavior without solving our attachment to our physicality or our intellect, our attachments will always be in conflict.]

      4. Finally, you ask about those who have experienced demon possession, “Is it possible that these folks are not conducting themselves properly in the yogic arts?” Is it possible that they were doing it “correctly,” and that you are not?

      I do not intend to offend you or belittle your search for a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, but I do believe that all that we need to have that deeper relationship with Christ is found in Scripture. My advice? Meditate on scripture. If you need training, get it from someone who is seeking Christ and not someone who is seeking after “something else.” God bless you, in your walk with Christ and your continue search for wisdom.

      [Thank you for writing, James! You did not offend me at all. I hugely appreciate you taking the time to write such a thoughtful response. I agree with your advice and I will continue to dive into the Scriptures. I think what gets me is the fact that there is so much missing from the Bible regarding Christ’s path. We see Him as a child, He disappears, then returns as an adult and begins teaching. What were the steps He took in His life? Jesus evolved while He was here on Earth. Otherwise, He would not have truly had a human experience. So what did His evolution look like? He wasn’t working miracles prior to His disappearance. When and how did this shift happen? So many questions that aren’t answered.]

    • Jesus was a yogi, meditation last for 40 days. The scripture said jesus prayed for 40 days. Only yogis can do that and so far the only way to control the distribution of energy to your body so that you will live without food.

      See, any christian will judge right away. Just follow christ just dont judge

      • Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he has nothing to do with yogis, trying to reduce him to gnostic conspiracy theories is typical of new age lunatics that do not value truth. Thomas the Apostle was the first disciple to go to India and preach the truth of Christianity. Jesus’s knowledge was beyond anything anyone could have ever said yet so profound that it came from God, as it tears deep into the darkness of the heart and exposes the true intentions. Moreover the earliest texts we have from hindusim are much later than Christianity so even from a historical standpoint Christianity is always the obvious winner, there has never been a point in history where hinduism or buddhism were considered historical in the academia as they are not based on history in the first place, they rely entirely on emotions and offer nothing when it comes to the ultimate truth.

        Jesus claimed to be God, and his resurrection from the dead proved that, there is either those that believe in him and those that do not, there is no middle ground of reducing him to a teacher or your own gnostic nonsense because he never left us with that option in the first place.

        Christianity is the only worldview that has completely answered all of the fundamental questions of existense which are Origin (who i am, where did i come from), Meaning (what is the purpose of life), Morality (right and wrong, good and evil), and Destiny (what happens after death, the afterlife) with the most logical consistency and empirical adaquecy while the ultimate truth is revealed at the person of Jesus Christ.

        • Be careful not to judge God’s creations for it is not our place to fathom the holistic purpose of all creation, Angels and Daemons included.

          It may be that which exists ought to exist, and that which must not exist, doesn’t.

          We must mind our own paths for THE WAY IS NARROW, perhaps far narrower than any members of the popular human religions suspect in their hubris and overconfidence.

          Few Christians emulate Jesus, and those who do, appear homeless to most…

        • So much ignorance about Sanatana Dharam/ Hinduism. It is older than Christianity. That civilization has given us zero, trigonometry, astronomy, Phi, they knew about plastic surgery and have performed complicated surgeries way back in 600 BCE. They have calculated the distance between the sun and the earth to the exact mile, and you ignorant think they are a demonic race? Their civilization has withstood the brutal onslaught of Christian crusaders. Every other civilization crumbled, whether Greek, Roman, Egyptian, or Mexican. In the name of your lord, you have wiped out the Natives of every continent your so-called loving faithful stepped on, and their lands were grabbed. Your forefathers are nothing but murderers and plunderers. Your faith has so many denominations and so many new testaments. Why should your holy book be changed so many times if it was genuine true faith? If your god is the one, why are so many denominations? Why can’t there be just one?

