Yoga—a New Age Practice

Moira Noonan

            Raised as a Catholic, author Moira Noonan began her apprenticeship in New Age practices and ideas as a college student.  Over a twenty-five year timeframe, she worked in Religious Science ministry, as a psychic counselor and a therapist.  She became certified and developed expertise in such areas as Hypnotherapy, Past-Life Regression, Astrology, the Course in Miracles, Reiki, channeling, crystals, goddess spirituality, clairvoyance, and other occult practices.

            In 1993, after a series of powerful conversion experiences, she returned to the Church, and is now a popular speaker in the Christian community, witnessing and evangelizing, and explaining the deeper meaning and influences of the New Age movement.  Noonan has told her story via religious cable and radio stations worldwide.  She has a featured chapter about her conversion in Prodigal Daughters, Ignatius Press.

            I highly recommend that people read Moira Noonan’s book,  RANSOMED FROM DARKNESS, The New Age, Christian Faith and the Battle for Souls. In her easy-to-read book, she writes about her journey in and out of New Age. She exposes the true nature of the New Age movement, its true origins and purposes, and explains the dangers.

            “There is no such thing as Christian Yoga,” states Moira Noonan. Yoga, which originates in Indian religions, is considered to be a part of the New Age movement and therefore is inconsistent with Christianity. The concept of yoga is to become self-enlightened and to attain self-salvation.  This is not of our God.

            Moira Noonan says that Pilates is a form of exercise. However, the problem is usually the music in the exercise studio. The music tends to be New Age or chants that are something other than Christian. So while your body may be benefiting, how is your mind being programmed? Jesus makes it clear in Hosea, "My People perish for lack of knowledge." 

            Moira Noonan currently lives in California. To learn more about yoga and other New Age practices, go to Moira Noonan’s web site: www.spiritbattleforsouls.org  

Yoga in India

            Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India, with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The word “yoga” means “to control”, “to yoke”, “to unite”, or “contemplation” or “absorption”. Yoga is a particular path to salvation offered by Hinduism. It involves the body, mind and spirit, which can include physical postures, breath control and chanting of religious mantras.

Yoga focuses on the purification of the physical body as leading to the purification of the mind and vital life force energy. In India the purpose and the ultimate goal of different forms of yoga is to achieve unity and to enjoy an eternal relationship with the Hindu god Vishnu.

Reference: Yoga – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yoga in North America

            In North America Yoga is advertised on web sites as follows... Yoga originated in India 5000 years ago. It involves poses and postures, breathing exercise, meditation and chanting (not Christian). Yoga practitioners say yoga has physical benefits; that it is not about exercise; that it is about breathing correctly and integrating that breath into your being; that yoga enhances your strength, the balance of body and mind and increases your energy. They stress achieving self control, mental clarity, powers of relaxation, peace of mind, and happiness; and infuse a sense of balance and internal harmony. It is stated that yoga is a way of life developing harmony of mind and body.

            This way of thinking is not Christian. See the following for an explanation from the Vatican.

                                                                                   
Catholics on Yoga

            The Vatican released of document on New Age February 3, 2003, called, JESUS CHRIST THE BEARER OF THE WATER OF LIFE, A Christian reflection on the “New Age”. It states in 2.3.4.1 The fundamental principles of New Age thinking—“There is no need for Revelation or Salvation which would come to people from outside themselves, but simply a need to experience the salvation hidden with in themselves (self-salvation), by mastering psycho-physical techniques which lead to definitive enlightenment.” In 2.3.4.3. What does New Age say about the world—“the concept of matter as waves or energy rather than particles, is central to much New Age thinking. The universe is an ocean of energy … the universe is “spirit” … the world itself is divine and it undergoes an evolutionary process which leads from inert matter to higher and perfect consciousness. … God and the world, soul and body, intelligence and feeling, heaven and earth are one immense vibration of energy.” In 2.4 New Age and culture—New Age has the “philosophy of egoism … on the level of feelings, instincts and emotions … There is a search for wholeness and happiness.”

            And what does our Lord Jesus Christ teach?  “Take up your cross and follow Me.”  New Age is the opposite. New Age does not understand the Catholic teachings on the merit of suffering, such as, “Join your sufferings to the Passion of Christ for the good of souls.” New Age has no concept of sin. Therefore, for them there is no need for the sacrament of confession, self-sacrifice and penance. New Agers do not surrender to our personal God, Jesus Christ, and trust in Him for their salvation. The goal of New Age thinking is to be happy—self fulfillment. By making use of techniques and methods they want to rise to higher levels of life force energy and comic powers and become one with the universe. In this way they think that each person can be their own god and experience self-salvation within themselves.

In 1989  the Vatican issued a warning:    

            “The Vatican cautioned Roman Catholics that Eastern meditation practices such as Zen and Yoga can “degenerate into a cult of the body” that debases Christian prayer. “ The love of God, the sole object of Christian contemplation, is a reality which cannot be “mastered” by any method or technique”, said a document issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (at that time under Cardinal Ratzinger now Pope Benedict VI).

Yoga and Theology of the Body

            Christians should not do yoga because yoga is part of a religious system that is not compatible with Judeo-Christianity and mixing the two is Syncretism and the Catholic Church warns against that. The yoga system teaches to reach an impersonal godhead through manipulation of the physical body and Chakra energy centers to attain enlightenment. This view is Gnostic. Christians do not inherently believe that the physical body is evil and that it will reincarnate many times to reach enlightenment. Reincarnation is a heresy that the Catholic Church has warned against in scripture and the Catechism. To a Christian the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and will be resurrected with our Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven.

By Moira Noonan, U.S. Catholic Author

and Lorraine Vincent, Canadian Catholic Freelance Writer