Yoga

Hindu beliefs: Yoga is a religious practice of the Hindu religion that originated in the eastern nation of India. It is also a popular practice now in the West and in many other places around the world. The religious practice of yoga pays tribute to the 330 million idol gods of the Hindu religion.

"Yoga" means union, or to yoke oneself to the impersonal god Brahman, the Hindu idea of "God." In yoga, the goal is to merge the soul with the universal consciousness, Brahma. The Bible never told us to be one with Brahman, neither does it tell us to merge our souls with Brahma.

Furthermore, many of the yogic poses, or asanas, are more than exercise or stretching. Some are specific movements and sequences to worship the sun and some to the Hindu gods such as Shiva, Ganesha, and Shakti. Chanting is often used, according to Webmd.com, to focus and tune in with a higher self, become more aware of the correlations between their individual self and supreme self, or bring one closer to Vishnu, the god the Hindu refers to as the source of creation, depending on the chant. Mudras or hand gestures are also used in some yoga practices to channel the flow of energy. These asanas, hand gestures, and chants are not used in Biblical meditation.

MOGAS, "Meditate on God and Stretch," is better than Christian yoga.

Christian Yoga and Holy Yoga

Yoga is not a Christian practice. It is a Hindu practice. Therefore, Christ-followers and believers should be following Jesus Christ and not following any of the 330 million gods and deities of the Hindu religion by practicing yoga. "Be ye holy for I am holy," says the Lord. (1 Peter 1:16) Simply put, the Bible does NOT say to do "Holy Yoga" for yoga is holy, it says God is Holy, and we, His children, should be holy like Him. It does not matter if the name of the practice is Christian yoga or holy yoga, neither should be done by Christ's followers. We should "present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. Therefore, you, Christ-following Child of God, are to "not be conformed to this world (with its practice of yoga), but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."