Christ-Centred Yoga FAQ
Introduction
Yoga is one of the fastest growing industries in North America, and every week, millions of men and women walk into yoga studios with the hopes of improving their health and wellbeing.[1]
How is the church to respond?
For Nick and Jamie, we felt called to bring Jesus to people in the places they lived, worked, and exercised, and decided to train as yoga teachers at a Christ-centred yoga school. However, as we journeyed toward certification and ministry through yoga, we were surprised to also discover how much Christ-centred yoga personally allowed us the opportunity for a profound connection with God as we worshipped him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
This blog post will share some of the extensive research we did before deciding to pursue this line of outreach and ministry.
What is yoga?
In its simplest definition, the word “yoga” means “to unite” or “to yoke,” and refers to the uniting or yoking of breath to movement. There are three main components to modern-day yoga: breathing, movement, and meditation. However, within these components are a plethora of yoga styles and types, and they are not all the same.
“The Christian yoga I know is not the yoga of Hinduism.”
~ Michelle Thielen, founder of YogaFaith
What is the history of yoga?
The actual origins of yoga remain a topic of debate, as it was originally an oral tradition passed from teacher to student. A written record of yoga came centuries later, after it had been established in several schools of thought.
That said, yoga likely originated in south Asia over 5,000 years ago. As it spread from the Indus Valley to the far east and eventually modern western culture, yoga evolved into many different lineages and types. The first recorded yoga practices focused on meditation. Breath and movement came later.
Yoga is not a religion in and of itself, nor was it associated with any religion at first. It actually predates many of the religions that have incorporated yoga into their spirituality and usurped it for their purposes. Today, some yoga is presented in a secular context that has no elements of spirituality attached to it. Other times yoga is connected to spirituality.
Interestingly, however, the yoga we know today is likely a mash-up of European health and strength regimes with Indian physical traditions and wrestling exercises.[2] For example, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Danish system of dynamic exercises known as Primitive Gymnastics spread from Europe to the Indian subcontinent. By the 1920s it was one of the most popular forms of exercise in India, according to the Indian YMCA. The most popular was a Swedish exercise regime developed by P.H. Ling.
Both these schools of exercise independently (neither inventor had been to India) utilized many of the postures now found in modern-day yoga, and influenced many Indian yoga practitioners.
“Scandinavian gymnastic keep-fit drills were introduced in schools and military training throughout India. During the 1920s and ‘30s… a new generation of Indian fitness enthusiasts began to re-invent yoga as a modern, homegrown system for health and strength which could be practised by ordinary people. In the process, these yoga innovators adapted many physical postures and techniques that had previously not been part of traditional yoga practice.”
~ BBC Radio broadcast
Isn’t yoga an eastern religious practice? Shouldn’t followers of Jesus just avoid it?
Historically, yoga has been associated with eastern religious practices. However, as mentioned above, yoga is not a Hindu or Buddhist practice, and perhaps not even a fully eastern practice. Some Hindus practice yoga, and some Buddhists practice yoga. But that does not make yoga only a Hindu or Buddhist practice, just as a Hindu or Buddhist person praying or fasting does not make prayer and fasting only a Hindu or Buddhist practice.
As prayer, fasting, and singing are used by multiple religions as spiritual disciplines, so too is the movement of our bodies as embodied prayer.[3] No one religion “owns” what we do with our body. God owns our bodies, and our bodies are to be a living sacrifice to Him alone.
So in short, yes, yoga is used in the east. But no, it is not only used in the east, and it is not a religious practice, unless the practitioner makes it one.
It is more accurate to see yoga itself (the movements and meditation) as a non-spiritual vessel into which you can insert any spirituality. In the same way that Christian runners can bring their worship and spirituality into the activity (I often pray when I run), Christian yoga practitioners can also bring their worship and spirituality into the activity.[4]
At The Wild Way, we’ve chosen to fill the movements and meditations with Jesus.
Is yoga in modern western culture the same as it was in the ancient east?
“While dating back more than 5,000 years, yoga has changed more in the past 30 years than in all its history.”
~Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga, 2010
Yoga has changed much since it was first introduced to North America. Whereas it was once very closely connected to eastern spirituality, the development of yoga in the west has brought with it the growing separation of yoga and any religion associated with it. The focus of much present-day yoga has shifted to health and wellness, and the majority of yoga classes offered in studios today are fitness-centric, with no mention of spirituality.
Yoga has changed so much that people in the “traditional” yoga environment say that the yoga tradition is gone, and yoga has simply become a secular practice.
“Yoga’s many benefits continue to be recognised by modern western science and different cultures forming what is now the modern-day adaptation of yoga - arguably completely separable from any religion or adaptable by any religion as a spiritual practice.”
