I am finding that speaking negatively about meditation or yoga brings about a surprising amount of attack and vitriol…even from Christians. The fervor with which these practices are defended have led me to believe that the effects of meditation and yoga reach far beyond just “relaxation” and “exercise.” Could it be possible that there might be a spiritual bondage to, or an idolization of, these practices?

I expect those who practice meditation and yoga for spiritual reasons to defend their beliefs, much like a Christian would defend theirs. I was surprised, however, of the lengths at which a self-professing Christ-follower would go to defend a practice rooted and grounded in eastern mysticism. (And I would hope that no matter what one believes in, that we can approach our differences in opinion with dignity, love and respect.) 

These days, meditation and yoga are marketed as good for your health. And I don’t deny that we are able to feel good during, and immediately after, partaking in these practices. I have felt euphoria in the midst of meditation. HOWEVER, have we taken the time to understand the spiritual implications of taking part in practices that are essentially repackaged Hinduism? Have we considered that cost? Have we searched the Scriptures, or prayed, to determine if it is something we should be doing? Are there long-term consequences? If we understand how sin works – but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death (James 1:14-15) – then does that mean that what may feel good right now may actually lead us to destruction? And even if we are meditating unto God (by repeating a Christian word like “Jesus,” “God,” or “Hallelujah,” does that fall under God’s instruction to not worship the Lord your God in their way (Deuteronomy 12)?

Quick side note: we have been conditioned to think of something “evil” as being something ugly– but that is a lie. There is a beautiful side of evil that appears good and pure. That is why we are called to be discerning.

I have found that most Christians I have talked to about meditation and yoga have no idea about where the practices come from or how they have made their way into the western church. Most feel like it is okay to practice because they see other Christians doing it. But wide is the gate, my friend…(Matthew 7:13-14)

While meditation and yoga are interwoven, I have decided to do two separate posts. Tackling even just one of these feels like information overload, so it’s best to break it down, a bit. Also, not everyone who meditates necessarily does yoga. Personally, I would meditate, but never jumped on the yoga train. Not entirely sure why, other than I just never felt right in my spirit about yoga…though, I never condemned anyone else for their choice in physical/spiritual practice. 

It may feel like I’m condemning people now, but that is not my intention. I just feel led to shed light on something that has remained in the darkness for far too long. I know those in the New Age, to include Hinduism and Buddhism, do not believe in Satan, but he is real – and he does not have your best interest at heart – no matter how “good” he allows you to feel (at first, anyway). If I saw someone breaking into your house to cause you harm, I would be wrong not to warn you. Well, if you practice meditation and/or yoga, the enemy is breaking into your house…and he comes only to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).

What I am writing here barely scratches the surface on this subject. Since the videos contain most of the crucial information that I wish to share – it is essential that you watch the videos. The first video is from Steven Bancarz. He is an ex-new ager and co-author of The Second Coming of the New Age. He talks about how meditation, while promoted as good for stress relief and health, is actually dark and demonic. The research is out there, but it isn’t shared because that would be bad for business. And it IS a business. A $1.2 billion business (& growing). Whether you are a Christian, or not, I hope you take the time to listen to what Steven has to say about the dangers of meditation. And if you are a Christian, my hope is that you would take this information to God, in prayer, and compare the practice to what God’s Word says about meditation. 

We are called to meditate. But we are not to practice “mindfulness” by emptying our minds. Quite the contrary! We are to meditate on the Word of God. FILL our mind with God’s Truth. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength and with all our MIND (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37; Luke 10:27). We can’t love God with all our mind if it is completely devoid of thought – or filled with a single word or phrase. It would be kind of like someone calling you on the phone and when you answer, all you hear is them saying your name over and over and over. It would be difficult to build any kind of relationship with someone who did that. God is our Father. He loves us. And He wants to have a relationship with us. If He wanted us to be mindless, He would not have given us free will or the ability to think. Gotquestions.org has an excellent article on vain repetitions, which can be found HERE. 

The second video shows kundalini awakening through deep meditation. More about kundalini, or the serpent spirit, will be shared in my upcoming post on yoga.

I would like to reiterate that I am not picking on anyone or any group. I am not condemning anyone for their beliefs. I used to believe in some of the things that I am now talking about. It’s about exposing the enemy and how he works. He is a liar and the father of lies. He wants to destroy us – and he can disguise himself as an angel of LIGHT. He uses our own desires to entice us into bondage, which eventually leads to death. I know what I am sharing will not make me very popular, but I do not exist to be popular. I exist to love God with all that is in me…and to love others as myself. I love you and I am praying for you.

*CAUTION:You will not want to watch these videos with little ones around.