Is Your Health Regimen Making You Sick?

Christian women, friends, sisters—here is a truth bomb to start this blog:

If you are practicing yoga, you are playing in the occult.

There. I said it.

Years ago, while I was in Bible college, I got pulled into something I now clearly recognize as an “angel of light”—yoga.

I was genuinely trying to take better care of my body, so I signed up for a ninety-day hot yoga challenge, also known as Bikram yoga, believing my intentions were good. I simply wanted to be more flexible, stronger, less stressed, and healthier overall.

I honestly thought I was honoring God by taking care of the temple He had given me.

During class—while everyone else was focused on their breathing—I decided to sanctify my little corner of the room by quoting Scripture through every posture. I mean… that had to make it even more spiritual, right?

And honestly, after just one month, my body was loving it. My stamina shot up, my posture straightened out, my mood lifted—and big bonus—the stubborn cellulite in places women don’t love talking about suddenly looked tighter and more toned.

To put it mildly, I felt incredible. But something deeper was happening too. Spiritually, I felt… awakened.

After finishing the challenge, I kept practicing at home, determined to master every pose. You could say I was completely hooked.

Then—out of nowhere—my body revolted.

Severe, sudden, fibromyalgia-type pain slammed into my back, neck, and shoulders. And for context, before I ever stepped into ministry, I had spent years studying holistic health and helping women pursue wellness. I understood the physical and emotional contributors to autoimmune conditions.

But spiritual? That never even crossed my mind.

And then one afternoon—right there in my living room, in full cobra pose—I heard the Holy Spirit speak clearly to my heart:

“Stop doing yoga. It’s making you sick.”

I wish I could tell you I obeyed instantly, but I didn’t because it didn’t make any sense. I felt and looked better than I had in years. Surely that couldn’t be God. So, I convinced myself it was the enemy trying to scare me—and I kept going.

Two weeks later, while in another pose, my upper body seized so violently I couldn’t move. I told myself I had simply over-extended a muscle. And then I did what most would do: I grabbed a heating pad, took two Advil—something I rarely touch—and laid on the couch trying to reason my way through what had happened.

Again, I heard, “Stop doing yoga. It’s making you sick.”

This time I argued out loud. Quit yoga? What the heck? Everyone does it. I’m waking up earlier…..I’m feeling amazing. Lord—help me understand this.

Right then, conviction hit just as hard as the pain in my body. I realized I couldn’t keep negotiating with God. I had to lay down every excuse, drop my arguments, and choose submission over logic and obedience over needing an explanation first.

It’s amazing how clearly God speaks when we finally stop resisting and start listening. The moment I surrendered, He began confirming everything through His Word.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding…
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
This will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.

(Proverbs 3:5–8)

 That’s when I realized—without even fully understanding how yet—that I had been participating in something occult. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it at first, but now sidelined from exercise and forced to slow down, I suddenly had time to dig in and start researching what I had actually been involved in.

What I discovered stunned me. The word yoga literally means “to yoke”—to join, unite, or submit.

My question became… to what?

Deeper digging revealed that many traditional postures originate in Hindu worship—positions designed to honor specific deities:

• Sun Salutations are historically connected to Surya, the sun god.

• Warrior poses trace back to Virabhadra, a manifestation of Shiva.

• Tree pose symbolizes cosmic alignment drawn from sacred mythological imagery.

• Cobra pose echoes symbolism associated with kundalini serpent power.

• Lotus posture is tied to enlightenment imagery linked to Brahma and Vishnu.

These were not merely stretches and poses. They were spiritual postures and acts of devotion to other gods embedded into bodily form through my participation.

And then Scripture hit me like a brick again: “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too” (1 Corinthians 10:21).

I sat there stunned because I had read Romans 12 multiple times, commanding believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. And yet for months, I had been bowing my own body in worship to false gods—while quoting Scripture and sincerely believing I was honoring the Lord.

I was utterly devastated. So, I repented immediately—sobbing over my ignorance and idolatry.

And within hours? Every symptom vanished. Gone. Just like that.

What followed was a flood of Scripture and revelation from the Lord about how easily devoted believers are drawn into spiritual systems disguised as light. He began showing me how many modern wellness trends—diets, supplements, philosophies, healing systems, beauty rituals, and spiritualized fitness cultures—are intentionally built on Eastern religious frameworks, occult philosophy, and metaphysical beliefs that reject Christ’s authority while offering alternative pathways to peace, power, healing, and transformation. These practices are not neutral just because they feel therapeutic.

God does not merely judge outcomes—He weighs origins and roots. Yoga was only one example.

It’s amazing how clearly God speaks when we finally stop resisting and start listening. The moment I surrendered, He didn’t leave me guessing—He went straight to His Word.

Scripture repeatedly commands us to test the spirits—to examine what lies underneath a practice, not just the physical results it produces. The right question is not, Does this relax me? Does it help my pain? Will it make me look better?

The real question is this:

Where did this come from—and what spiritual worldview does it require me to participate in?

The most dangerous counterfeits are not the obvious ones. They are the systems that appear compatible with Christianity while quietly retraining believers to seek power, healing, and wholeness somewhere other than the throne of God. Much of the language has been softened and rebranded for Western culture—mindfulness, alignment, energy flow, vibration, inner peace. But make no mistake—the spiritual framework remains intact.

And with marketing machines intentionally designed to seduce and hook women—especially women hungry for healing, beauty, peace, and relief—discernment is not optional in this hour. We can no longer afford to baptize practices simply because they are trendy, clinical-sounding, or use holistic language. We have to trace them back to their spiritual DNA and then measure that DNA against the Word of God.

Because these things matter deeply to God. They should matter to us also.

Let me also be very clear so there’s no confusion: I am not saying yoga is the main cause of fibromyalgia and I am not saying everyone who has practiced it will develop an autoimmune disease. That is not my point. My point is this—and I will not soften it:

When believers dabble in what God calls evil, spiritual doors open. Period.

Scripture commands us to present our bodies as living sacrifices—holy and pleasing to God. Not unknowingly or ignorantly laying them on altars built to false gods. What can feel like no big deal in the natural can still carry hefty consequences in the supernatural, and our emotions—no matter how sincere—are not reliable compasses for truth.

It took pain humbling me before I could see how pride, vanity, and self-reliance had quietly fueled my ignorance. And ignorance, by the way, is still disobedience. 

What I learned is this: staying humble, teachable, and fully surrendered to the loving correction of our Father is not restrictive. It is protective. And it will be required for our freedom.

And when you have questions?

We’re here to help.