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1 cap: a Hindu theistic philosophy teaching the suppression of all activity of body, mind, and will in order that the self may realize its distinction from them and attain liberation 2: a system of exercises for attaining bodily or mental control and well-beingFrom The Edmonton Journal, November 10, 1975 (bold in original):
He spreads word of yoga
Guru Hariananda wants to spread the true knowledge of yoga.
"Yoga can kill people right away if they don't know what they're doing," he says. "But yoga is a very, very old science, before we had hospitals and doctors, people were still suffering, and how did they get well?"
"They were cured by purifying their bodies with their own bodies. That is the yoga."
The guru (Hari for short) says there are 128 processes in yoga, based on the 8,000-year-old teachings of Yogi Patanjali.
"So many people know of yoga, as standing on their heads, or as a form of exercise, but yoga has a very deep meaning. It's a way of life."
"Yoga makes you fit mentally, physically, spiritually and morally."
The guru came to Edmonton two weeks ago to teach his knowledge of yoga to people in the city. He's been in the city a couple of times before during the past several years, and already has a small number of devotees.
He asks no fees from his devotees, but says he'll take donations to help cover his expenses.
Classes go in in different areas of the city each weekday evening...
...Born in the Himalayas, the 24-year-old Hari has lectured on and taught yoga since he was 13 years old.
In his teaching, he has travelled widely.
Hari stresses that his yoga has nothing to do with Hinduism or any other religion.
"You can stay with your religion. You will reach God. God is within you. You are the God as long as you maintain yourself physically and spiritually.
Those who wish to learn more about the classes or the guru's philosophy should call 484-8025.
Guru Hariananda's assertion that "his yoga has nothing to do with Hinduism or any other religion" is, of course, nonsense. Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word yunakti, meaning “he yokes.” The yoking is with Brahma, the ground of all being in Hinduism. Patanjali was a Hindu author, philosopher, and mystic whose lifespan was apparently between the 2nd and 4th centuries A.D. Until it became “westernized,” Yoga was mainly about teaching old Hindus how to die. It’s no more about relaxation and relieving stress than Transcendental Meditation, which is also Hinduism. Neither one caught on in the west until they decided to change the marketing approach to appeal to westerners’ priorities, such as financial prosperity, physical health and emotional well-being. It's interesting that Guru Hariananda claims that yoga "can kill people right away if they don't know what they're doing" which could apply to many Westerners who don't realize what yoga acutally is.
Guru Hariananda's statement that "God is within you...you are the God..." is certainly in conflict with the Bible's consistent teaching that we are not God, and that God lives only within those who have saving faith in Jesus Christ. For further reading, I recommend the books Death of a Guru by Rabi Maharaj with Dave Hunt (1977, 1984) and Yoga & the Body of Christ by Dave Hunt (2006), and the article The Basic Spirituality of Yoga by Marcia Montenegro of Midwest Christian Outreach (March 8, 2018). See also my post Christian woman in Manitoba who warns of the dangers of Yoga shows more discernment and courage than the local "Christian" clergy (April 26, 2018).
Elvis Presley offered a good practical view of yoga in the movie Easy Come, Easy Go (1967):
