If you are a friend of mine named Heather, you might be very annoyed by this post. Why? Because this post is titled "Yoga & Meditation" and I'm going to start off with talking about an admission about myself. Instead of getting straight the point. Heather, if you actually happen to be reading this, I'm sorry. :)
Thing is, I struggle with discouragement. Discouragement, as a concept, isn't usually seen as being the opposite of courage, but I think the two are closely related. Here is what discourages me: feeling/thinking/believing that what I do might cost me something and still be futile. It is the fear of the futility of it that de-motivates me, that makes me sit on my heels and say "Why bother? What difference will it make anyway?"
And what is it about courage? Is it a lack of fear? No. Courage is when you look at the possible cost of a course of action, and you say "This action is the right one, it is worth it no matter what the cost, so I will do it." The greater the possible cost, the greater the courage. And it is a lot easier to be courageous, the more the chance of your action doing some good. What is more challenging is when you know that the action, in and of itself, is good and worthy, even if it costs you a lot and changes nothing.
It is for me, anyway. So when I sit to write this blog, and many others, I find myself dis-couraged. I find myself struggling with believing what I write will make any difference, and feeling like it might cost something I value. Something I at times value too much. Which is the respect and good opinion of other people.
And so, I have taken more time then I should have to write this post. It wasn't only that, I also have had a lot of stuff "going down" in my life, but this lack of courage, this discouragement, was surely part of it.
For Heather's sake, and maybe yours too, I'll just get down to the business of it. I'm taking a risk here, because I know this is worth doing, and I am going to hope that you might at least consider what I am going to say, though I know it will be pretty unpopular for some of you.
I am worried about the exponential growth of the yoga/meditation movement. I'm putting the two together, even though I know there are lots of people out there who would protest that the yoga they do is without any spiritual stuff in there. Increasingly, meditation IS a part of yoga, which is not too surprising considering that yoga was originally (and for many people, like yogi's, never stopped being) a spiritual practice.
Yes, part of my concern is because of my own faith background. For sure. I realize that this background will tempt some people to write off what I say as coming out of that background and being therefore invalid. Please don't do that, yet. I am prepared to offer you some thought provoking (I hope) material from yoga and meditation proponents. Sources that encourage meditation and yoga and believe it is beneficial. But they are being honest, and warning people of the possible dangers. For this honesty, I am grateful. Not everyone is honest...
I did some research on the topic, because I am worried about it. People I know and love, some of them dearly, are practicing this stuff. You may think I'm just a religious nutso, but I hope you will understand I'm writing this out of genuine concern. And there is only so much time I have for research, so consider this an invitation to do your OWN research. I couldn't do it as much, or as exhaustively as I would like.
But then I thought, "Why should I do your work for you?" I just want to make you think and truly look into it. If you really are open and fair and practicing this stuff, then you should be the one to "do your homework on it," so to speak.
So, if you'd like to know where I started finding information, go to the search engine on your computer and type in "spiritual emergency." That is a good starting place, there are other names you can find this stuff under, like "psycho spiritual crises" but you can figure that out yourself. If you have access to it at your local library (mine didn't carry it, because I wanted to read it for myself, I checked), there is book written by Del Pe called "The Hidden Dangers of Yoga and Meditation: How to Play with Your Sacred Fires Safely." I haven't managed to obtain a copy of the book, but I have read some of the reviews of it on Amazon. I will state (as if I need to, right?) that since Del Pe is a PROPONENT of yoga and mediation, I DISAGREE with him on that part of it which is positive. I hope that since he IS a proponent, and he (apparently) has some pretty strong warnings about the practices, it will at least motivate you to research for yourself and think about it.
I hope that I have at least piqued your interest. What is a hidden danger of yoga and meditation? Well, here is a quote from a yogi, and I hope I have the right site attributed to it. "All Yoga is Kundalini yoga," and then "...all of yoga actually leads to the activation of Kunadini..." If I didn't mix it up, then you can find this guy at www.swamij.com and again, let me say that I in NO WAY endorse this man's teachings or beliefs. I'm just tell ya what a yogi says about yoga.
