Christian yoga is not an oxymoron by JDNathan

Christian Yoga is Not an Oxymoron J.D. Nathan

J_d_n2001@yahoo.co.in Explains why yoga is not a religion in the early stages of the "ashtanga yoga". Where to make the change, to make yoga, a "Christian Yoga".

CHRISTIAN YOGA - COMPOUND WORD / CONCEPT A compound word is, simply, two words joined to make a new and often more specific word applicable to a particular circumstance, which may have a new meaning or simply a more precise definition. For instance the word "news" can mean many things, though it usually refers to the delivery of current information. When combined with the word "paper," which could also refer to several different things, the compound word, "newspaper," is formed and refers to a specific object. Similarly, a "paperclip" is a particular type of clip intended for a specific purpose. The meaning of the compound may be very different from the meanings of its components in isolation. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compound_ %28linguistics%29>. CHRISTIAN YOGA is a new concept made from two existing concepts with new meaning. It is not yoga to unite with the supreme by emptying the mind (stilling the mind) of any activity (siddha virutthi nirodhaha), but it is yoga (any soft-form of exercise or body posture) filling the mind completely with Christian precepts, commandments, praises, psalms, prayers, supplications and blessings, so that no other thought, whatsoever enters the mind while doing these exercises or body postures. The argument that one cannot use the word “yoga” as it means “union” is not tenable as meaning of words change with time. Words do not have the same meaning forever. The common old meaning of the word “congress” is actually sexual union. It does not have that meaning as a common meaning any more. No one would have asked “who removed my mouse?” a decade ago. The common meaning of the word ”mouse”now a days is not the pest but a handy tool used with computers. So, “yoga” as commonly understood does not convey the meaning of unity with the supreme. The claim that much importance is attached to the meaning of the word “yoga” is a joke as importance was attached to the sound of mantras and slokhas and not with meaning. The mantras are repeated without knowing the meaning. So the meaning of the word “”yoga”, as used in the compound word “Christian yoga” does not connote or denote any union with any existent. Christian Yoga is “Christuva Chintaa pooraa bharaa honaa” - क्राइस्ट िचिंता पूरा भरा होना ( I do not know any North Indian language. I just looked up Hindi Dictionary and coined this slokha. Forgive me if the construct is not correct). Christian yoga is filling the mind to the brim with Christian thought while doing any form of soft exercise such as yoga or assuming any steady posture. If any other thought shows up subtly, it is banished with the same command Jesus used “be gone satan” and the focus is returned to the psalm, prayer, praise or whatever. I would rather use the phrase “get lost you satan” . 1

Of course you have another compound word “Kalari Yoga”, with the objective of building up of stamina, health and strength for self –defense https://machadoanil.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/kalari-yoga.jpg There is a “calligraphy yoga” <http://www.calligraphyyoga.co.nz/> . There is “vaasi yoga” which claims to by-pass several of the eight steps, is simple and perhaps some proponents do not forbid eating meat , but is a secret of the Tamil Siddhars. There are others like “Restorative Yoga, Svaroopa Yoga”etc. You can have a look at <http://www.matsmatsmats.com/yoga/yoga-disciplines.html> HINDU WORSHIP AND GODS Baghavad gita (considered “The Book” of Hinduism and of Yoga (karma yoga)) ; in Chapter 2.Verse 61: says “One who restrains his senses and fixes his consciousness upon me (Krishna), is known as a man of steady intelligence”, and so according to Baghavad Gita “perfection is Krishna consciousness”. Also according to Chapter XII. V 11 : ..... Whosoever worships me in whatever form through whatsoever path, I verily accept and bless them in that way “. This means worshipping a deity is the fundamental requirement of Hinduism. Or that in Hinduism the way to attain bliss is through the worship of a deity. It can be any god. But it all depends on one’s own guru, who will be the guide. . Is Hinduism uniting oneself with supreme by doing the physical exercise yoga?. If so, who is that god of Hinduism to be worshipped, what is his name? Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Prajapathi, Sri Krishna, Rama, Kali, Saraswati, Amman, Samy, Chollamadan?. If you just browse through the interesting e-mail exchange between TRS Iyengar and one Mr. Elias D'Costa, on “Who is the True Supreme God ? “ < trsiyengar.tripod.com/id29.html> in Samathana dharma web site, you will be surprised there is no conclusive answer. So, for Hinduism, there is no god worth mentioning as the supreme, and all are gods. You can worship whichever god you like in whatever form and in whatever way you wish. The only practice in Hinduism to show someone as a Hindu is to worship any of the pantheon of gods and show obeisance to that god/ gods. However there are some who argue that it is Prajapathi who is “ The Supreme God” prophesied in the Vedas and He is the one who sacrificed Himself, who is Jesus Christ www.jmanjackal.net/eng/enghindu.htm (Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the prophesies in Hindu scriptures. By Sadhu Chellappa). MAJORITY OF HINDUS DO NOT DO ANY YOGA I have not seen most Hindus (mostly living in villages) doing any yoga at all. They only chant the names of gods as mantras and throw flower petals (exact number of petals pre-counted to coincide with the number of times the chant should be repeated, and throw the petals one at a time so that they need not count the chanting but automatically do the chant correct number of times – 108, 1008) on their deity statue or picture kept in their house or in a temple, as