The International Yoga Federation reports that more than 300 million people in the world regularly practice yoga, a combination of body movements, breathwork, and meditation. Yet how many of those 300 million are Christians, and should they participate in this practice that is based on ancient Hindu philosophy? Is it possible to do yoga without affecting your commitment to the Lord–in other words, without committing a sin? There are many things to consider, so let’s take a look at the origins and components of yoga, as well as what some Christian leaders say about yoga, to determine if you want to participate.
What Is Yoga—and Where Did it Come From?
Yoga is an ancient practice that developed in India roughly 5,000 years ago. It consists of movements (asanas), breathwork, and meditation that are designed to bring a person into body/mind/spirit alignment.
According to Britannica.com, yoga is one of six arms of Indian philosophy. Yoga is an evolution of self, which Hindus believe happens in eight stages. Only one of those stages involves “physical preparations that condition the body to make it supple, flexible, and healthy; the physical aspects of Yoga have been most successfully popularized in the West.”
The Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India states, “Yoga is essentially a spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle science, which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body… As per Yogic scriptures the practice of Yoga leads to the union of individual consciousness with that of the Universal Consciousness, indicating a perfect harmony between the mind and body, Man & Nature.” This makes it a “divine” consciousness that puts the believer on an equal footing with Hindu gods. The goal of yoga is self-realization, a very inward-focused practice.
There are several obvious issues with this definition as it relates to Christians practicing yoga. As Christians, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, which clashes with the thought that our “consciousness” unites with the “universal consciousness." We were created by the One True God and for His will. He sent His one and only Son to die for us to bridge the gap between us and His perfect holiness. We will never be co-equal with God or joined with His “consciousness."
Can You Separate the Physical from the Spiritual in Yoga?
The biggest issue in the argument about whether Christians should practice yoga has to do with whether the tenets of Hindu religion that form yoga can be extricated so that Christians can just participate in the movements for exercise. Depending on which Hindu or Christian you ask, you will hear arguments on both sides of the question.
In the article “Christian Leaders Warn About Dangers of Yoga, Commend Practice of Meditation” Scott Slayton quotes pastor and theologian John Piper’s warning that “‘the roots of yoga are radically different than the roots of Christianity.’" He writes that it is “profoundly in those roots antithetical to a Christian understanding of God and the way he works in the world.” He strongly recommends that Christians find another form of exercise that is not tied to such a history. On the other hand, he recommends Christ-centered meditation as a means of “maximizing rather than minimizing my pursuit of God’s goals and the flourishing of my own soul."
The article “Is It Okay for Christians to Practice Yoga?” notes that the Syro-Malabar Church, a Catholic church in India, recently issued a statement about Christianity and yoga. Not surprisingly, it said, “There is danger in interpreting the results obtained through yoga practice as spiritual benefits. Hindu leaders also do not agree in presenting yoga as separate from Hindu religion.” It went further to say, “The experience of yoga is that the practitioner, nature, and God become one, but according to Christianity, nature and God cannot become one.” Technically, therefore, to practice yoga is to participate in the spiritual underpinnings as well. And that goes against what the Bible tells us is right in God’s eyes.
What Does the Bible Say about Practices from Other Religions?
The Bible explicitly speaks against a believer’s involvement in anything that is associated with other religions or gods. Most notably, the first commands that God gave to His chosen people were:
“You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image 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 parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandment” (Exodus 20:3-6).
In the Old Testament, God consistently warned the people about marrying into other belief systems and participating in their rituals. Some examples of those who failed to heed these warnings and suffered consequences included:
King Solomon who married many foreign wives who worshiped other Gods (he even built altars around Jerusalem where his wives could show their devotion).
After Solomon’s death, rival factions separated Israel into 2 nations: Israel to the north and Judah to the south. Over hundreds of years each nation had several kings, and many displeased God. King Ahab, for instance, was influenced by his wife Jezebel to promote Baal worship, building “high places” and “asherah poles” for rituals. Also King Manasseh brought pagan idols into God’s temple, and even practiced child sacrifice. In all of these situations, God’s wrath came against these kings for disobeying His command to have no other gods. The consequences varied, but in all cases God removed His blessings and protection.
Does that mean God would remove His blessing from a Christian who practices yoga? Is that person worshiping an idol or false god? It depends on what they are trying to do with it. Many Christians simply see it as a great form of exercise and a way to strengthen the lungs through breathwork. In that case, they are not practicing true yoga; they are going through the postures or “asanas.”
Rev. Amy Peeler, Ph.D, a New Testament professor at Wheaton College, believes that Christians can use this method of exercise and meditation to glorify God. “God wants us to respect our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit, caring for it as best we can, and yoga can be a great way to stretch and strengthen our bodies.” However, she warns that “it needs to be respected as a gift from God and not worshipped. Also the breathwork that is a key component of yoga can enhance a practice of meditating on God. Whatever we do, we need to be cognizant that it is God who is receiving all of the honor and praise, not ourselves or another deity.”
What about “Christian Yoga” – Is it Truly Christian?
This is a great question to address if you are a Christian who loves to do yoga postures for health. I believe it is a question of semantics. “Christian Yoga” is an oxymoron. It’s like saying “Christian Zen." I agree with the pastors who say that to be involved fully in yoga is antithetical to being a devout Christian. But I would also say, like Dr. Peeler, that Christians can do these same movements without worshiping a false deity. God is the author of every way our body can twist and move; Hinduism does not own that. So if we do these movements, without getting into the other “limbs” of yoga, and use it as a time of worship with our body and breath, we can do a Christian “form” of yoga, but it’s not really yoga.
Some practitioners have put together a program of postures to help individuals stretch and strengthen their bodies that combines scripture or worship music. In this sense, I think this is as close as we can come to “Christian yoga,” but we need not quibble over what we call it. Perhaps some who do call their program “Christian yoga” may not think anything of using that moniker because they can separate out the (wrong) spiritual from the physical exercise.
How Can Believers Discern What Honors God When it Comes to Yoga?
Believers should know in all things and at all times if what they are doing is honoring to God. If we know that there is some controversy over the practice of yoga, and we attend a yoga studio or do a yoga video, we need to be aware of what is said or what music is played. If it centers on the person, on a false god, or on anything that sounds like the person is striving for oneness with the divine, then stay away.
Even if we simply do postures on our own or with other Christians, we still need to focus on God as the source of everything we are able to do. And we need to understand that many things can be considered worship. Moving your body to improve your physical/mental/spiritual health can absolutely honor God if He is your focus. Because these poses have the ability to make an individual feel stronger or leaner or more in control of their body, one must be careful not to make the practice itself, and the results in our body, an idol.
While there is much to consider when it comes to doing yoga as a Christian, whether it is a sin is a matter of where the mind and heart are during the practice. If we choose to ignore our Creator and make it about something other than physical worship, then we can easily fall into sin. But when we glorify Him with our bodies because we were “bought with a price” as it says in 1 Corinthians 6:20, I believe He is pleased.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Chelsea Gates
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).
