I was raised in a conservative, dogmatic Christian tradition that approached anything not explicitly “Christian” as wrong. Yet, as the years progressed yoga has become an essential part of my life and spirituality, even though a recent global survey of evangelical leaders indicated that 92 percent of the 2,196 surveyed believe that "engaging in yoga as a spiritual practice…[is] not compatible with evangelicalism."
So how are we to determine if yoga is OK to practice as Christians?
I’d like to suggest that being a Christian means being in relationship with the person of Jesus, the Son of God, the Christ. And relationships are dynamic; no two look the same. My mother’s relationship with my brother is different from her relationship with me in the same way that your relationship with God is different from my relationship with God. It is egocentric of us to expect others’ relationships with God to look like ours.
Some Christians are concerned about practicing yoga because they think if they do, they are practicing Hinduism. Certainly yoga is connected with India and Hinduism, but it is arguable as to whether yoga is explicitly Hindu. There is even evidence that yoga existed before Hinduism was an organized religion.
In the same way that the Lord’s supper is practiced differently today than during the last moments of Jesus’ life, contemporary, westernized yoga may be very far removed from the most ancient of yoga practice dating back 2,000 to 5,000 years. Over the centuries this Indian approach to nurturing the body, mind and soul has blended with Tibetan and Chinese practices, as well as Western physical fitness philosophy.
Regardless of which religion or culture wants to claim yoga, it seems to me that the yoga available to us today is the best of tried and true practices that nurture, discipline, exercise and harmonize the body, mind and soul. And to the degree that the practice does not compromise my relationship with God, I welcome it in my life. In fact, yoga has deepened my faith and relationship with God by strengthening the ties between my head and my heart.
I had the privilege of undergoing 16 days of intense yoga training for teacher certification. It was an extraordinary experience. The location was one of the most beautiful places on earth. And the staff were some of the kindest, most generously loving, accepting and supportive human beings. It was rigorous training - our classes started at 6:30 in the morning and ended at 9:00 p.m. every night - but I couldn’t complain while falling asleep to the sound of the roaring ocean, migrating whales and chirping creatures.
Surprising to some, we didn’t practice postures all day long - though we certainly did more of that in 16 days than I’ve ever done in my life. The study was holistic. There was time and space for philosophy and meditation or prayer, as well as anatomy and physiology and group heart reflections. The most important thing I learned is that yoga is about the journey from the head to heart.
This is such a crucial invitation for Christians, since much of Western Christianity is practiced with the mind, reason and intellect divorced from the heart. We are more than just our minds. Our heart has its own way of “knowing.” But without practices that affirm this heart knowledge, we are less than whole in our relationship with God. To live the abundant life that Jesus talked about we need to acknowledge the wisdom of both the heart and the mind - working in harmony with each other. When these are divided or one part is deemed lesser than another, we are a fractured person who is more easily misguided in our faith journey.
Getting into our body by practicing yoga helps us reconnect our mind and heart. Conscious breathing, movement and postures train our mind to listen to our heart’s connection to the body and the wisdom that lies within.
This is not a new idea for Christians. We have a rich tradition of our own practices that support this, such as the Eastern Orthodox Jesus Prayer. This ancient prayer invites the disciple to pray without ceasing by reciting “Jesus Son of David have mercy on me a sinner.” As the prayer is repeated over and over, it starts to be prayed from within the heart rather than the head.
Pilgrimage is another Christian practice that supports the journey from the head to the heart. A few years ago my husband Chris gave me the journey of a lifetime. For 33 days we made the ancient pilgrimage, “El Camino de Santiago.” With nothing but the packs on our backs, we detached from our normal life and made the arduous hike across Spain. By making this kind of outward, physical feat we grew very acquainted with our body - its strength and weakness, endurance and limitations - and we learned to love it, from the tips of our toes to the crown of our head. We cultivated a deep gratitude for this carriage that was taking us to Santiago. But beyond the physical pilgrimage, with every step we were making the delightful and painful journey from our head to our heart - progressing from the external to the internal. The gift of pilgrimage taught us so much about embodying truth. Truths like: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made;” “There is a God who is immanent with me - making home within me - leading and guiding me.”
The longest journey you’ll ever make is from the head to the heart. And yoga invites us to make that journey. As I have stayed faithful to the practice, I have grown more acquainted with my body - the temple of the Holy Spirit - and I have grown to love that temple and the One who dwells there. I would argue that yoga has, in fact, made me a better Christian.
(Photo courtesy of Jessmcintyre/Wikimedia Commons.)