offering (puja). Those who do not know any mantra (most don’t), simply chant the name of the god “Muruga”, “Shanmuga”, “Krishna”, “Rama” and so on. Are these not Hindus? They do not do any yoga exercise. In fact, these are the majority of Hindus. Probably they visit the Hindu temple on Tuesdays and Fridays and do this puja. They may walk around the temple, bow down, prostrate in front of the deity, do a peculiar sit ups called Thoppukaranam catching the ear lobes with hands crossed across the chest (in fact this is a very nice exercise for activating the brain and the spine, and is used as punishment in schools for not memorizing multiplication tables, poems, and for other tiny misdeeds), hit on the sides of their head as a sort of self-punishment (this may activate vital points and energize the nerves in that area) and so on. But do not do sirasasana, sarvangasana, veerabadrasana, halasana , trikonasana, etc. in the temple. So it is not doing yoga poses that make one a Hindu. It is either the chanting of the mantras or the names of gods, doing puja by throwing flowers and waving incense sticks and worshipping these deities by offering of coconut, banana, lime/ lemon, flower garlands and whatever they can and mostly do sit ups holding the 2

ears with crossed hands, piercing themselves with sharp objects after applying herbal pastes etc. Hinduism is not bending and twisting as such, it is worship of the deities and whichever supreme Hindu god Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, Prajapathi (there is no temple for this god), Krishna, Rama, Hanuman, Sudalai .. and one “Serman Swamy” { (he was the Chairman of the Panchayat (County) and did some good deeds including curing diseases and snake bites, and a temple is built over his remains in a place called Eral, on the banks of Thamiravaruni river, and another Amman temple in a place called Kurangani (supposedly named after the assemblage of monkeys fighting for Rama forming a monkey battalion here located in the banks of the river Thamiravaruni)}, to be worshipped with some chanting, drum beating, folk dancing and offerings as well as sacrifices too. Yes, goat sacrifice is very famous in this temple. They do slit throats of goats etc., and sprinkle blood as sacrificial offering almost exactly like it is said in Leviticus. No ahimsa here. Of course they cook the meat and eat with happiness. So it is not unnecessary murder but pardonable killing for eating as a part of the celebration. Also one will find temples and gods and statue of gods < http://indiaopines.com/weird-10uncustomary-unusual-temples-india/ > for ordinary people like “Sonia Gandhi”, “Sachin Tendulkar”, “Kushbu”, “Visa Temple – to get you a visa to USA:, “Whisky Drinking God who finishes 250 ml of whisky in one minute”, and so on. I heard that already statues of Gandhi, Buddha and even supposedly Christ have found a place in some Hindu temples. So Hinduism is fluid, and it is a way of life, as it is claimed to be, and you can worship whomsoever you want. What so ever is good for society, and is popular is given a religious color and taken as Hindu life style. Shiva is a god of destruction and at the same time “Love is Shiva” (Anbae Sivam) according to Saiva Siddandham. How can a god given the function of destroying, is incarnation of love? The minute it is found that love is supreme and is a popular and good concept, they immediately named one of their supreme gods - Shiva as love. So if anything is found to be good, attractive, valuable, virtuous, meritorious, and worth for the society, it is taken as a practice for the society to follow which is made a Hindu practice with all necessary frills, decorations and tall claims with seemingly genuine explanations. Many superstitious beliefs are also based on some such practice, genuine and non-genuine. Yoga exercise is one of them. [In Bible too, God’s commands to worship Him has rules for eating and forbids any one from eating fat or blood (Leviticus 3:17). It is common to include in religious practice all that is considered good for man & woman. That is why several cleanings, washings, keeping woman away during week periods, keeping those with skin diseases away from the camp and so on in Old testament. This is so in Hinduism also. If you observe the rituals of Hinduism you will find that most of them are in Leviticus also www.agniministries.org ]. ASHTANGA YOGA - OH NO! NOWANGA YOGA Patanjali is not the originator but wrote the yoga sutras by compiling existing practices into a system and given a glorious color. Yoga as uniting oneself with the supreme has been designed to have eight steps (Ashta (eight) anga (steps/ facets)). The truth is, it has at least nine steps (Now-anga). One important step of acquiring a Guru is missed, but stressed. YAMA AND NIYAMA - FIRST TWO STEPS The first two steps of yoga are Yama & Niyama. The five yamas, self-regulating behaviors involving our interactions with other people and the world at large, include: •Ahimsa: nonviolence; •Satya: truthfulness; •Asteya: non-stealing; •Brahmacharya: nonexcess (often interpreted as celibacy); and •Aparigraha: non-possessiveness, non-greed. 3

