A beloved family member recently shared an article with me called, "The Dangerous Deception of Yoga". I mentioned that I was learning Hindi since it was the closest language to Sanskrit that Duolingo offered and we ended up down a rabbit hole. The hole consisted of questions and assertions such as "is yoga spiritual?" and "yoga is worshipping Hindu gods".
Well, this particular family member means quite a lot to me and has a habit of forcing me to dwell and dig deeper on issues and practices in my life and this was certainly one of those moments. It can be a source of frustration, of course, but I also choose to welcome the challenges. After all, if I believe in the validity of what I am doing, I only grow from examining opposition. So I read the article that was sent and really thought about it. After sincere contemplation, I wrote a response.
I should mention here and now, that I consider myself a follower of Jesus. Some call this a "Christian"; I am not so sure that the only true Christian wasn't Jesus himself, as Nietzsche suggests, but that's a more theological discussion for another place and time. What's important to know for the context of this article is that I come from that standpoint in my own religious beliefs. Now that you know that, I can share with you my response-
"I believe God means for us to utilize the tools we are given. Yoga is one of the tools that has been given that not only works wonders for the body and mind but has indeed brought me closer to God. The big capital "G" God, the Creator of everything, the God that has existed before all time and so before all religions as well.
You ask how everything can be spiritual and I ask how can it not be? If you believe we are souls with bodies having a human experience then, since we are always with ourselves wherever we go, our souls are always with us. If this is the case, as I believe it is, every experience we have is one that our SOULS are experiencing. No matter how mundane the experience, it is our souls that are ultimately having it. In recognizing that, we can recognize each moment as an opportunity to choose love and thus draw closer to God, making every moment "spiritual".
It is very sad to see people demonize what they fear. But it's a common thing, to fear what we do not understand and then label it "evil". It's certainly sad to see though when it comes to something that has such massive benefits to a person.
Like you, I have and continue to pray for clarity and the truth. I pray God leads me in all that I do and I do not believe God has lead me astray.
I think it's very likely that people have co-opted the yoga poses and used them for their own purposes. One thing I've learned about evil though, is that it cannot create. It can only distort and twist what is good. This is very likely something that happened, much like the using of Christ as a reason for the crusades or many of the continued horrors that surface from the Catholic Church. Dance is another thing that some Christian theologians have feared in the past and demonized. Herbalism is another example of a practice that has been used for witchcraft but has incredible, God-given, healing results.
The Bible says, "you shall know them by their fruits" and that has guided me throughout my life. The fruits of yoga are good fruits. I've experienced them first hand and seen many others do the same. I will not let evil rob me of what I know is good. It's ok if you don't understand this.
Jesus was a radical for his time. One thing I know he managed to do even as a radical was to honor his family. I recognize your love for me as well as your fear for me. But I hope you can feel the truth of what I am saying when I say that I am not afraid. My relationship with God is infused in every step I take. Jesus is always with me and I make it a practice in my life to use every breath I take as a reminder of that.
I do honor you and respect you sharing what you've seen with me. I appreciate you looking out for danger. I see where this woman's perspective could bring concern. I do disagree with her conclusions for the reasons I've said above, but it's ok for her and I to disagree.
Here is an alternative view to the article you sent me-"
And then I sent a couple articles from Christian standpoints that have the opposing view to the original article that was sent. I will link all articles if you'd like to see them.
Sharing this is extremely personal. I considered not, but Steve thought it might be important.
There is much to unpack from this and I recognize that. Of course, depending upon your own religious viewpoints, this could ignite some controversy. I will say now that I am not a theologian or scholar of religions. I only have my own spiritual experiences and beliefs to draw from. From what I have read, the many deities in Hinduism are more like spirits, similar to the Native Americans. They do not however, overshadow the Supreme God that Hindu's believe in. They are, as they say, little "g" gods. Food for thought.
So is yoga spiritual? For me it is. It makes me feel more connected to my God-given soul and I certainly wish that for everyone.
Here are the links to all articles:
What are your thoughts?
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