This is a general overview and cannot replace more detailed articles on the CANA site on Yoga, Meditation, and Energy Healing. For articles on Yoga, Meditation, and Contemplative topics, please put those words as separate searches in the search box. For Energy Healing, see CANA articles on Reiki, Life Force Energy, Chi Therapies, and Vibrations and Frequencies.
These points can be applied to almost any technique or practice based in a non-Christian spiritual tradition that is being promoted as helpful or healing. The term “meditation” here refers to Eastern based meditation and is called “mindfulness,” “contemplative,” “centering,” or “listening prayer.” A brief Glossary for Yoga is below to explain terms.
- Yoga, Eastern meditation, and energy healing are not spiritually neutral.
- Neither Yoga nor Eastern meditation originated as exercise or relaxation.
- Whether a method “works” or not is not the criteria a Christian should use to decide whether a spiritually based practice is good or harmless.
- Yoga is an integral part of the practice of Hinduism.
- Hatha Yoga, only one of many Yogas, is designed to induce meditative states through the asanas (positions) and the breathing “techniques” (pranayama), and to prepare the practitioner physically and spiritually for the more advanced stages of yoga meditation.
- The word Hatha is believed by some to come from the words for “sun” and “moon” since Yoga is meant to balance internal forces.
- Purposes of Hatha yoga include: preparing and opening the chakras for the flow of kundalini; to spiritually cleanse through prana, the “divine breath” of the universe; to master breath and thereby gain further physical and spiritual mastery as part of the Yoga path; and to dissociate from one’s body and self as personal identity in order to realize one’s core essence is part of the Absolute.
- Eastern meditation is often “silently” incorporated in stress reduction techniques and Christian “prayer.” That is, the techniques are adapted without the Eastern terms and without any reference to an Eastern origin. Often such an origin is denied, either out of ignorance or due to rationalization. These techniques are those of self-induced hypnosis and will put many in a light trance state, a state in which critical thinking skills and judgment are suspended, and which makes the mind suggestible. Such a state and these techniques are alien to biblically-based meditation and prayer. This type of meditation or “prayer” involves one or more of the following directives:
- Sit completely still, often in a certain position
- Focus on the breath
- Repeat a word or phrase (given by instructor, or sometimes of one’s own choosing, sometimes a word or phrase from the Bible) if the mind wanders
- Seek to let your thoughts pass through your mind without paying attention to them (purpose here is to transcend/bypass thinking)
- Go inward
- Biblical meditation involves active reflection, pondering, thinking, and sometimes memorizing God’s word.
- Biblical prayer is communicating with God through praise, thanks, and petition; it is not seeking to transcend thoughts or to reach a state of absolute stillness.
- There is no Biblical support for having to breathe a certain way, or to be absolutely quiet or still in order to pray; Bible passages cited for this are taken out of context or applied inaccurately. (See CANA articles on Contemplative and Spiritual Disciplines topics).
- The most important ingredient in prayer is faith (Hebrews 11:6) and a desire to pray. Christians are aided by the Holy Spirit in prayer and do not need to make a complex efforts using manmade techniques in order to pray.
- Because a meditative practice or energy healing technique may help the person feel better or temporarily alleviate pain is insufficient evidence for doing it, nor does it indicate any true healing has taken place. The Placebo effect accounts for many people feeling better, especially if the problem is subjective and unable to be measured (such as pain).
- Consider your influence on and effect on others, both believers and unbelievers. Since we are warned not to cause a brother to stumble (Romans 14), we need to be aware of our influence on other Christians. Also, since we are ambassadors for Christ, we need to carefully evaluate participation in something non-Christian that might confuse or mislead unbelievers.
- Energy healing originates and is practiced in animism, occult healing, Shamanism, and New Age healing practices. Many who practice energy healing have spirit guides (fallen angels), either knowingly or unknowingly (they may believe their guides are good angels); and some call on gods or a god that is not the Biblical God. The practitioner of energy healing may at first have no guides, but eventually will work with guides as they are told that this will aid in healing.
- The Biblical God is not an energy or force, nor is He a tool that we use according to our will. We cannot access “energy” from God.
Red flags to watch for in techniques or teachings that might be quackery or New Age influenced (a few of these might be okay in the right context but most are not right in any context) would include:
- It is said to make one more spiritual
- It is “secret” and few know about it; or it is a “key” to understanding the Bible, to have peace, to anything that sounds good
- It is a “new” or “revolutionary” teaching or technique
- It involves manipulating, accessing, or using an unseen force or energy (includes energy healing)
- The promoter also sells the products that are recommended
- Extraordinary claims are made about results and claims to cure many types of illnesses and problems that are unrelated (asthma, diabetes, IBS, cancer, allergies, etc.)
- No scientific evidence or studies are offered, or if referred to, there are no independent 3rd party studies published in professional peer review journals supporting it
- Be clear on the difference between pseudoscience and science
- It is supposedly from the Bible but little or no scriptural evidence is found to support this claim
- Breathing techniques are taught
- Thinking or logic is devalued
- One is taught to still the mind or to go beyond the mind
- There is a false distinction between the mind and heart
- One is taught to repeat a phrase or word over and over
- Guided meditation or visualization is practiced
- Christianity or “organized religion” is put down or criticized
- The terms “spirituality,” “holistic,” or “body, mind, spirit” are used
BRIEF GLOSSARY FOR YOGA
Yoga: From Sanskrit, meaning “to yoke;” in Yoga, this means to unite with the one Godhead or Absolute through a process of uniting opposite forces within the body and enhancing the flow of kundalini in order to reach enlightenment.
Asana: The poses or positions of yoga which are carefully designed to induce meditative states. Asanas may also represent Hindu deities or depict them; the hand positions, called mudras, often imitate the hand positions seen on statues of Hindu gods.
Chakra: Literally, “wheel.” The chakras, invisible points of energy, supposedly range from the base of the spine to the area between the eyes, sometimes called the third eye. The top of the head is the final destination of the Kundalini and is sometimes considered a chakra, sometimes not. These are taught as part of Yoga (including Christian Yoga) and also in some forms of alternative healing.
Hatha Yoga: “Hatha” is a combination of the words for sun and moon, representing the opposite forces being united. This is based on every esoteric, occult concepts.
Kundalini: Sanskrit meaning “coiled one.” The Kundalini, an energy supposedly coiled dormant at the base of the spine and often depicted as a serpent, should be awakened so that it can rise through the energy points called chakras. This is part of the journey toward enlightenment.
Mudra: Technically, a hand position and part of the Asanas. In Yoga, the mudras represent arousing and facilitating an inner energy and/or energies from deities. Some mudras are thought to aid in inducing meditative states.
Prana: The “divine breath of the universe” which is believed to have spiritual cleansing power; life force.
Pranayama: Breathing techniques to control and disburse the prana in the body, believed to cleanse the person physically and spiritually.