The New Age isn’t just targeting adults anymore. This esoteric movement, rooted in paganism, has crept its way into our nation’s educational system. With promises of stress relief, behavior management and healing, the New Age practices of smudging and yoga are being extolled as a new hope for America’s troubled youth.

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Proponents of these New Age practices will point to the fact that today’s students suffer from anxiety, academic stress, attention disorders, emotional imbalances and abuse. Therefore, there’s a great need to alleviate these issues through strategies such as mindfulness, meditation and focused breathing.

There’s no denying that children in our schools are in need of healing from anxiety, stress, and a myriad of traumas. But before prescribing smudging and yoga as a “cure-all,” one must carefully consider the pagan roots of these New Age practices. Moreover, what will impressionable youth be taught to accept and integrate into their lives?

What is Smudging?

Smudging is a ritual that imitates a Native American ceremony where “sacred plants” such as cedar, sage, sweetgrass or tobacco are placed into a container and then ignited with a wooden match. An Indigenous awareness website explains, “The flames are then gently blown out and the smoke, which heals the mind, heart and body, is wafted over the person, either by hand or with an eagle feather. The person being smudged pulls the smoke to them and gently inhales the smoke. The ashes traditionally are returned to Mother Earth by disposing them outside on bare soil – it is believed that the negative thoughts and feelings have been absorbed by the ashes. A person can smudge themselves, or, someone can lead a smudge by holding the container and directing the smoke over others.”

Minnesota Schools Allow Smudging

In 2023 a bill was introduced in Minnesota by Senator Mary Kunesh that would permit Indigenous students to smudge in Minnesota public schools under staff supervision. In 2024, this bill passed the Minnesota Senate as part of an omnibus education policy bill. Prior to the introduction of this bill (S.F. 2998), a policy had been implemented in the St. Paul Public School system which allows individual or group smudging in school buildings when conducted under the directed supervision of an appropriate school district staff member.

Smudging is considered a form of prayer which can promote mindfulness as “another form of meditation.” One of the goals of burning various medicinal plants is to cleanse oneself, and to connect with one’s inner spirit, as well as the Creator.

Supporters of this practice believe the ritual can help students stay calm by clearing the air of negative energies and removing barriers to learning. Smudging can be done before the school day begins, during lunch, prior to a meeting, or before a test or stressful event. How often and where it’s done, is up to each school and its administrators. Minnesota has a prohibition on the use of tobacco products in its public schools, but an exception has been made for American Indian ceremonial practices.

After the St. Paul Public Schools voted unanimously to support smudging in classrooms in 2022, Senator Mary Kunesh, a descendent of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe said, “We found a spot for our LGTBQ students to join and come together in our schools. We found a spot for Muslim students to have a quiet moment to pray throughout the day. Now, we are sitting here with an opportunity to extend the opportunity for our Native kids here in Saint Paul. As you heard, smudging isn’t a traditional practice — it’s something that is intentional and mindful to settle our minds — that’s the intention of this policy.”

Smudging and the Occult

The New Age movement, which borrows its practices from many cultures and religions, considers smudging to be an important part of cleansing one’s aura (internal energy field), or a way to deter “bad vibes” and spirits. The smoke from the “sacred plants” are touted as a method to drive away evil. Psychics, witches and those who practice the occult assert that smudging removes “unwanted influences” and protects them from spiritual and psychic attacks. It is also touted as a way to open a person’s eyes and ears to the spirit world.

While burning sage or other plants is not inherently good or bad, it’s the intent behind the practice that matters. When it comes to smudging in schools, this practice draws students into a pagan ritual that’s actually a form of idolatry. They are taught that “sacred smoke” can drive out bad energies, memories and feelings, when the truth is that only God can heal their wounds. The smoke becomes the idol that cleanses and saves, rather than the blood of Jesus. Satan and his demons cannot be driven away by sage or other medicinal plants. God, however, can guard us from evil.

2 Thessalonians 3:3, NLT, says, But the Lord is faithful. He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

Teaching students to put their trust in a ritual in order to find peace or healing is contrary to God’s will. Instead, Jesus asks us to put our trust in Him alone, allowing Him to drive out sin and evil.  

