Yoga and My Faith

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Yoga and My Faith

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One thing of which I am constantly aware is that many people of the various sections of the Christian faith have concerns about practicing yoga. I understand yoga was not a traditional “Christian” practice. However, I do not believe that having faith in Jesus Christ prohibits one from practicing yoga. In fact, I believe yoga can be a powerful tool in deepening your spiritual walk. In this post, I will address some things I think are important to know if you are a believer who would like to start your own yoga practice.

First, I want to be clear that I do not have all the answers. Overall, I cannot tell you what is right for you spiritually. That is on you to know your own convictions and be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit reveals to you. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:23 “Everything is permissible tome but not everything is beneficial”. You must determine for yourself what is beneficial for your faith.  

With that being said, I would like to share some ways in which yoga has deepened my own faith and how yoga has brought me closer to God.

What does “Yoga” even mean?

The Sanskrit meaning of yoga is “to yoke”. According to Merriam-Webster, one definition of “yoke” as a verb is “to join as if by a yoke”. My understanding based on my own yoga training, is that the practice of yoga is meant to unite the mind, body, and spirit. This can certainly begin to sound quite hippy-dippy and potentially problematic for believers. I think it is important to consider your “why” when it comes to practicing yoga. In Sanskrit, there is a word for this: “Sankalpa”, or intention. If you have ever taken a yoga class before, you may have heard the instructor refer to sankalpa, or setting an intention. For example, my intention for a yoga practice today may be to let go of things which I cannot control and focusing on what I can control. If you think about, we set intentions for many other things we do in life. The same goes for yoga. What is your intention?

     1 Corinthians 10:31 says “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ”

When I practice yoga, I do so with the intention to glorify God.

But doesn’t practicing yoga glorify the “Self”?

Some people may view yoga as glorifying the “self”. And for some, that may be so. But for myself, I know that I cannot become whole without God. He is the glue that holds me together. Sometimes, I forget that and I struggle to feel whole. Yoga helps me address the issues that may be causing me to struggle in my faith and center it back to God. Even in asana (physical yoga postures) teaching, you will hear me say “bring it back to center” when switching sides in a pose or transitioning between poses. Spiritually speaking, I aim to bring things back to center on Christ.

You may be thinking, but what about all the yogi talk about becoming “one with universe” and enlightenment, etc.?  For myself, I believe that I am one with Christ. Yoga helps me to remember this, especially in times of deep sadness or anxiety. In John 17:20-23, Jesus prays the following for all believers:

      “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they maybe one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

       Romans 6:5 says “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.”

Essentially, as believers, we are “yoked” to Christ. Therefore, as a believer practicing yoga, we are uniting our mind, body, and spirit with Christ. The intention is not to glorify ourselves or come to some self-serving enlightenment. The intention is to draw closer to Christ.

Parallels in yoga to Biblical teaching

In yoga, there is something referred to as the 8 limbed path. The first two limbs are called the Yamas and Niyamas. The Yamas are:

1.      Ahimsa (non-violence),

2.      Satya (truthfulness)

3.      Asteya (non-stealing)

4.       Brahmacharya(moderation)

5.       Aparigraha(non-hoarding).*

The Niyamas are:

1.      Saucha (purity of being)

2.      Santosha (contentment)

3.      Tapas (austerity)

4.      Svadhyaya (self-study)

5.      Isvara Pranidhana (devotion to a higher power)*.

Disclaimer: I am not sharing this in order to say that we should follow this as opposed to the word of God. I believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light. I am sharing this information to only draw parallels and see how these principles relate to us as believers.

Obviously, as believers, we have the devotion to a higher power, which is God. Also, the Bible is clear that we should treat others with kindness (non-violence), we should not steal, we should learn to be content, and we should be generous with our time, resources, and talent (non-hoarding). Paul also instructs the early Christians to examine themselves, which is basically the practice of svadhyaya or self-study that is referred to in yoga. However, this self-study is not self-serving. Read these scriptures and learn why Paul exhorted the early church to examine themselves.

     1 Timothy 4:16 “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

     2 Corinthians 13:5 says “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?

As you can see, it is not selfish to study ourselves. We must constantly examine our motives and our intentions to ensure that they are glorifying to God. We do this not only for our benefit and strengthening of our faith, but so that we can better serve others and love them as Christ loves. If we do not work on our own faith, how can we teach others about the faith?

Yoga has been a tool for me in the way that I often am able to learn things about myself, but it also is a time when I can rest in the presence of God. Especially during the savasana (the resting pose at the end of a yoga practice), or during a long restorative practice, I can really become still. Most believers are familiar with the scripture that says “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Yoga can give us an opportunity to literally be still, to draw our focus away from the numerous distractions in our lives and just rest in Christ.

Lastly, I’ll address the breath. Often, the breath is used to help center ourselves and regulate our nervous system so that we can truly find stillness. The breath is particularly important in a yoga practice, and where else does our very breath come from but from God? Acts 17:25 reminds us that “he(God) himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” Our breath is literally the life force that God put in us. When we bring our attention back to our breath, we are bringing our attention back to the Giver of that breath. That is powerful, and such a wonderful tool for dealing with anxiety, fear, and trauma in our lives.

With this already long post, I have barely scratched the surface of how the practice of yoga can be beneficial to a Christ follower. Ina nutshell, know that I do not practice or teach yoga as a religion - it is not intended to be taught as such anyhow. I do, however, believe that its benefits are more than just “stretching” or physical exercise. I believe that a believer can benefit spiritually from yoga if they follow their own convictions and guidance from the Holy Spirit. There are certain types of yoga practices I choose in which not to partake because I do not feel comfortable, and that is okay. You may choose to practice yoga as asanas (physical poses) only and omit any of the spiritual aspects, and that is okay. However, please do not be quick to judge Christ following yoga practitioners for using yoga as a spiritual tool.

Thank you for reading and hearing my heart on this matter. I pray that my words have been written in love and have given you, my reader, a better understanding of my heart. Please stay tuned for a future post in which I will address the topics of meditation and mindfulness in the context of Biblical faith.

With Light and Love,

Julia

*definitions of the yamas and niyamas taken from my yoga teacher training manual, copyright My Vinyasa Practice

**Cover Photo Credit: Photo by JonnySwales on Unsplash

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