~ Christian Yoga Association
It is in this environment that we infuse Christ-centred worship into the secular practice of yoga.
Are yoga poses used to worship different gods?
It is accurate that the Hindu religion associated certain poses with the worship of certain Hindu gods, but it is not the pose itself that worships the god – it is the Hindu spirituality inserted into the pose that worships the god.
Interestingly, when I played sports, I did many of the same stretches when I was warming up for or cooling down from sport (without knowing they were yoga poses). Even the simplest stretch to touch one’s toes is a yoga pose.
I wasn’t worshipping any god then, because my mind and heart were not focussed on these gods. It is not the postures themselves that worship other gods, it’s what we do with our mind and heart while we’re in these postures.
The position in which we put our body is not spiritual. Our mind and heart are what make a body position spiritual. If a person is in a Child’s Pose (on knees, bowed down), they could be worshipping God (because Christians bow down), Allah (because Muslims bow down), some Hindu god (because Hindus bow down), or they could just be stretching their lower back (because athletes “bow down” to stretch this area).
The physical poses done in yoga are simply ways to stretch and strengthen our bodies. The intention we import into these movements are what make them spiritual or not. When a person raises their hands while watching a sports game, they are not being spiritual. When they do in church, they (usually) are. The only difference is the intention of the heart.
The Wild Way, because our goal is to encounter and worship Christ, movement and meditation are centred on Jesus and the Scriptures.
How is Wild Way Yoga different?
At The Wild Way, we have removed all associations with other religions or non-Christian spirituality, and we infuse our classes with meditations on Scripture, prayers, and moments to encounter Jesus. We use yoga for the purposes of Jesus (taking his good news to people and helping followers of Jesus grow in their faith), and we are very intentional about centring our yoga classes on Christ.
In all this, we are discerning and prayerful about what types of yoga we use in our classes (as mentioned, there are many different styles). Because different traditions of yoga emphasize different things, there are types of yoga we do not incorporate into our classes, because they are not helpful in allowing people to encounter Jesus. [5]
Are all Wild Way’s classes centred on Christ?
Yes, they are all centred on Christ, but they are not all overtly spiritual. Some classes are fitness-centric, but even in this context, Christ is the centre.
If you’re focused on Christ, why use the name “yoga” at all? Why not “Christian stretching” or something similar?
The reason we still use the name “yoga” is twofold. First, because many people who do not go to church go to yoga. Non-Christians go to yoga, and we want to use this setting to help them encounter the love of God. However, these same people who go to yoga classes will stay far away from “Christian stretching” classes.
Second, it would be disingenuous to call it one thing, and then surprise people with something else. No matter what name is attached to it, the class would be identical (as we use the same poses), so we might as well call it what it is. There is no spiritual power in the word “yoga,” thus no need to avoid its use.
Is it working? Do Wild Way’s yoga classes help people connect with God and experience his love?
The answer is a resounding YES. Many people who attend our classes (whether they are followers of Jesus or not) comment on what an amazing experience it was for them. Further, almost every follower of Jesus who has come has encountered Jesus and deepened their faith.
Conclusion
We understand there are many different opinions regarding yoga. We are not “yoga-evangelists” hoping to convert people to practicing yoga. If it’s outside a person’s comfort zone, then they likely should not do it.
However, we hope this help you, the reader, understand why we do it ourselves and offer it to others as a tool for spiritual formation. We are committed to do all we can help followers of Jesus grow, and to create a sacred space for anyone to encounter the transforming love of Jesus.
I treat yoga like Paul’s issue of food sacrificed to idols (1 Corinthians 8). Some Christians are able to engage in a yoga practice as a worshipper of God, and some are not comfortable with the idea. Yet, for the sake of the gospel, we each prefer one above the other, cheering each other on in our Christian journey and mission.
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[1] Some of the physical benefits often attributed to yoga include flexibility, strength, muscle tone, pain management, and breathing capacity. Mentally, yoga is said to offer calmness, stress reduction, and body image awareness and healing.
[2] BBC Radio broadcast, June 2016.
[3] Many times in Scripture worshipers of God are commanded to use movement and the position of their bodies as an act of worship, including dance, bow down, lift holy hands, and kneel.
[4] The correlation of something to a different religious practice does not mean it cannot be redeemed by God. For example, Christmas trees are a welcomed part of our winter tradition, even though the use of them originated from a pagan ritual.
[5] For example, there are yoga styles (like Kundalini) and other elements of different yoga traditions that teach a philosophy not in line with Christian faith or values. We do not use these at The Wild Way. We do not delve into any eastern religion, or chant, or use Sanskrit words.
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Photo by Kristopher Allison on Unsplash