Grammy's Essentials: Yes, You Can Do Yoga and Love Jesus

This post is a little long. I tried to edit it down but I thought that every paragraph brought out something valid. Enjoy!

I have been thinking about yoga for a while. I have several friends who regularly do it and they seem to love it. Around the fist of the month I asked my very best friend's opinion of it, and she kinda surprised me by her response. She had been doing it for over a year and loved it. She encouraged me to consider doing it and even challenged me to do a 30 day series with her. I thought, "Sure! It will be fun." I didn't do it. I procrastinated, got busy, etc. I really do not like doing new things, and this was as new as it got. I wasn't sure how I felt about it either. I mean, I'm a christian. Are we even supposed to do yoga? I didn't know. I was pretty sure it would be fine, but I decided to explore it and come to a solid conclusion on the topic.

If you were raised in Christian circles, you probably have some preconceived notion of what yoga is. You probably picture a hindu god (little 'g') with an indian man in a pretzel ball at it's feet. Maybe you picture a flower child living free worshiping everything as god and yoga and meditation as her religion. I can't think of a specific teaching encounter or even a conversation really in my childhood that made me feel either good or bad about this practice. I just know that I have been wary about it based on what I thought I knew.

Before I was married I was pretty fit. I was a runner, and I would get up before the sun and go to the gym. Meals were carefully eaten and weighed. I had more turkey lunchmeat and dry fresh spinach lunches and dinners than I can count. I was 5'10" tall and 170 lbs. I wore a size 8-10 jean and size small shirts. I inherited my grandmother's DNA and I wore a 34D bra. (look up those measurements - I could have been a model)

I tell you this because I need you to know that I spent a LOT of time focusing on my body. Some of the motivation came from pure vanity, but a lot of it came because of a series of heart wrenching breakups. I was still forced to see my exes regularly and it killed me. My revenge was to be the best version of myself I could be. It worked. Once I began to look great, I chose outfits that flattered my new body. People began to notice me, and I liked it. (Now, I was not dressing inappropriately, I have always been a modest person, but one can dress very attractively, leaving something to the imagination and still look fantastic.)I felt great, but I was not 'healthy.'

When your motivation is anger, pride and vanity, you associate those things with your actions. I DO NOT like heavy metal type music, but I filled my MP3 player with songs that were anything but calming. They had a great beat and the angry screaming and the confusion of the music helped me to focus in on my motivation and to push past my physical boundaries. I am a person who does not sweat easily, and I would leave the gym able to wring sweat out of my clothing. It was pain leaving the body and anger and pride taking its place. I was addicted to this lifestyle. Even today, as I have had on-and-off gym memberships I have to be careful because it is easy for me to slip into that mindset. It is almost all or nothing for me, perfection (which is exhausting and almost impossible to achieve) or pudgy.

Most people, christians even, would agree that exercising is not a sin. Actually, I could ask any person on the street if exercise is good for you, and they would probably say yes. The preconceived notion of what exercise is in every person's mind is most likely a positive one. It should be viewed as positive. It is good for you. it gets the blood pumping, it gets oxygen to all your muscles, it gives endorphins, which can help to make us feel great, and the list goes on. Exercise is not bad, but what people choose to do with it can be bad. Many people have 'worshiped' being fit. Many have abused drugs to reach their goals and have actually harmed their bodies in the process by not following healthy guidelines and rules for their routines. I worked at a gym for a short time, and I witnessed some people who's religion was fitness. The gym was their church and their bodies their god.

So, what about yoga? Isn't it just a form of exercise? I've found many differing points of view on the subject, and I find the discussion fascinating. Do a quick google search to see articles like this one, saying that doing yoga is like drinking bleach. Really, they say that is poisons your mind and opens it up for demons.

Then, there is this article from CBN.com that quotes Laurette Willis. She was active in the New Age movement for two decades before becoming a Christian. She embraced yoga and that entire lifestyle completely.

...Yoga was fun. In addition, the exercises really relaxed her mother.

But Laurette warns that yoga’s ability to bring a sense of calm is one of its deceptive charms: “That’s one thing people look at, too,” said Laurette. “They say, ‘My doctor, my chiropractor, my physical therapist says to do it. It helps me. I feel less stressful.’ Well, it wouldn’t be a hook if it didn’t have something good in it.”

Yoga also fulfilled a spiritual need in Laurette’s life. Though her family went to church, Laurette says she never heard the message of salvation preached there.