The five niyamas, personal practices that relate to our inner world, include: •Saucha: purity; •Santosha: contentment; •Tapas: self-discipline, training your senses; •Svadhyaya: self-study, inner exploration; and •Ishvara Pranidhana: surrender (to God). <http://www.expressionsofspirit.com/yoga/eight-limbs.htm> The above are somewhat common to most religious and ethical people and are normal moral code of conduct. These are not unique to yoga or Hinduism alone. Notice the need to surrender to God, which is fine, but the tough question is who is that God? Probably the supreme God is Prajapathi who is prophesied in the Vedas as The God who will sacrifice Himself (Yeshua). ASANA - THIRD STEP The next step is Asana – postures. Are they so unique? Probably to the Westerners, but not to the Easterners and Asians. Perhaps not to Egyptians and all ancient civilizations. For all non-western ancient civilizations and especially for Indians, who sit on the floor and lived / and live without tables and chairs and have been doing everything by hand and no machine except animal power, these are not that exotic. Sitting on the floor perhaps on a woven grass mat in crossed leg fashion (sukhasana) is the most common form of sitting. Sitting in this position one will bend down and lift food using hand (only right hand), from the banana leaf placed in front and eat. If one sits in this pose for a long time, one will automatically lift one foot up on to the other thigh and this becomes artha padmaasana, which is also a very common pose in which people sit. Squatting is malasana used in defecating, kneeling is common to show respect while receiving anything from an elder and then once the knee aches, slowly lowering the trunk and sitting on the heels like the Japanese do is vajrasana and a variation of this is virasana. If one puts both legs to one side it is Bharadvajasana and if the legs are spread on both sides it is Bhadrasana. One can witness all these poses in doing daily chores like eating, taking bath while another person uses a bucket for drawing water from well and pouring over head, milking the cow and so on. The upper part of gomukasana – cow pose - of bringing one hand from under along the spine and another over the shoulder down to catch and lock the fingers is a common move everyone does to rub or apply soap to the back and remove any dirt while taking bath. I do this to this day. There were no long back rubbing brushes in India then. Perhaps even now when you go to villages you can witness this. The way elderly sit and stretch their legs together in front is thandasana. If they bend down to touch their big foot to crush the biting ant, it is paschimotanasana. Also if one observes the way washing of clothes, climbing palm trees, working in rice fields, plantations, etc., almost all yogasanas and movements could be observed. In fact if we analyze each and every position any normal Indian in villages assumes while carrying out his daily chores and activities, he may be performing almost all the yoga poses. Add to this is the common exercises and village games, street gymnastics and street circus shows that employ all the body movements and twists. One cannot forget the simple punishments administered in schools for not finishing home work, coming late etc., mostly in the form of holding the ears by crossed hands and doing sit ups -- squatting and straightening up (thoppukaranam), the same done by worshippers in front of their deity especially elephant god Ganesha. Then of course the observation of how animals and birds stretch and groom themselves at various times, present all yoga asanas in its splendor with all twists and turns. Further to this are the double stick dance games for men -Kalhiyal, and for women - Kolattam, traditional dances and folk performances. All these have been carefully studied, selected and woven into a coherent set of soft exercises.

Yoga Asanas in Christian Churches in Villages Yes, we remove our foot wear before entering the church and sit on grass woven mats (koram paai, same design as the Japanese use in their homes), spread on the floor in sukhasana and listen to sermons, kneel and pray, after kneeling for some time, if it aches, we sit on the heels (vajrasana ), stretch the hands and land them in front of the knees and it is narasimhasana, bend down and rest the forehead on the woven grass mat and pray (balasana), stand up and sing songs, and of course lift our hands up and praise Him (Suryanamaskar), clap hands and so on. . Are we not doing yoga exercises already in old fashioned churches where there are no chairs, benches and desks? In churches in South Indian villages all are doing yoga asanas this way more than the Hindus themselves. Perhaps the only asana we do not do inside the church is savasana (corpse pose). Of course, little children are allowed to do this asana, but adults are denied even if the sermon is quite boring. Some do sit comfortably in yoga pose (Sukhasana or half-lotus) and close their eyes as though in deep meditation but may actually be sleeping and wobble like the young man named Eutychus who fell bored by Paul’s long sermon (Acts 20:9). I am not sure which yoga pose Queen Victoria (who was proud of the title ‘Empress of India’) used when she went to Church (Cathedral) and opted to sit flat on the floor to show how humble she is while worshipping. This is only a story I heard and I do not have any photograph of her sitting down in the church. In fact all walks of life is yoga exercise. So there is nothing specifically Hindu about asanas or to own them as belonging to the god reaching path a Hindu can use. These are collection of the way people do their chores including natural methods of dealing with day-to-day affairs. PRANAYAMA –: OXYGEN YAMA -- STEP FOUR These of course are a little evolved form of breathing. As Sanskrit language and its influence was not that welcome in our part of South India, especially during my youth time, pranayama was not mentioned. It was only breathing practice (moochchu payitchi). But in our school chemistry books, oxygen gas is translated as prana vayu in the vernacular. We learnt science and mathematics and all in the vernacular. So prana is oxygen and pranayama is “oxygen yama”. Also it should be noted that in ancient times, though they did have science and did scientific and engineering marvels, they did not have a sophisticated system of naming things and facts. Giving names of gods and goddesses to ordinary mundane things is common. There is a vein called “Shiva narambu”, a particular pressure point is named as “Lakshmi kaalam” (name of goddess) though it is situated in a stinky part of the human body. This type of naming adds exaggeration to the things and facts named. Prana is one such. There is no superhuman pranashakthi or chi achievable through the breathing exercises. Yes, we were taught to