There are a lot of people doing yoga these days. But is yoga for Bible-believing followers of Christ? I can’t speak for you nor would I try to tell you what to do. However, I would like to explain what I believe and have experienced.
We live in a world with two dimensions, physical and spiritual. We live where these intersect. For instance, most people don’t have a problem with angels. Hearing stories concerning angels who protected someone from an attacker, who pulled another to safety after an accident, or ministered to one who was sick encourages us and makes us feel good. It gives us hope.
However, if there are angels, then there are demonic forces at work around us, too.
We can’t have one without the other.
Angels are God’s messengers and helpers. They are even our guardians.
Demons are the exact opposite. They hate us and wish us harm. They are never benign.
From the beginning, Satan wanted to be like God. Isaiah 14:12-14, describes Lucifer’s descent to hell. There are 5 “I will” sentences spoken by Satan in this passage. The last one says, “I will make myself like God.” This is why we have false gods in our world. Satan wants to be worshipped as God. He will do anything to make it happen by deceiving mankind.
Now for my story:
Recently, I was invited to a women’s event at a small fitness studio. The owner was a sweet, young woman and a relatively new believer in Christ. She had Bible verses around her place with Christian music playing as we followed her exercise routine on mats on the floor. She was encouraging, she even stopped to pray for us at various times. A couple of times, I wondered if we were doing yoga. The thought came and went many times throughout the routines. She didn’t call it yoga, nor did she use any familiar yoga terms, so I continued going along with her positional stretches.
It all seemed well and good, until a few days later….
I woke with the worst pain in my abdomen. Assuming it was something I ate, I spent most of the night trying to take the pressure off my stomach. The pain went through to my back and made any position in my bed uncomfortable. I felt a little better in the morning, but it came back. Trying everything to rid my body of the pain, I changed what I ate thinking I was having a reaction to dairy products. I ate little food some days hoping it would help; even fasting for a few days, but still, the pain continued.
After two weeks, I was convinced I had cancer growing inside my gut somewhere.
Fear overtook my rational thinking and told me I was dying.
Fear overwhelmed me.
I told a friend from my church I needed prayer. I intended to go to church on Sunday morning and have our prayer warriors pray for me. But Sunday morning, the pain was terrible. I told my husband I could not go.
The Holy Spirit reminded me I could not get prayed for unless I went. So, I asked Him to help me feel good enough to go to church.
He did, and I went.
During prayer time, I was prayed over by three people. At one point a friend said she felt impressed by the Spirit that it was something I had done at the women’s event a couple of weeks earlier. She told me it was not physical, but a spiritual issue and to pray and ask the Lord to show me what it was.
I did just that.
He clearly showed me it was the “yoga” I had done.
During prayer, my friend rebuked the pain and the spirit associated with it. I was healed at that moment.
No more pain and no more fear.
Later during prayer, I asked the Lord to forgive me for taking part in the yoga routine.
He taught me a valuable lesson about the power of something which seemed so innocent. Yoga is far from innocent.
An elder at our church, born and raised in India, taught a class on Eastern Religion two weeks ago. He was raised in a Christian home and did not experience any of the Hindu teaching or rituals. Deciding he needed first-hand information about yoga, he sought the Lord and counsel from his pastor and elders. After receiving permission from the Lord and knowing he would be protected, Doug’s pastor released him to join the Yoga school in order to teach others the dangers of this practice.
Doug explained what I had experienced was the Kundalini spirit. It is a snake-like demonic spirit associated with yoga which sits at the base of the spine. It causes tremendous pain.
Putting on Christian music and adding prayer does not make this ancient practice a Christian exercise. Dismissing its foundations by trying to turn yoga into a sanguine practice is impossible. An evil spirit doesn’t leave because you call something godly.
ROOTS
It’s about the roots.
Just because I cut down a tree does not mean it cannot grow again. Its roots are still in place. My husband had to cut down many live trees on our property. Believe me when I tell you getting rid of the roots is NOT easy; they go deep.
That’s what roots do.
They travel far and deep to find water and nourishment for the tree. You can only kill roots by pulling them out of the ground.
Yoga’s roots are similar to a tree’s. It is based in an ungodly religion with many false gods. It was created as part of a ritual to serve and worship these gods. Practicing yoga opens up our mind to other spirits, even if you are meditating on God.