“We didn’t know about living the victorious Christian life,” she explained. “We were not aware of the deception that is inherent within yoga and its connections to Hinduism. It seemed so spiritual, so it was fulfilling a void that was in our lives. I have found that any part of our lives that is not submitted to the lordship of Jesus Christ is an open door for the enemy. … As I look back, that was the open door to the New Age for us. We began getting into Edgar Cayce, Ouija boards, crystals, and all kinds of things.”

I would maybe agree with Willis that when we open our minds and hearts blindly and let things in, it can have negative consequences. I am sure that her experience is a valid one. However, I would question it. Today there are many options for yoga, encouraged by those in the health fields that really have nothing to do with religious practice of any kind. You can do floor exercises and practice breathing deeply, relaxing and clearing your mind without chanting and meditating with the purpose of letting something in. I think your experience with yoga all depends on your motivation. As with me, and exercising, anything can be unhealthy if you allow it to be. The music I was hearing as I was pounding the pavement or toning my arms was full of expletives and without thinking about it, I started to use them in my conversation. I still struggle with them coming out today. I was addicted to the endorphin rush I had after my routine, and I was consumed with getting that feeling. 6am workouts were joined by afternoon runs and soon bed time crunches, jumping jacks and floor exercises became a part of my daily life. My time in the gym, thinking about the gym, preparing for the gym, etc. soon dominated my life. It took the place of devotions and prayer, etc. There simply was not time for God because of my need for this perfection.

I would challenge Willis on her statement though. She says, “We didn’t know about living the victorious Christian life." and that she "never heard the message of salvation preached at her church." First, I would question the church that never preached salvation. Secondly, the article she is quoted in talks about Christians doing yoga. Her experience before her salvation is a real one, and again, I will not question it, but her experience before Christ and her deep involvement in this entire culture should not have anything to do with why Christians should or should not do yoga. Third, she assumes (maybe implies?) that if you do yoga you can not submit it to God, and God can have no part of it: "I have found that any part of our lives that is not submitted to the lordship of Jesus Christ is an open door for the enemy." This seems to simply limit God. in Job 41:11 we read, "Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me."

I am a new mom my little one is 14 months old. I struggle with mild depression and some postpartum anxiety. Even before becoming a mom I tended to be an anxious person. I have an overactive imagination that rarely lets me fully relax. I am a bit OCD. If I get a chance to sit quietly, I count. before I even realize I am doing it I have quietly counted to 100. I find myself counting the corners in the room I am in. Within just a few minutes of being in a room I have counted all the doors and windows several times each, always in a clockwise motion. Often, when I sit, I have to put my body in a position that all my limbs, or toes, etc, are pointing at a window or door. I have no idea why I do this, but I really can not remember a time when I didn't have this compulsion. With a mind that is constantly busy, I have always struggled with just being. One thing you may notice about me if you spend any time with me is that I am constantly moving. I shake, pace, tap my fingers and toes, etc. Even as I type this I am swaying back and forth. While it sometimes drives others mad, I don't even notice that I do it most of the time.

It is easy for me to obsess over things, and as a result I tend to research EVERYTHING. There is a deluge of information running through my mind on countless subjects at all times. Most of the time, it is just how things are and I'm fine with it. However, it can be exhausting. For me, quieting my mind to focus on scripture, or to even just relax can be more of a struggle than a calming experience. Personally, I would love the opportunity to just let go of everything for a moment. I have high blood pressure, and I am sure slowing my brain would help to lower it. Clearing your mind and being present in the moment does not mean you are somehow forgoing the principles and building blocks of who you are. You are not a bad Christian because you let everything go for a moment.

Just as I am an emotional hoarder, I am a bit of a hoarder of things too. I find that the best way to clean my closet is by removing everything in there and seeing that beautiful place for what it is. Only then can I begin putting back the things that need to be there. Those size 8 jeans that I could never dream of fitting back into have no place in my clean, pretty closet or in my life. To me, that is what meditation part of yoga is. It is getting rid of all the clutter in your head so that you can focus on what is important. I find it truly hard to worship when my grocery list is running through my mind like a news bulletin. Psalm 19:14 says, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer." I find it hard to believe that the God I worship would frown on this practice. Again, I think it all has to do with your motivation.

