Vol. 8, No. 5, 1991

Articles on the New Age

Rick Branch

"Why do children and youth need to learn how to relax? They have nothing in their lives that causes stress."

Anyone who would ever say or even think such a thing is either someone who has no children - or someone who has forgotten what it was like to be a child and the many pressures which accompany adolescent and pre-adolescent life.

For most readers of the Watchman Expositor, during childhood their biggest worry was "Would there be a nuclear war?"

Today's youth, however, have much bigger problems than a puny nuclear war about which to worry!

The children and youth of the 1990's are facing stress in massive proportion and from manifold directions. Thus, the implementation of stress reduction courses in the educational system is a positive step.

It is not the concept of stress reduction courses in the schools that Watchman Fellowship, other Christian ministries and Christian parents object to, but rather the way in which the stress is being reduced.

One example of this is found in the book Handling Stress: Teenage Health Teaching Modules. The subheading on the cover of this book explains it is "Recommended for Grades 9-12."

The introduction to the book reads, "This is one module in the Teenage Health Teaching Modules (THTM) program, a health education curriculum for adolescents developed by the Education Development Center, Inc. and funded by the Center for Health Promotion and Education, Centers for Disease Control, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."

The book's credentials appear very reputable.

The expressed goal of the THTM program "is designed to help students contribute to their own present and future health and well-being, and that of the families, schools and communities to which they belong."

Again, a very worthy goal.

However, as stated above, it is not the credentials or even the stated goals of the stress reduction programs that Christians find objectionable, but rather the methods by which those goals are acquired.

It is at this very point that the book Handling Stress must be seriously evaluated. Under the section "Learning the Relaxation Response" the teacher is instructed to:

"Turn off some or all of the overhead lights.

"Close doors and windows, if necessary, to make the room as quiet as possible.

"Remind the group that this exercise will become easier with practice" (p. 38).

The teacher is then to instruct the students in the preparation techniques which will be used in this relaxation technique.

"Assume a comfortable position. The best position is flat on your back on the floor."

The instructions continue by suggesting the student "Maintain a passive attitude. Do not worry about whether you are successful in achieving a deep level of relaxation" (Ibid, p. 39).

Then the instructions become more specific.

"Concentrate on a pleasing phrase or image. For some people a word formula such as `in' and `out' or `one' works well" (Ibid.)

If this last statement was quoted from a New Age or Eastern Mystic oriented book, the single "word formula" would be called a Mantra. That is, a word which helps the Meditator or Yogi reach an altered state of consciousness.

Handling Stress then instructs the teacher, "after 10 to 15 minutes" to ask the students "What did you think about? Were any of you blank?" (Ibid, p. 39).

Some may be asking at this point, is this all there is to it? Not exactly.

A few pages later, under "Diaphragmatic Breathing" the actual technique is discussed.

"Alternate Nostril Breathing

"a. Block the left nostril with one hand and inhale deeply through your right nostril for five seconds.

"b. Block both nostrils, holding your breath for five seconds.

"c. Repeat, beginning this time by breathing through the left nostril" (p. 45).

This sounds very innocent, harmless and hardly worthy of mention until one realizes that it is this very technique which is promoted in numerous New Age publications.

In his book Theories of the Chakras: Bridge to Higher Consciousness, Hiroshi Moto¬yama explains the following:

"Method of Pranayama Practice.

"Stage 3: Antaranga kumbhaka. Close the right nostril and inhale through the left.

"At the end of the inhalation, close both nostrils, using thumb and ring finger, and retain the breath.

"Exhale through the right nostril and then inhale through it, keeping the left nostril closed.

"Again retain the breath with both nostrils closed as before. Open the left nostril and exhale, keeping the right nostril closed.

"Each action - inhalation, retention, and exhalation - should be performed to a count of five. This is one cycle: practice 25 cycles" (p. 81).

The book which teaches this process of building a bridge to higher consciousness is published by the Theosophical Publishing House, an extremely pro-New Age / Occult organization.

This breathing process for stress reduction is not to be found only in Motoyama's book alone.

Leslie Lecron, who wrote the book Self Hypnosis also discusses "How to Relax" (p. 101). Under the subheading "Deep breathing to relieve tension" Lecron explains:

"Yoga practitioners have found breathing exercises of great value.

"This has been termed the 4-8-4 exercise. The left arm should be relaxed at your side or with the hand in your lap.

"Lift the other hand to your face, fingers together but thumb extended. Press the thumb against the right nostril, closing that side of the nose and inhale through the left, taking in a full breath.

"This should take about four seconds. You can time it by counting slowly.

"Now hold your breath, counting in the same way to eight. While doing so, remove your thumb from the right side of the nose, moving the hand so the forefinger closes the left nostril.

"When the count of eight is completed, exhale through the right nostril slowly to a count of four, being sure to empty the lungs.

"Keeping the left nostril closed, breathe in again through the right to the count of four, filling the lungs. This completes a cycle.

"Yogis used the term prana for life force or primal energy and believe with this exercise that a fresh supply of prana is accumulated in the tissue and lungs" (pp. 103-104).

This is the very practice being taught to students in high schools all across America under the guise of stress reduction courses.