  2. Hi Matthew, I only just found this LEVAIRE site after looking for reviews about Sadhguru teaching and programs and found a video of you after the first day of a training in Chicago.
    Anyway, I’m searching closely right now because I am in a difficult time (but challenges often simply represent and opportunity to grow some more and overcome)……..so what I have also come across recently is some amazing work by Shakuntala Modi:
    “Memories of God and Creation: Remembering from the Subconscious Mind”
    “Remarkable Healings: A Psychiatrist Discovers Unsuspected Roots of Mental and Physical Illness”

    and in them there are some wonderful case studies which take so much fear and doubt away for me……which I have been struggling for over past 30 years.

    I am just hoping these are the beginnings of healing potentials that might get me out of a chronic and complex fatigue which after fighting for so long has laid me out for past 6 months. Anyway – thought as you had shared your journey, I would offer this little fragment from my search…….all the best, big love and blessings…

    Jen :o)

  3. hi mathiew I’m very intersted in your post I saw you have learned things from sadghuru and In my life I am searching and I’ve been understanding things with times and meditation and really not that complicated but we would need to take times to talk to each other so that you take time to understand things, so I would really really be intersted in talking to you by skype or phone 418-473-9940 . In the same time I have some questions that you could maybe help me clear out.

  4. you want to “know what Christ knew”?
    so you are saying you want to be God
    do you not know that this is the fall of satan?

    Christ said He IS THE WAY
    not
    HIS WAY is the way…
    big difference

    meditation is not “listening to God”
    just as “prayer” (whatever you are calling prayer) is not communicating with God
    if you have not made contact with God in the first place
    (then certainly you cannot actuality be communicating WITH Him correct?

    I am writing this to you as an ex catholic and ex listener to sadhguru
    you are on the wrong path if this is what youare currently following and beleiving
    you have not yet actually come to faith in Christ and repentance from what I can tell
    Or you have just been seriously influenced and misguided after
    but really it is most certainly the former

    and i find it strange that as a supposed catholic you should reference a Christian (protestant) video

    • Anthony,
      I think you might have missed the paragraph at the end of the article that gave the update on where I am these days? And no, I’m not Catholic nor practicing kriya yoga at this point in my spiritual development. (https://levaire.com/my-salvation-experience/) I suppose I should produce another article as a close to the yoga chapter of my life, but I’m currently deep in the throes of a Daniel 9 “70 Weeks Prophesy” study and yoga seems so long ago. Suffice it to say (for now) that due to several discussions with fellow Christians (some of which have been posted on this site), I looked further down the yoga path. What I saw were Sadhguru’s followers bowing before metal statues and idols. That was the final nail in the coffin; when I fully realized the yogic path led astray. I moved to more “Christian meditation” in the Desert Fathers and Teresa d’Avila (and St. John of the Cross, and Jeanne Guyon, and Brother Lawrence, among others.) Since then, I have studied A.B. Simpson, Chuck Missler, Walter Martin, Charles Capps, Dan Mohler, Smith Wigglesworth, John G. Lake, Derek Prince, Lester Sumrall and a plethora of others.

      Thank you for writing! I appreciate the concern. At this point, I have to say I’m in pretty good hands!

      God bless.

      Matthew

      • Hey Matt,

        It seems I am where you were two years ago. Only into day 2 of this yoga stuff. I want a deeper connection with God, a higher sense of awareness. My love for God and Jesus and for people run deep. I grew up in a family that taught me about Christ and God, but most of my spiritual journey has taken place between conversations with God and reading the word on my own from a child into my now mid 20’s. I just feel like organized religion misses something… I trust in God wholeheartedly, but it’s harder to trust people who say that God is speaking through them because honestly, people are liars. Is the scripture all anyone in this world has to know to be saved? If a bible was never passed around a village so they were never exposed to the word of God, are they all damned? I just see all these religions in the world and it’s wild how they overlap in their teachings, how similar all the prophets are. I guess I have always had this thought in all my life that my God is so amazing and so full of love, is he really going to damn people who had that love, but called it by a different name? I’m just thinking out loud. I appreciate your review. Stay blessed.