You cannot remove the roots from yoga.
They are firmly in place.
We must seek God and His wisdom regarding yoga. What is the worst thing He can say? “No?” He wants what is best for us. He wants to protect us. He is not taking away our fun.
He was trying to protect me, but I did not listen. There were consequences for not listening.
I realize what happened to me is not the norm. Some of you may comment negatively, saying all this is untrue. You may have never experienced anything remotely negative doing yoga. That’s fine, and I am glad you haven’t.
I felt led to share this on my blog. If one person gets something out of it, then it was worth writing.
Awesome story and lesson. A friend of mine did a free yoga at the park, and she didn’t like the “spirit” she felt!
Thank you! When we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we will learn to disern other spirits.
Hey, I got this as an email, cool.
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
Thanks for following my blog; you are very kind. You might like the post that I wrote on Yoga.
Thanks, I will check it out.
Thank “you.” You are very kind.
Stephanie, thank you for writing this informative, well researched piece, and for sharing your experience. I agree, and appreciate the information.
Thank you for your encouragement, Diane! I am glad you stopped by and took the time to read and comment.
You’re welcome.
Thanks for your like of my post on the Millennial Kingdom; you are very kind.
So many people are unaware of this and will argue a person down saying that yoga is okay!!! It is rooted in false religion that has a lot of demonic strongholds. Thank you for being so bold to post this!!!
You are so right! Thank you. Sometimes the Lord allows you to go through things so you will write about them. I could not keep quiet after what happen to me.
Gosh so many thoughts. There are many many good things about other religions, or even in atheist thinking. To completely throw out everything in another persons culture or beliefs is not only naive but limiting to all of the good that God is responsible for in this world. Shoot Paul quoted the pagan philosophers of the day, Acts 17: 28 and 1 Cor 15: 33. The “Christian Tradition” did not get everything right and other traditions get everything wrong. It is clear in the scriptures God reveals himself to non-believers all the time. Doesn’t always mean they become Christians.
Also, by this thinking we DEFINITELY should not be celebrating Christmas on Dec 25 or with the decorations and traditions we do. That has its roots in Paganism. It was so that Christians could hide what they were truly celebrating… but like, an Evil spirit doesn’t just change cause you call it “Holy.”
Thank you for your information. I am from India, a land of idol worship. Yoga is what the present government insist on every school. Thank God, the schools run by Christians avoid it. But almost every Doctor recommends yoga for any ailment. Even some of the exercises go with yoga.
I am a Christian and I was even tempted to learn some movements from the people who are doing yoga in the open grounds, thinking after all it’s an exercise.
But there was a warning in my spirit while following those exercises, finally decided not to do those exercises.
Not I got it cleared from your article.
We live in land where culturally everything is a mix. Only the word of God and guidance of Holy Spirit protects us. Do pray for us.
Hazel, I will pray for you and your people. I am so happy you were able to glean from my article. God is good, He knows your heart and your devotion to Him. He is protecting you and watching over you through His Sprirt. Thank you so much for reaching out to me. I pray God will heal your body from anything that has come against you.
You are right, we only need God and His Spirit and the Word to teach and protect us. Continue to listen to His Holy Spirit when He speaks. Love to you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
“An evil spirit doesn’t leave because you call something godly.” Say that!!!!! This is so true!!!!! I definitely will be sharing with article with those believers I know who think Yoga is okay….if I think about God and not do the chants.
Thank you, Janelle, for reading and commenting. Just don’t be surprised if your friends don’t believe you. It seems to be a stronghold with some. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and pray for your friends! God is mightier than satan.
Hi, Stephanie, I recently came across your article on SpiritLed Woman. The practice of yoga amongst Christians has troubled me ever since I read Death of a Guru by Rabi R. Maharaj. Thank you very much for sharing your insights and experience. I’m sharing a link to your post on my blog at http://www.proclaiminghimtowomen.com/blog/2019/03/26/featured-links-yoga-the-return-of-christ-blogging-more/ Blessings to you in Christ!
Hi Emily! Thank you for reading my article/blog and sharing it. (I have been out of town). I have not read that book, but it sounds like a good resource about yoga. We need to pray that the Church’s eyes will be opened to the lies it is believing. Thank you!
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