breathe quickly taking lot of air (mouthfuls) (like kapalapati) after a fast run or exhausted in any way – to quickly recover from fatigue. The same way when one is sad you automatically heave a very long sigh which is deep breathing. Of course these were further refined and several types of breathing exercises are prescribed. As we did not have any gym, foot ball, hockey, basket ball or any ball (the balls made of banyan tree gum bounced a lot but was damn hard, we did have some used tennis balls and rubber balls to throw at each other) we did learn to play “chadukudu”, now named with Hindi word :Kabadi” that needed lots of breath holding practice. Of course we immersed ourselves under water in ponds and lakes and competed with one another (some cheated also) doing great pranayama Of course while singing in the church, to show your ability to prolong the note infinitely you do great pranayama and get chided by the choir master for ruining the rhythm. Learnt a bit of silambam (stick play) with other friends and were taught to breathe deeply. Western science has found that deep breathing is good for health and supply a plastic contraption with a foam piston to practice breathing after surgery for fast recuperation. But it is not for union with god or to arouse the non existing kundalini energy, but to 5

supply more oxygen to the blood and purify it. One can choose whichever deep breathing practice is comfortable. I do not think these breathing practices with special locks called bandhas and mudhras like moola bandha mudhra, sakthichalani mudra are Hinduism or the practices to arouse any energy which has no scientific proof or evidence of existence. However, these activate the inner organs and glands and make them move and do provide exercise for them. When you actually breathe out, then without breathing in, pull the stomach inside, it moves all the internal organs in the thoracic and abdomen area and provides exercise for them increasing blood circulation and make them function efficiently. The soft stretching and bending and moving of the body and internal organs and glands, by breathing and twisting and making the blood flow, may soothe and give a beneficial effect to health and wellbeing. The deep breathing may allow oxygen to be absorbed and purify the blood. This type of pulling in the stomach (uddiyana bandha) may look like a weird Hindu practice to Westerners as they do not have to do this ever. But if you are wearing a veshti (dhoti or the South Indian men’s dress which is just a rectangular cloth of 6 feet by four feet or 12 feet by 4 feet), then while tying it in the waist invariably one has to pull his stomach in, in order to have the required tightness after tying and releasing the pulled in stomach. This is so when women wear and tuck-in their saree also. This is done every time you tie or tighten the dress at the waist and any one around will ask you to do it (vayiththai ekhkhi kattu). The other mudhras almost everyone does at the conclusion of (while stopping) urination or defecating. Are these that are done to move and rotate the intestines, the digestive organs, the pancreas, the organs that expel the waste, form a religion or Hinduism or going to move the so called coiled snake rise up to the head? No, I do not think so. It can move the blood up to the head if you stand upside down doing sirasasana (head stand) and nothing more. Yoga exercises are not Hinduism and they do not and cannot form a religion. As they were found to be meritorious and good for well-being they are exaggerated, modified, added with frills and advertised with false benefit of attaining union with supreme. Otherwise Indians will not even think of any exercise. They are all very religious people though. So if anything good is given a religious color it sells. [ What do you think Suryanamaskar is? Worshipping sun god? My foot. It is a morning exercise. The early morning sun has mild health giving UV rays and vitamin D, and not the skin cancer producing scorching rays. If you mention the truth that is a good form of exercise, I tell you no Indian will ever do any suryanamaskar. On the other hand if you say “Oh sun god will shower you with blessings throughout the day”, then he will fall head over heels and do it as many times as he can. If it is not a form of exercise, but just worship, the action would have been simply falling flat on the stomach (prostrate) with out-stretched hands and legs or something like what Shadrack, Meshak and Abednego were ordered to do to the gigantic statue erected by King Nebuhadnezar. If I were the sun god, of course I would be glad and smile when my devotee performing suryanamaskar prostrates before me, but when he lifts his butt up and then lunges forward pushing his middle down and raising his head up like a bull trying to gorge me down, I will be furious and give him a foot kick on his head sending him plunging to the underworld instantly . Leave alone god, can anyone do this type of worship in front of any Asian King? Is it worship? Get real. Of course bowing down (Genesis 24:26), bowing to the ground and worshipping (Exodus 34:8), kneeling down with faces on the ground and declaring “He is good, His love endures forever” (2 Chronicles 7:3), shouting “Amen, amen with their faces to the ground” (2 Chronicles 20:18), clasping Jesus’ feet and worshipping (Matthew 28:9) all these worship start with down ward bending but not lifting up the butt and then like a wave-like motion lunging forward. In one plank pose during suryanamaskar, there is a variation looking backwards first to the right and then to the left. This does not seem like worshipping at all]. No one I know of practicing yoga exercises, has ever attained any bliss except of course good health due to the conscious and forced circulation of oxygen rich blood to all the internal organs. Also the strict diet code especially forbidding alcohol and smoking definitely adds to the benefits derived from performing 6