  5. Hi Matt! I’m glad to see you’ve abandoned yoga… It so central to the Hindi faith and how they are to achieve the Hindi version of Heaven; with varying “types” of it — including how to “awaken the SERPENT within.” (kundalini) Troubling! And I asked a super-duper wise woman in my church, who is amazingly gifted at teaching and studying scripture to help us learn and know more….regarding this “religious-like” reverence for, and practicing of… YOGA. I asked her opinion about perhaps “why doesn’t the Bible have specific directives or that Jesus or the Apostles gave distinct teachings regarding a regimen to exercise?” This kind and Christ-filled lady thought for a brief moment…and then quietly said —

    “Wel…you know…Jesus sure walked a lot.”

    :)

  6. Hi Matt, I read your post and will like to have more information on how far you went into Isha inner engineering yoga..Do you have information about wearing the Isha copper snake ring?? I have a family member who has been practicing Isha inner engineering and now he wears a copper snake ring…. we have also seen some negative changes in his attitude towards those of us who are Christians ..

    • Florence, while I hadn’t gotten into Isha’s system as deeply as some, Sadhguru had already recommended wearing a copper ring early in the game. I also saw serpent rings on people while I was traveling those circles. I remember being turned off by the imagery and I decided if I ever invested in a ring, it would be a simple copper band. Fortunately, I never pursued it prior to leaving the practice.

      I am forwarding your note to a friend who may know more about this than I. In the meantime, this might help: https://levaire.com/prayers-for-the-unbelieving-and-lost/

    • Hi Florence,

      How are you? I studied and practiced Isha Yoga for years including wearing the copper snake ring and rudraksha necklace. Interestingly enough, on three separate occasions I lost the ring randomly. This was strange as I was supposed to be “becoming more conscious” through my practice. It always felt weird, not only that it was strange to people, but because I have a desire to get married one day and it was in the place where my wife’s ring would be. Yoga means “union” or to be “yoked”… marriage is also a union, connection, commitment… Christ and the Church are referred to like a marriage in the Bible. I did not want to be yoked or married to Isha, Sadhguru, or any other worldly ideology. So I tossed the ring, necklace, and left the regular practice.

      I still can’t refute some benefits to some yogic exercises, breathing, and meditation… My mom’s blood pressure was really high recently and I did I short practice with her and it went down to a safer level in 15 minutes. There are also some dangers, people I love have allowed themselves, while strictly practicing yoga, to become crazy, narcissistic, unbalanced, hateful, violent, cruel, etc… I’ve experienced some personally negative effects as well. How much is yoga specifically to blame? I don’t know. Life is incredibly complex, I know I don’t have all the answers, so I trust God and continue living, seeking truth, and trying to live by what sounds like the most truthful statement I’ve ever heard, given to us by Jesus to clear things up when spirituality gets too confusing:

      —
      “What is God’s law for me? What’s the bottom line? Why am I here?”
      —

      Matthew 22: 36-40 Modern English Version (MEV)

      36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
      37 Jesus said to him, “?‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

      —
      “Okay, God wants us to Love God, others, and ourselves as much as we possibly can… But what is Love?”
      —

      1 Corinthians 13 Modern English Version (MEV)

      13 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.

      4 Love suffers long and is kind; love envies not; love flaunts not itself and is not puffed up, 5 does not behave itself improperly, seeks not its own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; 6 rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

      8 Love never fails. But if there are prophecies, they shall fail; if there are tongues, they shall cease; and if there is knowledge, it shall vanish. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect comes, then that which is imperfect shall pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, and I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see as through a glass, dimly, but then, face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, even as I also am known.

      13 So now abide faith, hope, and love, these three. But the greatest of these is love.

      —
      You can discover all kinds of esoteric “truths” experience all kinds of crazy stuff… But at the end of the day, or of life, what matters? Love. They’ve done extensive end of life surveys, you can listen to NDE’s, or simply listen to your heart and ask yourself honestly… What really matters? Love. So if a practice, jewelry, or leader isn’t getting you closer to love or is moving you further from it… It’s probably best to move on. Sadhguru bluntly and concretely believes and teaches that love is simply a chemical reaction. This may be true on some level, but it’s absolutely not the whole truth.

