MP asks: “Are you familiar with the Valerie Bertinelli Fitness DVD Losing It and Keeping Fit produced by GAIAM? I am not overly comfortable with anything produced by Gaiam (pronounced “guy-um”), which is a fusion of the words “Gaia” and “I am”. Gaia, mother Earth, was honored on the Isle of Crete in ancient Greece 5,000 years ago by the Minoan civilization. This civilization valued education, art, science, recreation, and the environment and believed that the Earth was directly connected to its existence and daily life. The concept of Gaia stems from the ancient philosophy that the Earth is a living entity.) I need to know if the exercises in this DVD are newage/yoga based. If not, do you think it’s a good idea to utilize a product that is new age marketed?”
I am not familiar with the Bertinelli fitness video you reference, but it really doesn’t matter because it’s produced by Gaiam, a company that is a major distributor of New Age ideology. It describes itself as a “branded lifestyle media company devoted to creating uplifting and devotional medial information and products for people pursuing lifestyles of ‘health and sustainability’.” Some of these products include yoga, tai chi, qi gong, and a variety of meditation techniques (all Eastern of course), as well as alternatives. Their spirituality resources include materials written by New Age gurus such as Deepak Chopra and Dr. Wayne Dyer. You can also read up on anthroposophy, shamanism and all kinds of pagan practices. Their “Christian” offerings include books by Neale Donald Walsch as well as other selections, such as one resource that makes the incredible claim that early Christian saints believed Adam and Eve didn’t age but turned into eagles that will live forever. (I would say “you can’t make this stuff up” but apparently someone has.)
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is this – the more we purchase from these distributors, the longer they stay in business and the more deeply they penetrate this culture with their false ideology.
No one in search of a good workout, spiritual guidance or “healthy living” tips needs to resort to anything produced by Gaiam (or any New Age distributor for that matter). There is absolutely not good reason why we should keep the New Age in business by buying their products.