yoga. (While yoga banishes all meat, in Leviticus 3:17, Bible only banishes “fat and blood”). Bible does not say do not stretch like this. Do not bend like this. Do not breathe like this. But says DO NOT CHANT LIKE THE HEATHENS DO. (In Psalm 16:4, King David clearly says that he will not utter the names of other gods). One caution here. At this stage, Hinduism is subtly introduced during pranayama exercise by making one say “Ohm”. As you are used to say the simple “Ohm” you do not resist the more syllable chants that will be given to you by the guru later (for ex: ohm nama shivaya) which will invariably have the names of the deities. King David clearly says in Psalm 16: 4 “nor take up their names into my lips” (nor will my lips speak their names). You cannot substitute Amen for Ohm. Amen has a specific meaning and should be said aloud or internally/ mentally as an affirmation / acceptance (“so be it”, “I agree with that”, “I believe that to be true”, “I want that to be so") of the prayer said just before, even if it is a single phrase prayer – though its two syllable sound corresponds nicely with breathing in and breathing out. So, one should not be deceived. For any chant, get the meaning and say it in your mother tongue, because meaning is more important. Never say the name of any other gods. In order to deceive you, sound is made more important than meaning. Meaning is most important in everything. Due to the oral tradition, most of the knowledge is preserved in recitation of verses. Singing a verse that has the instructions for the sequence of knots (knitting) to achieve the carpet weaving pattern, shouting a rhythmic cry to indicate the kind of stroke to be used for rowing a racing boat are all common and form part of the daily routine. GET A GURU - IMPORTANT STEP BUT NOT HIGHLIGHTED AS A STEP The Next step of course is the ONE NOT MENTIONED AS A STEP : "GET A GURU AND SURRENDER TO HIM". Actually it is the worship of the pantheon of deities that constitute Hinduism. In order to drag people to that, everything else is made and given with decorative explanations and exaggerated claims. Is there anyone who by doing yoga asanas, pranayamas, bandhas and mudhras raised the anus resident energy to go up to the head? Is there any energy residing there in the first place? (Kundalini Yoga and it's (fake?) religion. <unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=246777>) The explanation is that one may have to have several births, perhaps re-born as Brahmin to achieve this. Baghavad Gita: < http://www.asitis.com/6/> Chapter 6, Verse 41. “The unsuccessful yogi, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy”. Chapter 6, Verse 42: “Or he takes his birth in a family of transcendentalists who are surely great in wisdom. Verily, such a birth is rare in this world”. Chapter 6, Verse 43: “On taking such a birth, he again revives the divine consciousness of his previous life, and he tries to make further progress in order to achieve complete success, O son of Kuru”. This is another ploy to make Brahmins the highest caste of mankind and make everyone else their slaves. Common statements like “Do not scold a Brahmin, if he curses, it will happen and you will be gone mad”, were and are being used to protect the guru caste and make others worship them.. Well, as mentioned earlier, guru is needed for each and every yoga practitioner who wants to unite with the supreme. Shiva Sutras 2.6 : “Gurur upayah i.e., Guru is the means (for realization). It is this getting the Guru and the way the Guru leads as the mentor, that decides the religious aspect of yoga. As per < http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/essays/choosingaguru.asp> “Gurus play a vital role in the continuation of Hindu tradition. They uphold its tenets and act as its protectors and spokesmen”. So you see it is here Hinduism is imposed. ! It was even mentioned that it will take several births for some to attain the bliss status, as they have to be born as Brahmin and then only attain bliss. After all these exercises and pranayama, you will have to have a guru to do pranaprathishtai (spiritual touch) or guide you. As a matter of fact you may have to be with the guru and do everything for him. If a touch of a guru is needed then it is not self-attainable 7

through yoga. So why do yoga? Can’t the guru automatically prepare your body to sustain the great flood of energy flow if he has already attained godhood?. Go and get touched by a guru who will push into you the bliss. Actually bliss and pure consciousness are false. They have been added to attract one to a guru who will slowly make one worship Hindu pantheon of deities and praise them using mantras and slokhas. This is given an explanation that only the guru can find the correct mantra for each individual! To get your own individual mantra in TM of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, you have to offer some incense and some white handkerchief and some white flower (I refused and the initiator himself went and procured these). Then you will be taken into a room where a life size picture of the guru of Mahesh Yogi will be displayed. Slowly you will be coaxed to kneel or sit in front of this picture (I refused, saying that TM was mentioned as science, and science does not want anyone to worship anything, and moreover I do not bow down to any man why the hell to a picture? ) and by waving the incense or lighted candle the person in charge will pretend as though he is getting your own individual mantra from the head of the picture. Invariably the mantra will be “shreeng”, or “shring” “ring” or something similar to it. That day all the three of the fellows who went after me all got the same “shring” mantra !. So all these are just gimmicks to move one slowly into worshipping Hindu deities and surrender ones will. Mere stretching and standing and bending and breathing have nothing to do with Hinduism. The promise of attaining union with god and attaining bliss and pure consciousness are all non-sense. They are the bait to lead one to bow one’s