And it is this awakening of Kundalini power which makes yoga (and meditation) dangerous. I'm not saying this. (well, I am, but I'd use different language and explanations) This is coming from proponents of yoga and meditation. Here are some of the symptoms of Kunalini awakening: nausea, diarrhea or constipation, rigidity or limpness, animal-like movements and sounds, sensations of heat, tremors, involuntary laughing or crying, talking in tongues." You can find this list at http://www.spiritualcompetency.com/blackboard/lesson/types/kundalinitype.htm
I know some of you are saying "Hey, look, I do yoga/mediation only for the physical benefits, there is nothing spiritual for me with this stuff." You would be exactly the person I'm talking to. No point in my writing this to people who are actually LOOKING for a spiritual experience, because they are likely to be quite open to arousing their Kundalini, no? Here is what I have found in my research, and I'm guessing that is why Del Pe says "HIDDEN DANGERS," the same site says this: Kundalini arousal most commonly occurs as an unintentional side-effect of yoga, meditation, chi kung or other intensive spiritual, particularly meditative, practices. (emphasis mine)
Yes, I am warning you, so I'm going to be as scary as possible, because I'm afraid you won't listen.... will you listen? and investigate this? Please? Here are some more possible symptoms: hallucinations, seizures, pain, panic attacks, mania, severe depression. http://www.realization.org/page/doc0/doc0026.htm
If you research more you may also find things like out of body experiences, psycotic breaks, feeling of unreality, not knowing where one's physical body begins and ends...etc.
There is a blog, detailing the personal story of a person who underwent one such "spiritual emergency." Here it is: http://spiritualemergency.blogspot.com Every time I put up one of this links, I wonder, should I even do this? Because so far all of this sources are PRO yoga and meditation, and I'm worried that they will provide a false sense of safety, because many of them claim that you can get help to work through your spiritual emergency and you will gain a great reward reaching a higher spiritual level, a greater spiritual sensitivity. I personally mistrust this... how can they guarantee any such outcome?
But if you really are OK with experiencing an unsought arousal of Kundalini, even if it means you might "pay" for it with a psychotic break, in the interests of greater spiritual sensitivity, then really, what can I say to dissuade you...? What I must do, for the sake of honesty and out of caring, is to let you know that this stuff comes with a risk. This stuff was designed as a spiritual practice, and we of "western" mind-set are guilty of a great hubris in borrowing spiritual practices and secularizing them. They are not. If yoga were truly ONLY a way to stretch and get a stronger body, it would be called stretches, weight training, and a work out routine. It is called yoga, because it is a practice to "yoke" with the divine.
See, here is where I think, "Have I said to much?" I know, I sound really extreme... or do I? Research for yourself. I just wish so much that if your only goal is physical fitness, you would reconsider going with a program without potential spiritual ramifications. Really, why not kick-boxing? Pilate's?
And I do meditate, for the record. But I don't put my mind in an alpha-wave state (which is the goal of eastern meditation). I meditate by thinking about God, and talking to Him. By spending time with Him, I grow in my trust of Him. I find that "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is set on You, because he trusts in You." (Isaiah 26:3) That is how I find peace in my day, this is how I lower my stress... But of course, this is a spiritual practice too. One that I do heartily endorse. :)
I welcome respectful comments about this. I welcome being able to talk about this with you further, even if you really disagree.
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI respectfully suggest you need to be careful that you don't push your point too far. Picking one Yogi's view of yoga, treating that Yogi's views as authoritative and applying to all of yoga is just as dangerous as picking any particular (and possibly extreme) view and applying it to the whole of a doctrine, concept or dare I say it: religion. I am sure there are individuals who say that they speak authoritatively on various Christian topics about whom you would say "that doesn't apply to all of us." Perhaps you might even go so far as to say that only applies to that particular individual.
So to say that you are concerned with the growth of yoga might be a bit far reaching. I agree that yoga seems to becoming more popular. But I can't say that I am aware that the kind of yoga about which you are concerned is becoming more popular. It might be. It might not be. But if you truly have a concern, surely it is with this particular teaching, not with yoga as a whole.
Hmmmmmm... Well.... did you look at my source documents? They are actually not refering to any one kind of yoga. You may say that I am alarmist, in fact, I expected that quite a few people would say that. But I didn't just pick this out of thin air... did I?
