SHAMANISM THE ANTITHESIS OF THE APOSTOLIC MOVEMENT.

Hanuman the Hindu monkey demon/god deep in “Yoga,” meditation.

According to Hinduism these demon spirits are what every Hindu strives to emulate.

Today Yoga is an accepted form of “exercise”; Yoga is now as mainstream as calypso music in the Caribbean, many articles are written in the dailies on Sint Maarten pertaining to Yoga as a health fad.

I will like to expound on Yoga from the perspective that it was given recently in one of the daily newspapers here on Sint Maarten, one must bear in mind that this information was offered in a secular newspaper, and the techniques were referred to in contemporary terms.

The various types of Yoga are as follows please note that the word Yoga is a Hindi word, and is practiced in tandem with meditation as a means of gaining contact with the god or deity.

In traditional Hindu religion, Yoga was a way to Nirvana or escape from the cycle of reincarnation.

Today however many claim to practice this most vital aspect of Hinduism, as purely a recreational activity, or strictly as a health promoting practice, while there are very helpful benefits to any exercise based lifestyle, even simple aerobics will garner similar results coupled with healthy food choices.

The intent here is to show especially the “Body of Christ” that there is no separation whatsoever between the original purpose of Yoga and its contemporary practice.

The word Yoga refers to the binding together of the Yogi with the deity Brahman.

I will list the various types of Yoga that are practiced today in the Western hemisphere, there are more variants but for practical purposes I have chosen these bas they are more familiar to the Western practioner of Yoga.  (The following is information taken from a secular daily and cross-referenced with several journals and works both by Hindu and western writers).

“Bhakti Yoga is said to focus on prayers and the practioners love of the Hindu god Brahman.”  By virtue of Bhakti Yoga involving prayers and focus on a god it is by virtue of its very purpose then a religion, again this as per the writer of the article taken from the (Today)  newspaper February 2, 2009  page 8, it is within the aspect of this so called exercise being a religion that Iam alluding to persons unaware of the true nature of this practice are in fact unwittingly being initiated into a religion that may conflict with their own value system as a result of being introduced to such in the form of exercise or a health fad, the deceptiveness and subtlety of this tactic is not lost on me and should be exposed for what it is, as a matter of fact the newspaper in which this was printed is whether knowingly or unknowingly selling a religion as exercise and is as a result of such engaging in deceptive journalism .

The article in question was headlined under the title: (Health and Beauty) when in fact it should have been listed under religion.

Hatha Yoga this type focuses on pranayam, asana (positions) and meditation; the article claimed that this type of Yoga strives to bring stability to the varying types of energies in the body both positive and negative.

Jana Yoga during this practice the practioner focuses on gaining understanding, about himself and god, again the aspect of dealing with a god is something that the article wants to present as exercise.

Karma Yoga focuses on the practioner lying down or at least attempting to, exorcise his/her demons, and work for the betterment of humanity.  

From the information already presented we can ascertain, that this is more than mere exercise, since the practice attempts to create a more moral, or socially, ethically, aware individual, which in and of itself is a noble goal, my contention here is the deceptiveness of passing the practice of Yoga off as exercise, which as per their own explanation is clearly, a religious practice.

Kundalini is said to be used to increase self-awareness et al, it is more commonly used though in the awakening of the so-called Kundalini, which is as per Yoga the supreme cosmic energy, which leads one to god consciousness/enlightenment.

The Kundalini portrayed as a serpent is said to travel through the Chakral path, which is an esoteric body contained in humanity according to Hindu teaching.

Mantra Yoga this Yoga focuses on concentration on god (Brahman) as per the article the mantras or chants must be pronounced correctly in order to “gain the necessary effect the necessary effect being as per their own explanation enlightenment or contact with the deity that one is awakening .

Purna Yoga Focus within this practice is to foster responsibility in individuals and unite the mind with the soul, it went on to state that this type of practice within Yoga promotes love towards humanity and unselfish action towards the needy.

All noble ideals indeed since Yoga is a holistic practice and lifestyle that deals with morality, sexuality, spirituality  and social conduct and is explicitly practiced by the practioner as a means of becoming a “better” being in a Hindu sense we are then in the realms of religion and not a so called exercise or health fad.

Trantricism is practiced in Yoga these are all esoteric practices which deals with aspects of “spirituality” that are strictly forbidden for true Christians to partake of therefore by dint of its very nature the religion of Hinduism and Yoga by virtue of it being an explicit characteristic of Hindu religion and spirituality is diametrically opposed to true Christianity and is as a result incompatible with the goals and stated purpose of a truly grounded Christian walk.

The subtle use of newspapers and other media as one can ascertain can be used both for education and the presentation of factual information and as we have seen these mediums can also be utilized to recruit, confuse and deceive.

This work has openly stated its intents and purposes and I make no apology to anyone for the forthrightness of the work.