head and worship their gods. This slow coaxing into worshipping Hindu deities will be done by the guru. That is why everyone is advised to get a guru and all are intimidated that yoga is dangerous and one may land in mental asylum if one does not get a guru. Believe me the guru will beat your will to death and then you will surrender yourself to the guru and the spirit he worships. Even if you go on and on repeating the mantras, you may get fatigued and you may get hallucinations due to that. In fact the way they act like getting epileptic fits suggest that this is something like exhaustion after strenuous exercise and blanking out. Nothing more. Is attaining this status of fatigue union with god? Perhaps after you have chanted and driven away the God given spirit dwelling in you and be an empty vessel, with your self-will beaten to death, and yourself having been surrendered to the guru, that any wandering spirit is made to possess you. Yoga exercises are NOT Hinduism. Worshipping and performing puja to Krishna and all other deities admissible as gods or worshipping your guru (which is insisted) as per Bagavad Gita Chap XII V; 11 is in fact Hinduism. Also please note that unless you surrender your will and self as directed by the guru no other spirit can do anything to you. In fact in order to make you surrender your will, it is advised that you must regard your guru as god in human form and be obedient to him and do whatever to please him. So in fact you become nothing but a slave to this guru and your free will given to you by your creator is surrendered. If you have strong will then nothing will happen to you and they will discard you. As per my South Indian Kshatriya tradition, I do not touch the feet of any body and show my submission to any man. (There is a story about one of our ancient kings. He lost the battle and the other king who won the battle asked him to meet him. There was only one man-hole down the bottom of the cell wall in which he was incarcerated and the door was locked. The other king eagerly waited with his feet near the hole, but my ancient king crawled in reverse with his legs first through the hole (It is actually an exercise in adi murai/ verungai vilayattu / kalari). Seeing the feet coming first through the hole the other king moved away and our king crawled in full, stood up with his back showing first and then turned and faced him. In fact no one with any self respect, self confidence and strong will can ever attain the so called bliss of yoga. Do not waste your time. If by doing yoga one can attain godhood, then why there are cancer patients, poverty, malnutrition, crimes etc., in the places where these yogis walk around with their anus residing snake energy been lifted to the top of the head? Also it would have been easier to stand up side down in head stand to make the kundalini serpent climb down to reach the head than doing padmasana or 8

siddhasana. Please read “The Myth of the Totally Enlightened Guru by John Horgan” <http://www.johnhorgan.org/the_myth_of_the_totally_enlightened_guru_15274.htm> NEW CHRISTIAN YOGA Bible clearly says do not worship and bow to other gods. So we as Christians cannot bow to anything else whether it is a deity, statue, or a concept ! The supreme is one and only Jesus Christ. The concept that you can attain bliss by lifting up energy from the spot between the anus and scrotum to the head is a concept Christians cannot accept. It is actually a false claim. It is fraud. It is a trick to kill your selfesteem and will power. However, these Indian origin exercises are good for the physical well-being and nothing more. To me they do not constitute Hinduism or any religion. Hinduism is worshipping the pantheon of deities and no one can make me worship them either through yoga or by any means. But as you are doing these exercises slowly, your mind is made to think about vain imaginations and your free will beaten to death, so that you can be made a sacrificial goat to an unknown manifestation of something un acceptable. Christian Yoga is new, it does not believe in any union with any supreme consciousness. It does not allow any guru other than Jesus Christ as the guru. The trained teachers who initially teach the postures are considered just like a physical education coach and nothing more. It does not accept the chanting of any mantra, the meaning of which is not acceptable or not known. It does not accept any words or phrases that are not in the practitioner’s mother tongue. Bible does not say “do not stretch like this”, “Do not bend like this”, “Do not breath like this”. BUT SAYS DO NOT CHANT LIKE THE HEATHENS DO. Christian yoga DOES NOT have the other steps PARATHYAHARA, DHARANA, DHYANA AND SAMADHI. NOR DOES IT ACCEPT ANY HUMAN BEING AS GURU. THE ONLY GURU IS JESUS CHRIST (Mathew 23: 8,10).. As these yoga exercises, postures, asanas and movements are done slowly, the mind is likely to lose focus on these, and can be made to think about something useful such as praying. Christian yoga does have mindful prayers, praises, supplications and expression of gratitude and thanks to Jesus Christ. In fact these slow exercises, postures and slow breathing exercises give an opportunity to pray, praise, make all your supplications etc. early in the morning. You can do your prayer without doing these Indian origin exercises by just kneeling down, or sitting on a chair, or sitting on the floor or while doing any other form of exercise too. . What is important is “where your heart / mind is” -- at any time including your time of exercise. While doing exercise at a modern Western Style Gym if you look at the person exercising next to you and have evil thoughts, you know you are committing sin in your heart/ mind. Even if you admire your own body you are committing idolatry ! If you think and fill your heart and mind with meaningful, Godly, Jesus Centered thoughts – you can do any form of exercise -- Yoga exercise, Western, anything, and fill your heart and mind with Christian faith building