The Hindu and the Buddhist agreed that for them the basic problem of the human condition is ignorance, and that salvation must be a process of enlightenment.

We Abrahamic types agreed among ourselves that the real problem is a sinfulness that can only be remedied by surrendering to the divine will.

That is a pretty basic divide. The spiritual practices that are native to our religions are not free-floating. They are tied to fundamental world views.

Does this mean that, say, a Christian cannot practice yoga beneficially? I would not go that far. But when we borrow, we must do so discerningly.

I think that, properly understood, one can integrate the techniques of yoga into our relationship with the Christian God. But I stress integration--which means being very clear about the need to make the practices consistent with our beliefs.

Otherwise we run the risk of creating our own individualized "designer religion" which--to borrow an image that Plato was fond of--is not "tethered" to anything.