YOGA IS A HINDU RELIGIOUS PRACTICE

YOGA IS : A HINDU RELIGIOUS PRACTICE

Despite claims to the contrary by Christian protagonists of yoga, a casual scrutiny of the contents of their books 

or their teachings will reveal the fundamental Hindu philosophy that cannot be separated from the practice of that 

spiritual discipline. “With increasing frequency, attempts are being made to Christianise yoga. But Hinduism is 

totally incompatible with Christianity… There can be no such thing as ‘Christian’ yoga” [ex-New Ager 

Caryl Matrisciana, Gods of the New Age, 1985 Harvest House].

The BISHOPS OF CROATIA are certainly in agreement with the understanding that YOGA IS HINDU.

Under the headline CROATIA SCRAPS YOGA IN SCHOOLS, Times of India of 18th July 

2003 reported:  “Croatia’s education ministry has withdrawn its recommendation that teachers take yoga  

classes, after the Roman Catholic Church accused it of trying to sneak Hinduism into schools. 

Croatia’s Bishops issued a fierce protest of the planned yoga classes. ‘Hindu religious practice will be brought 

into the schools under the guise of exercises’, the Bishops said”. [FULL REPORT IN SECTION VII 1.]

Under the caption ‘Non-Christian Meditation’ in ‘A Call to Vigilance- Pastoral Instruction on the New Age ’, 

Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera [on January 7, 1996, six months after his appointment as Archbishop of 

Mexico] has said, “Another phenomenon that is especially disconcerting to the Catholic faithful is the inexplicable 

enthusiasm with which certain priests, religious and people dedicated to teaching the faith have embraced 

techniques of non-Christian meditation. Frequently imported from the East, forms of asceticism historically far 

removed from Christian spirituality are practiced in retreats, spiritual exercises, workshops, liturgical celebrations 

and children’s catechism courses. These practices were unquestionably born as spiritual disciplines or religious 

acts within traditional religions as in the case of  Zen, tai chi, and the many forms of yoga…” 

[Catholic International, Aug./Sep. 1996]. [DETAILED REPORT IN SECTION VII 5. Also included are the strong 

condemnations of the Bishops of Korea, Spain, Ireland, Malaysia, Slovakia, and a U.S. Bishop.

In the videofilm ‘Gods of the New Age ’, Rabindranath Maharaj, former yogi and temple-priest turned Christian 

preacher, and author of the classic ‘Death of a Guru’, unequiviocally stated “There is no Hinduism without 

yoga and there is no yoga without Hinduism”. More such evidence from Catholic priests, Bishops, and 

from Rome, is presented in this report.

Nirmala Carvalho, reporting for Asia News, January 23, 2007  

 http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=8304&size=A, wrote: The archbishop of Bhopal, Most Rev. 

Pascal Topno, talks to AsiaNews about the state government’s proposal to organise a mass sun worshipping 

ceremony… Surya Namaskar is a modern form of sun worship, and one of the first 

lessons of yoga. The name comes from Sanskrit and means “prostrating oneself before 

the luminous disc”… 

“We have no problems with yoga. It is taught in our school,” Archbishop Topno 

said.

“Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last times some will turn away from the faith by paying 

attention to deceitful spirits and demonic instructions… Avoid profane and silly myths. Train yourself 

for devotion. For while physical training is of limited value, devotion is valuable in every respect, since 

it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future.” [1Timothy 4: 1,7,8]