Should Christians practice things like deep-breathing and body-scan meditation?

[Guido]

Should Christians practice things like deep-breathing and body-scan meditation? If someone practices body-scan meditation, and then tries to use its benefits to live in a godlier manner, benefits like calmness and enhanced self-awareness (I'm not sure but I think that body-scan mediation produces these things), does that put them or others in danger of blaspheming the Holy Ghost? Can you back-up your claim with scripture?

If using those benefits for living righteously is sinful or dangerous, what biblical means is there for becoming more righteous, given that one already has the imputed righteousness of Christ, and is regenerated, having a spiritual nature?

 

[John of Japan]

Should Christians practice things like deep-breathing and body-scan meditation? If someone practices body-scan meditation, and then tries to use its benefits to live in a godlier manner, benefits like calmness and enhanced self-awareness (I'm not sure but I think that body-scan mediation produces these things), does that put them or others in danger of blaspheming the Holy Ghost? Can you back-up your claim with scripture?

If using those benefits for living righteously is sinful or dangerous, what biblical means is there for becoming more righteous, given that one already has the imputed righteousness of Christ, and is regenerated, having a spiritual nature?

Perhaps you should explain what these are. I've never heard of "body-scan meditation."

I'm not sure what you mean by "deep-breathing" either. Is there some kind of systematized practice of this? If by this you simply mean breathing deeply from the abdomen, this is correct breathing, natural breathing the way God intended us to breathe. A baby naturally does abdominal breathing from the womb, and only later learns the bad habit of chest breathing. I was taught abdominal breathing when I took voice lessons in college. Nothing mysterious there! For many years I've taught a short Chinese "martial chi kung" (気功, "breath training") form to my kung fu students, and they always love it. It is relaxing and energizing.

"Martial chi kung" is legitimate breath training for self defense. However, there is also religious chi kung such as that practiced by the Falun Gong cult, and I don't recommend that.