DeleteI realize there are lots and lots of positive endorsements and studies about yoga. In fact, I was not really afraid of being unbalanced in my reporting, as it were, as the good stuff about yoga/meditation is far more prevalent than the bad. I'm a pretty small voice, if you want to read the good stuff, you'll have not trouble finding it. If anything, I feel that yoga, generally, has been wholeheartedly embraced, but I am pointing out that there is a small but possibly growing group that warns of possible dangers. And the small group I pointed to are yoga PROPONENTS.
Here is my question to you... how many yogi's views on yoga/meditation are you aware of? I am really not an expert, and I am a bit leery of speaking "authoritatively" about it, so I am sorry if you got the impression I was being authoritative. I thought I was merely pointing out some OTHER people who may or may not have the right to speak that way.... for instance, Del Pe. Did you look him up on the internet? Look at his book? You are totally allowed to reject him if you like. I respect that. But I would encourage you, if you have never done it, to check out what I have put up.
In fact, I have been inspired to post more about the topic. Again, I am not an expert, nor am I an authority on yoga. Far, far from it. I was just doing a bit of research based on some information I came across. I for sure think I should have put up links to Del Pe and his book... :) So that is one thing I will rectify.
By the way, and don't quote me on this, because I know there are quite a few brands of yoga growing in popularity, Hatha yoga was specifically mentioned in some of the research I did, and Hatha yoga IS one of the main and popular branches of yoga. I am not sure if Del Pe mentions any form of yoga specifically in his book. I am going to rectify that as well, though. I intend to get a copy of it and read it. So the next post on this topic might be a bit of time in coming. Please be patient. :)
Your response does not deal with the fact that you have chosen to generalize from one specific yogi/ swami's views onto the whole. It is somewhat disingenuous because the swami you have chosen to quote uses a very specific definition of yoga, and says so right on his website. That is why he spells it a certain way "yoga*_"
DeleteThis is specifically differentiated from yoga as an exercise.
Now, suppose I quote Rush Limbaugh and said he spoke for all conservatives. And I went on to say that therefore conservatism caused me concern and fear, because I see conservatism growing in popularity. Would you think my argument sound?
Interestingly enough, I use certain yoga positions to help me with pain. Yes, they're Yoga stretches when they're done to stretch and strengthen your body. Most Western people are merely practitioners of the exercise benefits of Yoga, not the original Eastern origins of Yoga, but something modified and used solely for health benefits.
ReplyDeleteMany things cross cultural boarders and are then adapted to fit the needs of the culture they are adopted into. This is not a bad thing. It's perfectly normal and how societies change and grow.
I also use Meditation to help with depression and irritability issues and have not found myself with seizures or with speaking in tongues. Really, in all of this I am going to have to disagree with you. Respectfully of course. I meditate on feeling good, on releasing stress, on reflecting upon the good things in my life and in the world around me.
I also do listen to alpha and beta wave sound files during meditation at certain times to help me with this as well. I haven't found any negatives to my doing so either.
I am going to be honest here and admit to you that I think it was rather rude and a bit of a slap in the face to mention your friend so many times in the beginning of the post. Merely saying that you were writing this in regards to and just apologize to 'a friend of mine', would have been a better route. Singling her out like this wasn't really needed was it?
Hi Kisa,
DeleteSorry if you felt I was rude to my friend. If you read what I wrote in the opening paragraph really carefully, you will see that I was actually refering to her greatly disliking a lot of preamble, as opposed to getting straight to the point. I knew she'd read my post, and she has told me how it is a pet peeve of hers when people can get straight to the topic at hand. I was more attempting to be humorous about my own constant need to preface everything I say. I say attempting humour, because I can see that it failed, at least in your case.
I will assure you that I would in no way deliberately slap my friend Heather in the face. If you knew her, you'd know she is one tough cookie. I'd be afraid she drive over here and beat me up. Thankfully, though she responded to my post extensively on my facebook page, she did not seem in any way angry that I used her name. In order to be double sure, and to check if I need to apologize to her and you, I asked her directly if she were offended. I have no doubt she'll tell me. One think I respect greatly about her is that she is direct, honest and to the point.
In any case, this post really was not written directly to her. Since I have more than one friend (at least... I hope I do?), I know quite a few people who do yoga. The yoga part of the post was really just put out there "generally," not specifically to anyone. I promise you, if I were speaking directly to one person here, I would just whip up an email and send it to that one person alone and personally.
I hope this clarifies it for you. You have my word of honor that if Heather is indeed upset with me using her name, I will write an apology on my next post. :)
I don't understand your point.