Yoga in the Schools

While allowing students to smudge in schools is a more recent development, the integration of yoga into the educational system has been going on much longer. Millions of people in the United States practice yoga and this number continues to grow. Dr. Laurette Willis, founder of PraiseMoves Fitness, warns that yoga is “the missionary arm of Hinduism and New Age Spirituality.”

Yoga 4 Classrooms is an organization which helps schools integrate yoga into their learning environment. Their website explains that Yoga 4 Classrooms “empowers school communities with mindful strategies that are easy to learn and implement in a few minutes or less in a typical classroom space,” by providing resources and training for teachers and administrators.

One school in Des Moines, Iowa uses Yoga 4 Classrooms to help them plan their day. The students of Edmunds Elementary start their mornings with yoga-based movement and mindful meditations that “prepare them for learning time.” To date, Yoga 4 Classrooms “has been implemented in more than 60,000 classrooms, reaching over 1,200,000 students worldwide.”

Many schools offer after school programs that teach yoga, or in some cases, it can be made into a specials class like Art or P.E. One teacher integrates yoga by posting a wall of pockets in the “calm down” corner of her classroom. Each pocket is labeled with the desired outcome and contains a card with instructions for a yoga pose. No matter what yoga program is used, however, breathing and focused meditation are key components.

Is Yoga Simply Breathing and Stretching?

While many parents and educators might think that the poses and breathing exercises of yoga are harmless and not tied to a religious practice, the truth is that yoga’s foundation comes from pantheism, which elevates the worship of everything as god. The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, which means “to yoke” or “to unite.” The question is, what is one uniting with?

Swami Vishnudevananda, one of the movement’s most influential leaders, explains that yoga “prescribes physical methods to begin…so that the student can manipulate the mind more easily as he advances, attaining communication with one’s higher self.”

George P. Alexander is a Christian believer who grew up in India, which is considered the birthplace of yoga. He reveals that yoga poses are “offerings to the 330 million Hindu gods,” and thus, each pose is an act of worship. Westerners believe they are exercising and breathing, but “to a Hindu, yoga is the outward physical expression of a deep spiritual belief. You cannot separate one from the other.”

It’s essential to note that Hinduism, a religion that forms the backbone of yoga, teaches that the human body contains a dormant serpentine force (Kundalini spirit) that is coiled up at the base of the human spine. Through exercise (such as yoga), meditation and focused chanting, one can release this force, opening the third eye. This will allow a person to tap into universal consciousness.

How Do We Respond?

Smudging and yoga are rooted in pagan traditions, yet they are both being celebrated and promoted in the public schools. The children in America are facing more problems than ever, but instead of turning to Jesus Christ, they are being catapulted toward New Age practices that can open doors to the occult.

Intercessors, the time to pray is now. It’s important that parents, grandparents and guardians are aware of what’s going on in their local schools so they warn their loved ones of any programs or classes that encourage rituals and practices which are not biblical. Oftentimes, teachers and administrators are simply looking for ways to help their students and they are unaware that activities (such as smudging and yoga) have occult/New Age connections. You can gently educate them and pray that they will be open to hearing the truth. Additionally, you can attend school board meetings and maintain contact with legislators in your state, so you can voice your concerns about these kinds of issues.

Lord Jesus, our students do not need to rely on rituals, ceremonies, yoga poses or “mindfulness” in order to cope with the difficulties of this world. Instead, we pray that students would put their hope and trust in You. Ultimately, this will bring the peace and healing that our youth need.

Have you seen yoga, smudging or other New Age practices in your local schools? As Christians, how should we respond when we see this happening?

Angela Rodriguez is an author, blogger and former teacher who studies the historical and biblical connections between Israel and the United States. You can visit her blogs at 67owls.com and 100trumpets.com. She is also the author of Psalm 91: Under the Wings of Jesus and Hallelujah’s Great Ride. Photo Credit: Shubham Sharan on Unsplash.