praises, supplications, prayers, uplifting promises of God, faith building thoughts it is OK God will accept. You need not recite the whole of Psalm: 119. But phrases like “Jesus strengthen me, Jesus remove this affliction from me, Jesus grant me courage, Jesus grant me peace, Jesus remove my stress, Lord have mercy, Thank you for renewing my strength”, “Praise the Lord He is strengthening me”, etc., would help “ Offer your heart, mind and thinking; your mouth, voice, speech, talk, singing, expression and each and every word you utter; and your movements, deeds, activities, actions and your whole being as living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1) reflecting Jesus in everything you do. So doing yoga exercises and praying to Jesus Christ and request Him to “Bless my family Oh Lord Jesus” while breathing in or bending down, and request him to “Smooth my relation with my supervisor so and so Lord“ bending up, is not a bad idea. In fact, according to Christian way of living we are supposed TO 9

THINK ABOUT OUR LORD JESUS ALWAYS. [Philippians 3 : 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy— meditate on these things]. Ancient times mothers used to sing Christian songs even when cooking. Now a days we play music using sophisticated equipment and allow our mind to wander off the song. But if you sing the song in your mind with meaning, then it becomes a wonderful prayer. If your mind is occupied with the exercise as while you play a game – soccer for instance, then you need not worry about anything. If not, think about Lord Jesus Christ, think about what good things you can do for your neighbor, what you can do to show Christ in your life to those in the office. (Wearing a big cross on your chest does not help at all). But if any weird thought comes in when you are thinking Christian thoughts, then kick it out with the phrase “be gone you satan” the same way Jesus drove him away. Fill your mind with thoughts of Christian scriptures, visualize His miracles, His encouragement, and His kindness of forgiving even those who persecuted Him, and so on. You can say the Lord ’s Prayer (yes, this comes in very handy when you do the warm-up of standing and twisting your trunk swinging your arms to hit your body, alternating the directions), or any psalm or Bible passage. The praises, prayers and supplications we say or sing in our mind or even say aloud are NOT mantras at all. In fact only in order to introduce one to these mantras, yoga is claimed with power to union with bliss. Christians can use them to pray, sing morning songs (Kathiravan yeluhinta kalaiyil iraivani). Jesus clearly said “Matthew 7:21: Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven” . So these are not mantras at all. These words are praises and prayers lifted from your heart. The sound of these prayers have no power unlike each mantra having a specific power and invoking particular god or goddess or spirit. These are just prayers. Just like the Jewish prayer < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aHWASyMjwg>, who prays and does something like Suryanamaskar. Will any one looking at you who is of weak faith think that you are doing Hinduism? This a valid argument. However if you look at it positively, it is an opportunity to, and it is our duty to, instruct what is correct if we have the Sprit of Him in us. Peter had a wavering mind with regard to eating. He did not want anybody else to fall because of him not observing the commands for eating. But he had a dream and became strong in faith. So if someone else looks at you performing yoga exercises, it is your duty to explain that it is a deliberate trick and falsehood that these exercises will elevate you to attain godliness. But do not chant any other gods name or meaningless words because the Bible says so.. On the other hand, praise our Lord Jesus, not only when doing yoga exercises, but any other exercise/ activity as well. Do not say have a good evening, instead say “God bless you”, “God be with you”, “Praise the Lord”, “Halleluyah”, “Peace (be with you) / Shaloam”. . When food offered to other gods is given to you, it is rude to reject it. But then my God Almighty is the supreme power and He can eliminate any evil and sanctify it, if we ask in faith and in earnest. I have accepted it and in front of everyone present put a big cross over it and openly say Yesuvae bless this and sanctify this and even eat it, though most of the time I re-distribute it as I do not like the kind of aroma that comes with it... If my God can drive the hell out of the evil spirit possessed person, can’t He sanctify it and purify it? In fact any food you eat in India, god knows whether it has some portion coming out of temple food. So my father has taught us to put a cross in any food with earnest request in faith to Jesus to sanctify it and eat only after that. [1 Corinthians 10 : For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? 30 But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?. 31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God]. 10

It is not the exercise or breathing, it is the chanting and emptying of the mind, that the devil is after so that he can bring all his legion and enter into the empty clean mind . On the other hand if you fill your mind with Christian Faith building thoughts, devil cannot do anything. He will be beaten back in his own trick. . IT IS NOT THE FORM OF EXERCISE, IT IS THE THINKING AND WHERE YOUR HEART AND MIND ARE. IF YOUR FOCUS IS ON JESUS YOU CAN DO ANY FORM OF EXERCISE CONVENIENT TO YOU. In fact you can start your yoga exercises kneeling down in prayer so that He takes care of your heart and mind and drive the devil out of the place where you do yoga. For each bend, twist, move you can say a prayer or praise. All the soft-form of exercises are good for health and suitable for older people. These do not build stronger looking muscles and intimidating physical looks. But remember you want to be in good health to do His work. You do not belong to