      If I can humbly recommend anything to you, I’d say talk to your family member about love… Remind him that you love him and want the best for him. 1 Corinthians 13 has been an amazing guiding light for me when I get lost and confused at times. Life is a great big complicated mystery, I believe love is the simple answer.

      • I have done yoga and never knew what kind or even had a thought of it as a bad thing. Knowing myself and balancing my body is what I get from it. I don’t take it any other way. I live my life by what God would want and have listened to Sad Uhuru and find it uplifting and I take from what he says and form my own decisions as I do with everything in my life be it religion or spirituality or faith or whatever other label some of us choose to use. I prefer the knowledge in all of theses to form my own decisions but by connecting with myself on a deeper level where my spirituality is. We all pit too much thought into all of these things. I feel it is quote simple. Live by the commandments the best you can and when you fall off and we all will and do then feel remorse and make it right with God and one’s self. I feel very free in nature and have a deep appreciation for all the beauty I see and respect the earth my life and truly feel great full to God and at the same time I’m able to take from Sadhguru how to use a common sense approach to find my own way. That is where our spirituality comes from. It is within us. all religions and all non religious groups have followers if they have a different God or higher power but it’s not the none you believe in than it’s evil yet they may be so good and pure of heart so why is it our place to decide what’s right when it really comes down to our own beliefs and thank God I found all this knowledge on the internet because after all through him all things are possible.

  7. Most people don’t know the reason why they meditate or some quickly forget the reason why they went into yoga. I like the teaching of Ramana which says find out who you are and that is all. Yoga is not kundalina, kundalina is just away to reach unto yoga but it is very dramatic if the individual is not knowledge enough about it. You can really be stuck. Someone asked ramana what do you think about yoga teaching and kundalina? Ramana replied find out the substratum which hold kundalina. He further said every path will lead you to the Self(perusa), then why not seek the Self directly by asking oneself who am I? And this will lead to the self. He also warned that during the search and if you are doing it alone, other deities will come and entice you with spiritual powers and ability but you should ignore them if not you will be stuck, and when you refuse you will get attack, but don’t forget why you started this seeking and be strong, it is the mind which they are attacking but you must be strong and ignore every sense of the mind and at the end you will get realisation and all powers will be finally yours not just what was use as a bate.
    These gods or deities or demons as people call them are those who fell of the track during their search and are stuck and waiting for another birth to continue the journey of the soul. He said the journey is a very challenging one and competitive that is why people get the attack, but one must be strong and fearless. Renounce the mind and you break the grip of fear. You are not the body you are not the mind.
    The bible made the temptation of Jesus simple by just throwing it in a simple way but only after the temptation did he start his journey by rejecting all the offer from his temptation. The mind like soft and simple things, what ever contends with it is its enemy. The mind likes comfort zones but diamonds and gold are hidden under the mountains. I follow sadhguru teachings and I know how to balance his word’s.
    Meditation means concentration on oneself and not concentrating on something else be it kundalina or what ever.

  8. Matt,

    I am in YTT 200 now. I had a really crazy experience in a meditation practice, and ever sine then I have been trying to find out how I can experience it more. I am a Christian, and I have recently gotten more interested in Kryah yoga and the possibility to Unite us better with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. I really appreciated this article and the one following, about how you renounced yoga.

    I did have a dream last night that my teacher was a serpent beneath a very beautiful person. I think she means well, is not ill intentioned, but may be lost. This article and the following article really helped me come to the decision not to seek Kryah practice or the energy work any deeper. So thank you.

    I do still enjoy the physical benefits of yoga and I do feel like it helps me clear my mind and get a clearer picture of myself and what is bothering me, and I then take that to prayer and scripture. Do you think this okay? I was hoping to transition from my current job to teaching yoga so I could have more time with my daughter.