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Comments (40)
In my experience, there are certainly some yoga practices that should be prayerfully considered before engaging in. Kundalini yoga is one such example. However, as the author points out, modern, Western yoga practice is a far cry from ancient Hindu yoga. Yoga acquaints you with your body and your breathing; when you throw in Christian meditation, of course it can help your walk with Jesus.
Should Christians engage in yoga practice with caution? Of course. As should we attend movies, drink alcohol, and watch sports. We all pick and choose which aspects of culture to include in our lives.
Syncretism “consists of the attempt to reconcile disparate or contrary beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought.” Indians consider Yoga as a religious practice. The Hindu-American Foundation argues that yoga (including what you call "Modern Western Yoga") is a spiritual discipline leading to moksha ‘liberation’. They are upset that Americans so glibly borrow their religious disciplines. The practice of yoga originated in the Hindu Vedas, Sutras, the Bagavad Gita and teachings by various Yogis. The physical postures and breath practices are an ancient form of Hindu religion.
As Phileena says, "Conscious breathing, movement and postures train our mind to listen to our heart’s connection to the body and the wisdom that lies within."
I went into my teacher training knowing that yoga is spiritual (pertaining to the soul or spirit) and not a religion. What a sad world if I felt as a Christian I could not learn the philosophy and history of a different culture and then apply it in a way that I identify with. Meditation? Why not use it for a quiet time of devotion and prayer? Perhaps it's the fact we might be sitting in Lotus that bugs people.......
Namaste.
Satanic assaults are certainly subtle, and we should be on the look out. Interestingly, most Satanic assaults I've experienced come from within the church, people that want to control the way I think and the things I do in order to affirm their own insecurities.
Yoga, done well, can be redeemed for Christ. It can be a practice in seeking the indwelt Holy Spirit.
John 14:27
27 Peace I leave with
you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Please do illustrate that with a reference to a document that is considered authoritative for "new age thinking."
Please also indicate how you think "harmonizing body, mind, and soul" is incompatible with the notion of loving God with all of one's heart, soul, mind, and strength. If one loves God in such a way, as God commands, will those aspects of the person all not be in harmony?
http://christianreformedink.wo...
You could go to the New Age Center in New York and read the spiritual benefits of Yoga “http://www.newagepointofinfini...
Our yoga practice reaches different and deeper levels as our inner voice and intuition becomes more active. Our inner guidance helps us to meet the challenges and choices that arise in life and to make sounder decisions when charting a course of action (Karma). Our yoga practice should lead us to a personal transformation - evidenced by the new way we function! We are more willing to face the unknown. We become fully aware that doing “the same old-same old” will produce the same depleting results. We are more capable of taking chances and making changes. Our yoga practice initiates and supports our metamorphosis. This is the Dharma of yoga and it is the path to which I am fully committed - I teach with this promise from my heart and hara (core) and am forever and always grateful to be an instrumental and influential part of this shared sacred journey.
Or you could go to the Hindu site for their perspective at http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/e...
5. New Age practices with Vedic origin
Some traditional sciences and practices were 'adopted' by New Age and molded according to its image - i.e. mainly diluted and commercionalized. Thus nowadays they are seen as a part of New Age and share its criticism.
5.1. yoga
Usually is called hatha-yoga and is limited to asana and pranayama; its goal is health improvement. Its original form, astanga-yoga, comes from sage Patanjali. Astanga means "8 limbs" and is divided into hatha (first 5) and raja (other 3). The term "hatha" according to Hatha-yoga-pradipika by Swami Atmarama is composed of syllables "ha" (sun) and "tha" (moon). Hatha-yoga is sometimes called kriya-yoga. Real kriya-yoga is defined in Padma Purana, Kriya-yogasara 3.4-5, where Vyasa speaks to Jaimini: Kriya-yoga consists of worship of: Ganga, Sri (Laksmi), Visnu, generosity, devotion to brahmanas, observance of the Ekadasi-vrata, devotion to the Dhatri tree and the Tulasi plant, and hospitality to guests.
Many Christians will say "but that's not my stated goal."
Their goals are "it affords me certain experiential benefits, it helps me be more calm, feel more spiritual, have more patience, etc."
OK. This is what most religious practices offer and provide.
so why the argument? Why have both Christ and Brahma, or maybe you think they are the same or close to the same or pointing to the same. OK. That is your belief and your profession. That belief and profession is perfectly compatible with most yoga teaching courses and some branches of Christianity will espouse it. I find it completely incompatible with the basic historic tenets of Christianity.
Union with Christ and communion with God in Christianity looks quite different because your narrative, your identity, you doesn't disappear. Your humanity is never eradicated. These are different worldviews.
