Bombings in Belgium. Carnage in Paris. A massacre in Orlando. What is the world to do? Some Dutch citizens in the Netherlands think the answer is yoga. Tuesday, this past week, hundreds of them gathered on a beach in Zandvoot to mark the International Day of Yoga. They meditated, performed asanas (bodily positions of yoga), and welcomed peace to the world with the assembled form of a peace sign. Coincidentally, that same day marked a rare summer solstice with a full moon, highly prized by pagan, witches, and Satanists.Yoga, in Sanskrit, the ancient language of Hinduism, means “union with god,” small “g.” Its purpose is to bend the body into many forms to master the mind and soul of the practitioner. Quite literally, yoga’s goal is to tune the body to the Universal Mind and thereby achieve god-consciousness and attain oneness with the universe. At least that’s what they’ve been doing for thousands of years in India, no matter that some ignorant Christians in American may call their brand of Holy Yoga.
Some years ago, the secular magazine “Time” described yoga this way: “Enlightenment and good health require the free flow of the life force (prana) and the proper balance between the seven major energy hubs (chakras). (An eighth chakra, or aura, surrounds the body and encompasses the other seven.) The three lower chakras serve the body’s physical needs, while the five upper chakras are associated with the spiritual realm.”
Swami Vishnudevananda, a famous Hindu guru and worldwide advocate of yoga, once said, “The aim of all yoga practice is to achieve truth wherein the individual soul identifies itself with the supreme soul of God.” How? Vishnudevananda declared that “the supreme power of nature” was a coiled serpent lying at the base of the spine, the goddess Shakti, “the giver of immortality and eternal happiness.” But Shakti can only fulfill her promise by achieving union with Shiva, her consort. (Shiva is one member of the Hindu Trinitarian godhead, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva.) Shiva is said to reside at the center of the forehead between the eyebrows. The purpose of yoga is to arouse the serpent powers of Shakti (sometimes called kundalini) so that she passes through six chakras, spiritual energy centers. The seventh chakra, her destination, is Shiva. Once Shakti merges with Shiva, union, or yoga, is achieved. The next goal is permanent union to become a liberated soul and be unlimited by time and space-at one with god.
This is the way to world peace? I think not. I KNOW not, after decades of casting out yoga demons from hundreds of people. Christians, stay as far as you can from yoga in any format, even so-called Christian transmutations. And stay off the beach in the Netherlands if they gather again.
An encouraging word: TELL THOSE NOT YET BORN
Psalm 22:31 is an amazing prophetic statement: “They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born.” You and I have the responsibility to keep the message of the gospel alive, for those who are not yet on the earth. Each generation has the obligation to tell the next generation about Jesus. Serving God is more than enjoying the blessings of the generation before. It’s not just being content with what we have as Christians now. We must feel the full responsibility of telling the story of Christ’s love to those who are born on our watch. If we don’t, who will?
Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did® (Luke 4:18). You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online.