“Christian Yoga“ - Fr. Seraphim Rose

Fr. Seraphim Rose examines the phenomena of “Christian Yoga,” which in his day (1970s) was gaining popularity and acceptance, and offers a sober warning to all, especially Orthodox Christians. From “Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future”, Fr. Seraphim writes: “The essence of Yoga is not the discipline itself, but the meditation which is its end. The author (French Benedictine monk, J. M. Dechanet) is correct when he writes: ‘The aims of Hindu Yoga are spiritual. It is tantamount to treason to forget this and retain only the purely physical side of this ancient discipline, to see in it no more than a means towards bodily health or beauty’ (p. 54). To this it should be added that the person who uses Yoga only for physical well-being is already disposing himself towards certain spiritual attitudes and even experiences of which he is undoubtedly unaware…” “Anyone who understands the nature of prelest or spiritual deception will recognize in this description of ‘Christian Yoga’ precisely th