Why confuse the matter?
Sure. What's anti-Christian about that? Your identity doesn't disappear within a yoga practice. To the contrary, yoga practice is about you and your place. It is about recognizing that you matter, that we all matter, that we are one, and honoring that one-ness within each other. For some reason, this is where my Christian friends get squimish. I can't for the life of me figure out why that is. Do we not all matter before God? Are we not all created in his image? Doesn't that make us all more similar than we are different? God unifies, He doesn't divide. He unifies our heart and mind. He brings us together as His people. Yoga reinforces these truths. What's the problem with that?
Just because Hindus (and Buddhists, and Confucians, and Jews) practice it, doesn't mean that the practice is inherently Hindu, or non-Christian for that matter. Think of it as common grace.
And just because it doesn't happen sitting in a wooden pew listening to a pipe organ, doesn't mean it isn't worship.
In Christianity, God is a separate and distinct entity, apart from all other beings. He is regarded as the creator, separate from His creation, He is personal, righteous, holy and judges and rules all of His creation. He desires communication and relationship. The human race, though made in the image of God, is fallen and alienated from God and each other, in need of repentance and regeneration. Jesus shed His blood on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. Only through the cross can unity exist with God and each other. Jesus invites us into relationship but He also divides and seperates the sheep from the goats, the children of the world and the children of God, light from darkness.
By contrast, Brahman is all consciousness, all being - and is not separate from anything, nor does Brahman judge or rule anyone. Good and evil don’t exist. Everything in the universe is a part of Brahman and you achieve liberation by understanding your fundamental oneness with this infinite spirit or consciousness. Which also means, as you say, “we are one and honoring that one-ness within each other”. That is why meditation is so important and why the Hindu discipline of Yoga focuses on stillness, quieting the mind, simply breathing, simply being, learning to experience unity and harmony with the eternal, uncreated universe.
If Yoga is practiced diligently it will give you a freedom from the feelings of guilt, a feeling of acceptance and one-ness with the universe, a certain sense of peace. It removes the awareness of my inherent sinfulness, my need for repentance and makes the possibility of a relationship with a personal and holy God impossible. That is why it is very dangerous.
I also have a feeling of freedom from guilt, a feeling of acceptance, and of unity with God's creation. I get that from Jesus.
I don't think that's dangerous. I guess we will just have to agree to disagree on this matter. Unless you want to join me for my next yoga practice. ;)
PS - Hinduism is not a montheistic religion. Not all Brahma, so to speak.
Peace be with you,
Anne
Yoga can deliver what it offers: a sense of peace, a sense of power, a sense of unity, etc.
There is nothing wrong with stretching, exercise, breathing, quietness, etc. Yoga is not simply that, however. No serious Yoga proselytizers I've encountered have been dishonest in what they're offering. It's no secret. If you take a yoga training class part of the class is to spread the practice. Right?
http://www.expressionsofspirit... It is a regimented system to achieve an end and the end it offers is union with the divine. What they mean by "union" in this case is pretty important because it isn't identical with what Christianity means by "union with Christ".
Many religions offer union with their articulation of the divine or transcendent. Shrine prostitution for example was a vehicle for gaining access to the divine through sexual contact. In many animistic practices experience is gained through music, dance, alcohol, smoking different things, etc. We long for an experience of connection with something larger than ourselves and when we have it we feel safe, powerful, at peace, etc. The more destructive these things are, as in the two cases I sighted, the more short-lived they tend to be. The larger, older religious systems have learned a lot.
Most religious systems, including Christianity, work on the basis of "if it's true in the little things then the large claims are true." Yoga gains credibility by yielding a sense of peace, centeredness, self-control, etc. and for most of us those are desirable qualities.
Yoga delivers on those outcomes. So if they are right on how to gain a sense of wellbeing and power that I seek (see the student stories http://www.zudayoga.com/Inspir... then the larger claims must be true.
So what larger claims do you believe?
Do you believe that "shalom" was lost because we forgot we were divine and the "salvation" is achieved by a systematic process of practices and disciplines to regain what we lost?
Do you believe that our world is broken because of our rebellion and down to its core breaking down, but that in the revelation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ the reversal of that rebellion is already underway?
Yoga works to convince you of the former. Life in the Christian community, under the cruciform yoke of Christ, together with Christian spiritual disciples should also yield peace, joy, self-control even in the context of suffering and loss.
Hope this is helpful. pvk
Salvation from sin is an inherently and distinctly Christian concept. One that is not incompatible with practicing yoga.
And comparing yoga to prostitution is silly and alarmist.