    I don’t want to do anything that would appear to God as though I am renouncing him or not following Christ as the central point of union with God. I would love your insight.

    • Sid, I also had some different experiences in my early yogic practices and have since experienced better in my Christian walk, so I guess I would encourage you to definitely step away from kriya. I would say the Holy Spirit blessed you with some spiritual insight via that dream! He gets the glory!

      The stretches can still be effective for keeping the body loose, but I would be avoid any mantras or poses, personally. As far as transitioning into teaching yoga–without knowing more–I would think that would be a dangerously fine line and you would be potentially be positioning yourself as the springboard for others to leap deeper into the yogic arts. I guess my encouragement would be to find a different line of work! I’m keenly aware that may not be what you wanted to hear, however. :)

      I would ask the Father to reveal to you what direction He wants you to go. I’m sure, in short order, a path will make itself known to you. He is faithful and He sees your heart!

      Matthew

  9. Dude, no ones getting possessed by demons from yoga. Yoga simply means Union, Union with god. These “possessed” people are likely suffering from schizophrenia or something.

  10. Yoga means union in Sanskrit.

    Union with who?

    Please justice yourself and read Father Seraphim rose if you are truly interested in finding God.

  11. UH, my simple answer to all of this concerning this issue is that this becomes dangerous when you go through an initiation ceremony and you receive your mantra. Each mantra is the name of an Hindu idol so as you use your mantra you are in actuality calling on that idol as you spirit guide. This then becomes a gross violation of The Law given to Moses and the Nation of Israel.

  13. That’s totally absurd to deduce, only because , because the text doesn’t talk of Jesus before his public life, that he traveled and let his family alone.

    Travel require money, and a charpenter son needed to help his father at that time.

    So, with this foolish logics, any biography where it starts when someone entered public life, I have to deduce the person went in India… Why not in other countries ?

    And if he went in India, he didn’t like it, because never he talk about any travel, or other people or tradition, and preach things that are pooppsite to hinduism-buddhism.

    This India tale has just been created by jealous and ethnocentric or religion-centric people, intolerant for sure, who can’t bear a wisdom could be born outside of their civilisations.

    Muslim have their Jesus that is not the Biblical Jesus, Hunduist-Buddhist have theirs, the cult Rael has his, and many other cults and religions. EVERYBODY WANT JESUS

    When the leader of other religions don’t interest any of the other religions…

    • C, I totally agree. Everybody wants Jesus! What can I say? I was a syncretistic mess at the time. Fortunately, God is faithful. He didn’t leave me in that confused place! God bless you! Matthew

  14. Hi, I’m still not seeing a definitive answer on the initial question.
    Is the practice of yoga truly antithetical to the teachings of Christ/Biblical principles?
    Can one get the benefits of yoga without using the poses?
    Can one use the poses outside of their supposed original intent, without any of the potentially bad spirit-invoking consequences?
    If not yoga then what?
    I used to practice yoga daily for months and felt fantastic – more receptive to in tune with and spiritually connected than otherwise. Lots of positive If all How can that be a bad thing? My understanding is that God wants us to keep our physical temples in balance with nutrition and health, but we live in an increasingly sedentary modern society with many deterrents to that. Surely there must be an alternative, if yoga is purportedly as bad as is being posited. What then, is it?

    Romans 8:28

    And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

    Romans 11:36

    Yes, God made all things. And everything continues through him and for him. To God be the glory forever! Amen.

  15. Jesus is reported to have said, “The Kingdom of Heaven lies within”, “The only way to the Father is through Me, Christ”. Where/what is the temple of the soul? The bible also instructs to enter into the inner closet and close the door to the outer. Recommend studying the 24th Psalm. What lack is there in God’s image, His creation? When and where is God not?
    Jesus is reported to often say, “Peace be with you”, must be important to be often repeated.
    Faith (Father and I together here)

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