Here are some resources I found that do not specifically endorse yoga for Christians, but they make a positive argument for emptying ourselves and meditating fully so that God can come into our lives and work in and through us. This seems to contradict the arguments from above that state that if you empty your mind it will be filled with demons and other evil, scary things.

Empty Yourself to be Filled Up

Walking with God: Spirituality in the Postmodern Era (page 154)
This sounds a lot like yoga to me.

Emptied to be Filled

Empty, Purify, Fill Me, and Pour Me Out, LORD
a collection of prayers and scriptures that talk about being emptied so we can be filled with God.

Not all christians are against yoga. There are a lot of them that can see the benefits it can add to your health and even your spiritual life. Christianity Today published a great article on the subject of christians doing yoga. The author, Agnieszka Tennant is all for it.

To dispel the stereotype at hand, let me witness that yoga has never had any negative influence on me, and it doesn't trigger any harmful religious impulses. Just the opposite is true. The three hours a week I spend doing yoga not only make me more flexible, tone my muscles, and relax me. They also draw me closer to Christ. They are my bodily-kinetic prayer.

Another article, found on RELEVANT.com by Doireann Fristoe discusses the topic very well. This may be the best article I have found on the subject. You should read it.

By practicing the physical aspects of the discipline, we develop an acute awareness of the natural state of our bodies, increased focus and heightened self-control (Galatians 5:22). If we are more aware of the natural state of our bodies, how much more can we be aware of when the Holy Spirit is moving within us?

Why do we pray? Why do we read Scripture? To be more fully connected to God, of course. If the Holy Spirit is dwelling within us, an inward practice is not selfish or demonic—it's necessary. For someone with the spiritual gift of discernment, this practice can be extremely valuable in cultivating your ability to recognize truth.

This was a comment on Fristoe's article which I found very powerful:

Meditation, Chanting, Worshiping with our whole body, and various postures of prayer are found throughout the entire Bible, old and new testament. Acts 17:28 declares, "In Him, we live, we move, we breathe and we have our being." Our temples should honor and glorify Christ if folks say they are indeed a Christ-follower. All of the above techniques are biblical, not [just] yogic. If you are a Christian you can redeem and reclaim these techniques for God's glory. There is no reason that any one person should point a finger at how others use yoga, or to whom and how people choose to worship. If you are a Christian and are looking for a "safe" place to practice, locate a nearby YogaFaith class. Jesus is first and yoga is second-these classes are truly Christ centered, where the intention, heart, mind, and spirit is set on God. Prayer, scripture, praise and worship music throughout the entire class. They are not just "safe" but profoundly sacred.

Julie Middleton is a friend of mine and maybe one of the healthiest people I know. Her business is even making people healthy (check out her website, Nourishing to Thrive) She is a dedicated christian and she does yoga daily. Here is what she has to say about it.

...yoga has been a huge part of my spiritual/physical/emotional healing journey. It's one of my favorite ways to connect with Jesus.

For me personally, I have found I do not view doing yoga any differently than I would pilates or a Richard Simmons workout video. It is convenient, as I can do it during nap times. It is quiet, and I often need some quiet in my life. Yoga is relaxing and does not make me feel like I need to get worked up in order to do it. It focuses on concentration, helps with posture (which I really need) and helps to stretch and lengthen bound up muscles. The deep breathing is great for slowing down, but it is also fantastic for your lungs I feel like yoga has just replaced the dancing debate among the Christian community. Some are for it, and some against it. I am even seeing a lot of the same arguments being used for these two debates.

I just did my fist yoga video. I loved it. My muscles burned way more than I expected them to but I didn't end my session feeling like I needed a massage either. It was a very grounding experience that i needed. This video had a mantra and I thought it was inspiring:

"I accept where my body is today and I show up for myself."

For me, this was exactly what I needed to hear as I began this new thing. In the past, the reason I have done any weight loss, exercise, etc, is simply because I don't like my body and I want to change it. I don't accept what I am and I end up pushing beyond what I can do and yes, I am one of those who end up hurting myself. Several times during the video she would say, "it's ok if you can't do it perfectly, accept where your body is and just show up."

Here is the 30 day challenge I am doing with my friend. I encourage you to try it for yourself. You can approach it as simply physical exercise, or you can go into it as a way to connect the spiritual and physical (which I believe is very important.) If you can get away from it all and do it alone, that is best, but just DO IT. The other day my friend was doing yoga and trying to relax and her toddler was throwing logos at her head. Not ideal, but she finished her routine (that's dedication.)