Much has been said about Yoga and Islam over recent months. So what about Yoga and Christianity? Is it OK for Christians to practice yoga?
The Bible does not say that you cannot do yoga, but many Christians remain opposed to the practice of yoga. Why is this so? The reasons usually given are along these lines:
1. Yoga has its roots in Hinduism and involves the worship of Hindu deities
2. Certain postures in yoga can be likened to the serpent who is also our spiritual enemy
So against this background I’ve decided to take a closer look at the Bible to see what God really says. (This article is rather long so I will be publishing it in three parts)
The Greatest Commandment
God’s greatest command to his people can be found in Mathew 22:37
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself.”
The cornerstone in Christianity is love and forgiveness. A question we should ask is whether yoga practice will take you away from this law?
Some Risks
When you practice yoga and start to improve, you may want to take it to a higher level. To take your yoga to a higher level will involve more yoga time and practice which if you are a Christian will come at the expense of your own time with God.
Love is spelled T-I-M-E… Just like you want to spend time you’re your boyfriend or girlfriend if you love him or her, God wants you to spend time with Him so that you will know Him better.
If your yoga takes away that time, then your worship is compromised.
Love your neighbour as yourself
Yoga is essentially inward looking. But Christianity is others-centred and God-looking. Jesus commands his followers to make disciples of all nations (Mathew 28:19). In doing so, communities are developed with love and fellowship to hold them together.
Yoga is about trying to find the Higher Self inside you so that a higher level of spiritual power can be attained. In contrast, the Christian’s power is drawn entirely from God, whose power is made perfect in a person’s weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Meditation
God seeks a loving relationship with His people and wants His people to know Him more intimately. And we know God through a number of ways, for example through meditation on God’s word.
In Psalm 1:2 the psalmist says:
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked…
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And on his law he meditates day and night.”
See also Psalm 63:6 and Psalm 77: 12,
Meditation in a Christian sense means to think about God, his goodness and his works in your life. It is conscious and focused on God – his character, his word and his works. In contrast the meditation in yoga is based on Eastern meditation methods involving the emptying of your mind. When our minds are emptied, we could be inviting other forces to take control of it. Demonic possession is known to occur through such meditation.
To be continued in Part 2…