SHOULD CHRISTIANS PRACTICE YOGA?

If this question concerns you, this book will not only tell you why you should, but also how Jesus himself did, in ways that you may never have heard. Recent research by independent scholars has uncovered many details about what Jesus taught, which when compared to the teachings of classical Yoga, indicates close similarities both in what he practiced, and what he realized. For example, we know that Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, in meditation, which is what yogis do when they practice "tapas" or intense austerities, in order to transcend the ordinary ego based consciousness. An examination of the gnosic Gospel of Thomas reveals that Jesus "initiated" his closest disciples into spiritual disciplines which involved self purification and meditation so as to enter higher states of consciousness, known as "samadhi" or Self realization in Yoga. The advanced practices of Yoga involve similar initiations and spiritual disciplines recommended by Jesus in his "sayings" and parables.

- Marshall Govindan