A religion usually addresses a number of foundational questions. 1. Who/what are we? What is our problem? How is the problem addressed? What is our destiny?
Yoga offers all of these things.
Who/what are we? We are part of the universal transcendance (the divine, etc. pantheism)
What is our problem? We have lost touch with our divinity and our connection with the divine. We are confused by the illusion of multiplicity and we fail to experience the basic truth that all is one. All experience of otherness is illusory. Suffering is caused by buying into this illusion.
How is the problem addressed? By following the 8 limbs, the core of yoga. Yamas and Niyamas, Asanas, Pranayama, PRatyahara, Dharana, Dhyana leading to Samadhi.
Take a yoga teaching class and you will be taught these things and instructed on how to teach others. You will also be involved in "spreading the news" of yoga and helping others find the way. Salvation is Samadhi, union with the Divine.
How would you not call this a religion?
I'm speaking from experience here, not just from what I've read on the internet. I already have gone through yoga instructor training; including seminars with Baron Baptiste. It was free of religious dogma - Hindu included.
Melanie here is forthright about her training. "Yoga is intimately intertwined with Hinduism, and was a spiritual practice for centuries before the asanas (or postures) with which we associate yoga today were developed. To claim that yoga doesn't have a religious grounding in an Eastern context is to be duplicitous. Any western appropriation of yoga must be done with great respect and recognition of the story out of which yoga comes." To continue to practice Yoga and to add it to Christianity is truly to be syncretic.
I have chosen which Spirit I will walk with as, alas, there is only One. And I will continue my yoga practice, as well. And if through that practice I reclaim my full potential, discover my creativity, awaken my passion, create authenticity, confidence and new possibilities...then great. What fantastic attributes for a Christian to possess.
I invite you to try yoga before you malign it. Bring all your physical manifestations of stress, strife, pride and pain to your mat; bring your breath and practice in unison with your fellow practitioners; and see if you don't come away with a new respect and appreciation for the practice and a newly discovered connection to God.
Your freedom is your own to do as you will.
Many wonderful people practice yoga and derive benefits from that. Why would I say differently? Many people who practice this stuff live self controlled and generous lives. I am not saying anything against that. I can also say the same for Judaism, Islam, and secularists. That is not the contention. The question is whether the two worldviews can be brought together. I believe they are distinct. You can only join them if you gut the Christian worldview. If you say "all paths lead to God" you are embracing the Hindu dogma at the expense of Jesus' teaching. That's how I see it.
What about Irresistible Grace? Aren't you a Calvinist, for Pete's sake?
"All things are permissible, not all things are beneficial."
There are a lot of things that help cope with the difficulties of life. A nice drink at the end of the day. The thrill of flirting. A bit of self indulgence with the credit card. Loosing myself in music from my youth. A championship run for a sports team. A high adrenalin outing. A good movie.
There's probably nothing wrong with most of it, in fact a good amount of it should be received as good gifts from our creator God. Problems develop when these things start become regular pieces of my "make life work" strategy and when the become fixtures of my narrative and become deeply attached to my identity.
The question here as I understand it is "Is Yoga a good idea for a Christian?"
Yoga makes no sense if you do it once, kind of like going to church. The payoff of the discipline, of the system, is in the repetition and the devotion to it. What does Yoga offer? How does it claim to deliver on its promises? What will it require of you to obtain those promises?
My understanding of Yoga is that it asks you to give it your time, your heart, your attention, your allegiance and in return it offers to give you a new perspective on your experience of living, a perspective on your existence, a power and an energy to achieve what you want to achieve. It doesn't demand that you submit your will to it because "the universe" has not will, it is impersonal. This gives you power. It offers to put you in the driver's seat of existence. You are the center.
I find this antithetical to Christian devotion, much of which is designed for submission of our will to the will of the Father. The Christian path is not one of self-actualization, or of being awake to the illusion of diversity and differentiation, but of living out the life of the age to come in the present age of decay. Of embracing the cruciform life of "your wellbeing at my expense" towards God and our neighbors and receiving the first fruits of the resurrection while the age of decay robs us of life.
The goal of the Christian life is not finding your power but releasing your claims and receiving from the Father your inheritance.
Yoga, like many things, makes claims and offers and asks for something in exchange. Do you want what it offers? Are you willing to pay what it requires?
I would suggest that the more you invest in yoga the more you will not only appreciate what it offers but you will also believe its view on the world. Why would you invest in it if you didn't initially embrace its claims and what it is promising to give to you?
Many things offer to give life in the age of decay. I say it can't be done. You will stretch, you will have experiences of peace, of power, of seeing, of community, of hope for greater well being in the future. I have no doubt of this.
