Is it Okay for Christians to Practice Yoga?

Dear Roger,

As a Christian, is it okay to take yoga classes since yoga is from a non- Christian practice?

Faith

Dear Faith,

Yoga originated and may still be used in a non-Christian way. You would want to avoid using, practicing, or attending yoga classes with religious overtones.

On the other hand, Yoga is practiced today by many solely for physical strength, flexibility and meditative purposes. I would not hesitate to use yoga in a non-religious setting for your own personal health and profit. Most exercise clubs offer yoga classes without the religious overtones.

The term, “yoga,” refers to traditional physical and spiritual disciplines which originated in India. Based on images in the Indus Valley, yoga was practiced at least 5,000 years ago. The practice of yoga was codified between 1500 and 1200 BC and has spread throughout many civilizations and religions as a way to meditate and quiet one's mind while merging with the infinite. Yoga is an integral practice of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism as well as a plethora of smaller religions.

I was not at all surprised to Google “yoga” and find that the number of yoga-exercise sites outnumbered the yoga-religious sites by about four to one. One yoga center focused on the religious significance of yoga, promoting its classes of yoga as a:

path of self-study and meditative attunement which induces a direct perception into the nature of consciousness, the patterns of your mind and of Life itself. It is the art of total balance, a science for harmonizing the disparate parts of your being into wholeness, a way of creative living (This a direct quote from Goswami Kriyananda).

On the other hand, another site promoted only the exercise and fitness aspects of its yoga classes.

Bikram's Yoga College of India … invites you to come in and experience the most exciting, challenging, effective and amazing hot yoga you'll ever encounter! Scientifically designed by Yoga expert Bikram Choudhury, the series consists of 26 postures (asanas) and two breathing exercises, performed in a given order in a heated room. This series is designed to benefit every muscle, tendon, joint, ligament, organ, gland and cell in your body. It will detoxify you and improve the functioning of all bodily systems. Our certified instructors will guide you through the 26 Bikram postures helping you to achieve the maximum benefits from your practice. Our studio has separate men's and women's changing areas and showers ready for our guests. So come prepared to work hard, sweat, and have fun!

Some Christians take the position that any contact with yoga is wrong. For example, in 1989, the Vatican declared that Eastern meditation practices such as yoga can "degenerate into a cult of the body.”

Some Christian organizations consider the practice of yoga to be inherently tied to its religious background, and therefore, a non-Christian religious practice. Some also consider yoga to be a part of the New Age movement and therefore inconsistent with Christianity.

Personally, I would no doubt benefit from a yoga class at the fitness center. Unfortunately, I am afraid that I might rip some muscle that I didn’t even know existed and be laid up for weeks. Frankly, I see no problem with a Christian taking part in yoga classes that are basically for fitness and exercise.

On the other hand, as a Christian, I would never be comfortable—nor would I ever—place myself at the feet of anyone who was teaching yoga from a religious perspective.

I hope these thoughts are helpful to you. Exercise well.

Love, Roger

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Comments

I wanted to thank you for addressing this! I am finding more churches offer yoga classes and yoga groups and it's refreshing to see the change in attitude. One thing I find enriching about yoga that many people miss in the quest for a perfect figure or trendy yoga outfits is that the exercise itself is incidental to the workout of the mind...all that stretching and straining is centered on the idea that physical stress clears your mind. Those who practice regularly may notice that is it easier to pray, read scripture and meditate on God's word without being distracted. Training your mind to be disciplined and focused is something God desires for us: "Be still and know that I am God." Yoga helps me work on that discipline.

Erin , 06/22/10 01:39 PM

Great post Roger. I am born again and practice yoga almost every day. I practiced it before I was saved and continue to do so. On the rare occasion I've been in a class where a teacher starts to teach something we no to be untrue, I just say to God, "Lord, you died for her/him and please let your Truth be known to this teacher, that they too might be saved." Regardless of what they teach in these classes regarding untruths, our belief in Jesus trumps anything anyone tries to teach. Simply, reject the teaching in Jesus' name and make sure to love everyone in your yoga class the same way Jesus love you. God bless you!

Lilly Ferrick , 11/16/10 06:10 PM

Thank you for this! I kind of feel that the world has stolen the idea of healthy bodies and that we as Christians need to reclaim the concept of our bodies as dwelling places of God. During the meditation part of my yoga practice, I offer up thanks or meditate on Jesus or the miracle that is the human body. I feel like I'm reclaiming something holy. Having said that, though, there are some Christians around whom I never discuss the fact that I do yoga--they would jump to pretty unpleasant conclusions.

Jennifer K , 11/18/10 09:48 PM

I appreciate your comments and agree that non-religous based yoga that emphasizes the physical benefits of yoga are indeed acceptable for christians. I caution that one must use discernment if you are atteneding yoga classes. Most classes offered at Gyms usually don't have the religous underpinnings of yoga. Most of the arguments I hear against yoga are based on the religous side of yoga and not the physical practice. If you are thinking about it pray and ask God, he is the final authority if you feel his prompting to not take it then don't! If you pray and really ask God about it and he permits it then do it. We all as Christians are blessed with a personal relationship with God so excersize that relationship pray and seek God he will never lead you astray!

James Harrell , 07/11/12 06:29 PM

Some professing Christians see no reason for concern, however, such as defrocked Catholic priest turned Episcopal priest Matthew Fox, as Yoga Journal reports:
But what if the religious people in your life won’t let you sidestep the doctrinal controversies (for instance, the propriety of chanting a Hindu deity’s name)? [Matthew] Fox sees no problem with challenging them back: “....If there’s been too much God-talk in our brains, then other names, whether it be Brahma, Shiva, Shakti, what have you, can add to our repertoire. It’s not a subtraction. If our God is so fragile that He or She is threatened by new names then we ought to look at that.”48
This is an amazing thing for an ordained Christian minister to say. Has he read the Scriptures of his own religion? God’s First Commandment was, “You shall have no other gods before me.” His Second Commandment was, “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exod. 20:3–5). Throughout the Old Testament the emphasis remained the same, with Yahweh visiting severe judgments upon the Israelites when they invoked the names of other gods (see, e.g., Deut. 18:20; Judges 10:14; Zech. 13:2). The New Testament takes a similarly unfavorable view of idolatry (see, e.g., 1 Cor. 6:9–10; 1 John 5:21; Rev. 22:14–15).
The God of the Bible has made it quite clear that He does not identify with the gods of other religions or receive their worship as His worship. Fox may feel qualified to psychoanalyze God’s dislike of idolatry, but

Karen Shaw , 07/15/12 07:47 PM