you. You belong to Him and live healthy life for Him. You are a living sacrifice to Him, remember this always. If Jesus could accept a man whom His disciples (especially John) wanted to stop as he was not belonging to their group (means that then this man was not baptized, as only the disciples baptized and Jesus Himself did not baptize any one -- may be this man was baptized by John the Baptist, I do not know), He will accept you doing Indian origin exercises or Chi-kung, Five Tibetan or any soft form of exercise so long as you worship HIM. It is not assertions like “Aham Brahmasumi” - I am Brahman- Oh NO. I am not becoming God. I am nothing. I do not also ask for any power or assume I am going to acquire any power. (Bruce Lee never believed in Chi !). The prayer is:”Lord You guide me according to Your will”. He acts according to His will and grants me peace according to His Grace. “”According to Thy Will make me healthy, remove this affliction, grant me wisdom to handle this tricky situation”, “According to Thy Will touch me and heal me”. These are the things you say in your mind while bending, twisting and breathing in down the abdomen. . Please note that one says these things in the mind as sound has no value. This also eliminates saying aloud the Lord's Prayer through the mouth keeping the mind somewhere else. I could not study “Pietra Fitness : a retreat for body and soul” http://pietrafitness.com/ and there may be others that are Christian Yoga. Please study them thoroughly and verify whether any of the activities including the meaning of the words used in chanting, appear to be in contradiction to what is said in the Bible, and avoid. Our knowledge and wisdom are nothing. Before doing anything listen to Him. If He says in your heart softly NO, then NO. Then whether it is yoga, or Qi gong or Tai chi or Philates or Gym workout or breathing air containing incense offered to other Gods then NO. Otherwise know that He is supreme and can subdue anything that can harm you. Listen to the soft and sweet inner voice through which Jesus speaks and understand the implications through prayer and then engage in any Christian yoga exercise program. CHRISTIAN MEDITATION AND PRAYER Christian meditation is NOT repetition of a word or phrase without consciously keeping in focus the meaning. This means you do not say or think in your mind anything which is in a language which you do not understand. Definitely not Sanskrit, in which one slokha or sutra or phrase of three words would require a volume of explanation and still difficult to grasp and– may need an enlightened guru to guide and make you a slave . I will meditate on the thoughts, concepts, phrases, praises, prayers, verses from the Bible only in my mother tongue. When my children address me as Dad, I answer what? But when they address me as Appa, I just melt. The same thing with your prayers. Jesus knows your mother tongue better than you. And He wants you to speak to Him with feelings and emotion.

REQUEST TO HINDU FRIENDS: It would be wonderful if you see the meaning of the mantras you are chanting. Satan has deceived you to attach more importance to sound of the mantra rather than the meaning and has blinded you. In a subtle way Satan has deceived you and has lead you astray. See the meaning of this Shanti Mantra : A Traditional Prayer for Peace Saha na vavatu : Together, may we be protected Saha nau bhunaktu : May we be nourished Saha viryam karavavahai May we work together uniting our strength for the good of all humanity Tejasvi navidhi tamastu May our learning be luminous and purposeful Ma vidvisavahai May we not hate or dispute with each other Shanti shanti shanti Peace Peace Peace Your true supreme god is Prajapathi and His sacrificial form – Jesus Christ. You need not sacrifice any animal or anything except confess all your misdeeds (papa – sins) and praise Him. Request Him to totally guide you. You do not have to follow any other Christian at all. No pastor, no church, no denomination, no ritual can save you. Only Christ can save you. Please read the small booklet “With and without Christ” by Sadhu Sundar Singh. You do not have to follow the Westerners. Being Christian is NOT following Western Civilization. Christ is not a Westerner neither he dressed like them. You do not have to jump to toilet tissue you can wash with water and soap. You do not have to stop your dhinacarya, or any weekly, monthly half yearly health routines of cleansing your internal organs by purgation. You do not have to jump to allopathy, you can have your ayurveda or siddha and for surgery you can go down to allopathy of course.. You do not have to adopt capitalism which is another form of slavery and corporate monarchy. You can preserve all the monumental structures built by our ancestors as they are. I hate to see them being painted red blue and green and yellow. Give stone preservative transparent coatings. Do not deface them at all. Clean them all. They are our Koil (Kings residences). I am talking about the temples of South India. But do not offer puja to the statutes, as they cannot eat, hear or speak. Clear the moat around them and remove any structure that is built to ruin the water flow underground into the inner temple tank. Do not cut any trees planted by our ancestors. I heard all the maruthamarams that were on the banks of Thamiravaruni have been cut. Preserve all the medicinal plants and trees grown within the temples and temple land. I was happy to see a small blog at http://www.outlookindia.com/article/I-The-Convert/238770. Jesus Christ cannot be reached by yoga or any activity. He can be reached through His grace and by your sincere invitation to Him. But we can always keep our thoughts on Him, so that he can cleanse the thoughts of our hearts and mind that we can be with Him mentally always so that we know His Will. God Bless You PS: The following article - Christian Yoga Practice Guide: A Sequel to the article “Christian Yoga is Not an Oxymoron” by J.D. Nathan may be of interest to you.