But the age of decay will rob you of your youth, your ability to stretch. You will lose your friends. Your relationships, your achievements, your desires will all break down and be taken from you. This world can't get by on maintenance, it needs resurrection.
You may imagine that the greater sense of peace, control, confidence, etc. that Yoga is offering you gives you more patience with your neighbor, it may even seem to help you love your enemy, but I'd suggest that what it is in fact doing is offering this to you at the expense of desire. Most of these systems, including Buddhism offers greater control at the expense of love. Your desire of an outcome is diminished by greater contemplation on oneness or on the idea that your differences are illusory. In the end, you may need to separate yourself from people whose presence seem to disturb your sense of peace and control.
Christianity works differently. In the gospel we are in training to love our enemies, which means that we have love AND loss at the same time. Loss is endured and is fruitful in our participation in the cross and then more than compensated in our resurrection.
So, what do you want to train in? For me, that is the question. pvk
http://zudayoga.com/Our_Progra...
"Without the practice of yoga, How could knowledge Set the atman (soul) free? asks the Yogatatva Upanishad. Yoga: union with the ultimate. Carl G. Jung the eminent Swiss psychologist, described yoga as 'one of the greatest things the human mind has ever created.' Yoga sutra consists of two words only: yogash chitta-critti-nirodah, which may be translated: “Yoga is the cessation of agitation of the consciousness.” The word yoga is derived from the root yuj, which means to unite or to join together. The practice of yoga may lead to the union of the human with the divine - all within the self. The aim of yoga is the transformation of human beings from their natural form to a perfected form.”
Sushama Londhe, A Tribute to Hinduism
How do the breathing exercises and the physical poses “Harmonize” our soul, (the inner man that potentially enjoys fellowship with Jesus), our mind, (our intellect and imaginative capability) and our body? In reality these exercises foster non-thinking, non-rational states of being that promote a sense of inner peace and acceptance of the world as it is, not an awareness of sin, falling short of God’s ideal and the need for redemption, restoration, and a savior. That is dangerous.
I can answer that. I was a happy atheist until I started practicing yoga regularly. The unintentional byproduct of something that was great for my body also began to quiet my pride and quell the pain and anger that had been drowning out the subtle voice of the Holy Spirit. Through yoga and mediation, I was able to put all that garbage aside and listen to my God for the first time in my life. It brought down all my self-made illusions into a pile of dust. Eventually, I returned to the church that I had utterly renounced more than half a lifetime ago.
Any yogi will tell you, it isn't so much an "inner wisdom" that you are tapping into, but an "outer wisdom." One that is bigger than we are, one that is beyond us. Who is that, if not God?
My yoga practice not only unifies my mind and body, but it quiets the internal chatter of my ego and reminds me of what really matters. At the close of each practice, in shavasana, I hear the resounding mantra of "everything has a purpose, everything happens for a reason, and everything is going to be alright." That's the voice of Jesus.
And to deny that "inspiration or spirituality" comes also from outside the Bible is to deny the power of prayer, which is different from the Bible. It is to deny the power of fasting, which is outside the Bible. It is to deny the power of dozens of spiritual practices the Church has found helpful through the centuries. Western Christianity has grown uncomfortable with Spiritual Disciplines after the Enlightenment. We've thrown away what our forebears found extremely helpful in drawing close to God, as many of the comments on this thread display. :-) I understand caution, but I also believe this caution is under-informed.Maybe a helpful question is "what distinguishes yoga (the topic actually under discussion) from the contemplative prayer the church has found helpful for two millenia?"
In Hinduisms, the point of meditation is to get past Maya (deception) to realize that you don't actually exist as you think you do; you're part of the greater whole. So the point is to (as Rick points out) basically empty your mind, to see that you really are empty/nothingness.
Every Christian I've ever heard advocate anything that looks like this (meditation, yoga, etc) makes this important distinction: In these disciplines, you are NOT trying to empty yourself or your mind. That's pointless in Christianity, if not downright dangerous. You're rather trying to calm your mind to reach some further ends (contemplation of God, a state where you can pray meaningfully, etc).
So I think my real question is, is meditation wrong with this caveat understood? I think it's not.
Then my next question (for those who agree with the above conclusion): is yoga is yanked from the context of a Hinduism, and placed in a radically different context (Christianity) and done somewhat differently, is it still Yoga?
Yoga is a problem not because of the movements, or that it is in itself ungodly, but because of the significance it has in the context of a form of Hinduism. Taken out of that context, changed, then plopped in Christianity, is it a problem?
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