ReplyDeleteIt can't be that meditation is bad. You are obviously christian, and the bible says to meditate on God. Ans you yourself say that you meditate. So its not meditation that is bad.
It can't be the beneficial, health aspect of yoga that's bad. Those benefits are obvious and unassailable.
I don't think your post is annoying. Just poorly thought out or written.
So, if you're good with meditation (i.e. the "mental" side of yoga) and you're good with the physical, what is your point?
Not all meditation is the same. The meditation associated with Yoga involves emptying one's mind, entering alpha waves, etc. Biblical meditation on God's word involves praying and thinking deeply about God's word. They aren't the same thing.
DeleteI think Karen't point is that you can't separate the physical component of Yoga from the spiritual. And it's this spiritual component, the meditation that is (possibly) dangerous. If you can't separate the two parts (as even some proponents of Yoga say), then that should raise a red flag, depending on your own personal religious beliefs.
Bronte
Yes, Bronte, that is pretty much exactly what I was trying to say. I question the idea you can separate the physical/spiritual sides of yoga. I highly question it. And as you pointed out, so do many others, who are proponents. It seems to me there is a bit of a debate between the yogi's themselves as to whether it is "OK" that people have tried to take yoga as only physical exercise, or even worse (for some of them) "Christianize" it.
DeleteAnd of course, the red flag would only be raised if you DON'T want to be influenced by a spiritual practice different from the faith/belief system you currently hold. I absolutely didn't expect people who WERE looking to unlock their spiritual potential/higher powers, to experience oneness with the universe, or to "yoke" with it, would in any way consider what I wrote. :)
Perhaps, Bronte, I will have to ask you on as a guest writer. :D
I agree. Yoga ("to yoke")...with what or whom are we yoking?? Another thing Christians should know is that the specific poses and names of the poses done in yoga have to do with Hindu deities. Many say they worship the God of the Bible while performing poses specifically designed to worship Hindu gods. What happened when the golden calf was built and they "okayed" it by calling it Yahweh?? Did calling the calf Yahweh sanctify the worship? Obviously not. I'm finding the rise of martial arts (tae kwon do as one example) to be the "new yoga", if you will, and am very concerned about the "Christianizing" of such practices.
ReplyDeleteHi Jenna, nice to see you on here.
DeleteYah know, the golden calf story was just exactly one of the stories I was thinking of. I think what a lot of Christians have forgotten, is that the Israelites really thought sincerely that they were doing a good thing. They felt they needed an idol, or image, of God. They really thought that having Yahweh in the form of a golden calf would make it easier and better for them to worship God... and they were wrong... because sometimes even when we are sincere we still should know better.
And I say that in humility, because I have found myself in a situation or two where I should have known better, and didn't. Thank God for His grace, with which I am covered...
I'm starting to wonder if this distrust and fear of yoga and now martial arts is actually rooted in xenophobia, or is it just coincidence that both activities come from other continents and cultures? Yikes.
DeleteShirley U. Cantbserious
Dear Shirley,
DeleteHmmmm.... I'd say it is just coincidence that the activities come from other continents and cultures. :)
There has also been a revival of "Christian" mysticism, which focuses on the centering prayer I have mentioned. I question that too. Do you really think that warning about yoga/meditation that actually documents concerns of PROPONENTS of yoga/meditation was based on some sort of xenophobia? If you do, I don't know how I can change your mind about that, because I think the only thing that would do it is if I endorsed or thought the practices harmless. You seem to = "does not agree" with only ONE possible explanation. If in your mind "does not agree with practice" + "practice originates on another continent" = xenophobia, really, what can I say to challenge your assumption? Particularly when the info I pointed to was from people who would still endorse and think that yoga/meditation was a good thing. I personally think that an assumption like that is a bit unfair, but it is also one that it is particularly insidious when it comes to answering it. In what way could I "prove" I was not xenophobic? If you have some sort of fair and objective test, let me know.
For the record, my husband was in martial arts for quite a while. A part of it was to find and channel his "chi" and there was always a meditation time. So if you are questioning meditative practices, then yes, some martial arts would absolutely make sense to include. :) Either that, or xenophobia. ;)
Nice moniker, by the way. I can appreciate that sort of humour. Very cute. :)
Grace and peace to you, Shirley,
Karen