I’m finding more and more controversy and discussion about Christians and yoga, Christian Yoga, etc.  There are of course two sides to every issue. On the one hand, many (including myself) believe that Christians can practice many aspects of yoga and incorporate them into their faith, leaving behind the aspects of yoga that don’t align with Christianity.  (I also believe that you can practice the physical and stress-relieving benefits of yoga to improve your health without any religious aspects…which would include our Demystified Yoga classes).  Others believe that no aspects of yoga can be separated from the traditional and spiritual parts and that Christians should steer clear.

With that in mind, I’m very excited to have stumbled upon Beth and her blog: lovecoloredglasses.  Below you’ll find a recent post from Beth’s blog on yoga and her Christian faith. (Thanks Beth, for sharing!) While I’ve studied the linkages and differences between a Christian point of view and yoga, and I’ve certainly gotten into many healthy discussions on these topics, I was struck by how well organized, insightful and scripturally grounded Beth’s post is…and wanted to share with you.  Whether you have hesitations about starting a yoga practice or just want to think on the idea of yoga and your faith, read on….  Yes, it’s a long post – maybe something to print and noodle on now and then…feel free to add your thoughts as well…let’s all keep talking…

——————from Beth & lovecoloredglasses————————————–

Alright. A question or pondering to answer, both for others and myself.

How does yoga fit with your faith?

Granted, yoga is a spiritual practice and discipline that is different from my own Christian faith.

And yoga is something to be careful with.  If you’re attending classes, you can end up with one that teaches a lot of the Eastern theology that goes with yoga. However, a lot of the principles of yoga fit in very well with my health and my relationship with God.

My main thought comes from Ephesians 5:9 – “(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)”, and Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” There is conflict between some of the Christian and Eastern spiritualities, which is where a lot of the fear comes from, but just because I don’t think they have it all right, doesn’t mean I think they have it all wrong either. I think some of the practices are helpful to me, and bring me closer to God, and others don’t help me, so I don’t utilize them.

Granted, I don’t know all of the answers, and if I am ever convicted by God’s Spirit that there are other places to direct my energy, there they will go. But as my experience has afforded me, parts of yoga, like the postures, and being aware of breathing and relaxing has been helpful. Instead of emptying my mind, I focus on resting in God’s love, and instead of focusing on connecting to the “divine spirit”, I try to focus on how centering my focus allows me to become a better vessel for the Holy Spirit. Yes, it’s changing language, but language structures how we see reality and the world.

For the rest of the post, the text I’m quoting will be in black, while my thoughts and scripture verses will be in italics.

Here is an illustration of the parts of yoga in relation to a tree.

The parts labeled on the tree are these:

• The “Yamas” or “restraints” outline the five things that the yogi must abstain from in his path to enlightenment.

1. Ahimsa: The Sanskrit word Himsa means violence, so Ahimsa translates literally as the avoidance of violence, or non-violence. However, the meaning of this extends far beyond refraining from physically harming your fellow man. The succinct definition of Ahimsa is to abstain from harming any sentient being in thought, word, or deed.
   This correlates with Christian concepts very well. Jesus talks about this. Matthew 5:21-22: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.”
2. Satya: The “Truth” referred to in the Sanskrit word Sat is the Ultimate Truth, the eternal truth of existence.
   Yes, we should seek the Ultimate Truth, God, revealed in Christ Jesus.
   Psalm 31:5 – “Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.“
   Our God is the God of truth.
3. Asteya: Sanskrit Steya means robbery; Asteya is translated as abstention from theft or stealing. Like the other Yamas, Asteya extends beyond the theft of an object from someone else. A person can steal or covet many intangible things, as well, such as attention, the control of a situation, or a child’s opportunity to learn something for himself.
   Don’t steal. It’s in the Ten Commandments. And Jesus takes the commandments to a similar letter when he talks about wanting to kill your brother is the same thing.
   Exodus 20:15 “You shall not steal.”
4. Brahmacharya: Brahma is the name of any one of a number of deities mentioned in the Vedas, Hinduism and Buddhism. The Sanskrit word char means to walk, and ya means actively, most often the compound word charya is translated as practice. The word Brahmacharya has been translated as “brahmic conduct” or “walking with God”, though frequently it is simplified even further into non-lust, or continence and self-control.
   Okay, so we’re not following a bunch of deities, but walking with God (the one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is important.
   Micah 6:8 – “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.“
5. Aparigraha: The Sanskrit term for “hoarding” is Parigraha, thus Aparigraha is to abstain from possessiveness, greed, selfishness, acquisitiveness.
   Again, I think this fits very well. If you have two coats, give one to your neighbor.
   John the Baptist says in Luke 3:11 – “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”
   Act 4:32 – “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”

• The “Niyamas” or “observances” are the five things that the yogi must strive to maintain in his life:

1. Shauca: Translations of Shauca are “purity” and “cleanliness”. This Niyama relates to the English cliché “cleanliness is next to godliness” and the idea of treating the human body as a temple.
   Temple of the Holy Spirit anyone?
   1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.“
2. Santosha: The word Santosha translates to the English word “contentment”. One key part of understanding Santosha is living in the present – neither longing for the past nor worrying about the future. It brings an awareness of the student’s responsibility for being where they are right now, acceptance of this, and understanding of how to move forward.
   We can’t change yesterday, and God tells us not to worry about tomorrow. Check.
   Matthew 6:31-34: “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
3. Tapas: The Sanskrit word “tapas” translates literally as “to generate heat”. Often, the English word used to summarize this concept is “austerity” or “discipline”, which does not explain the heart of this Niyama. What it really refers to is the student’s commitment, diligence and hard work.
   Keep on keeping on. “Run the race with diligence so as to get the prize” or something like that.
   Hebrews 6:11-12: “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
4. Swadhyaya: Swadhyaya has been subject to various interpretations: from the study of sacred texts to introspective self-study or self-analysis. This Niyama also refers to the Socratic concept of “Know thyself” – for it is only through an understanding of our own selves that we can see how they influence our interactions with the world around us.
   Maybe not specifically Christian, but I’m all about learning to understand myself.
5. Ishwarapranidhana: The English translations of this Niyama range: “Dedication to God”, “Living with an awareness of the Divine”, “Devotion to the Divine”, and “Surrender to God”. The central idea surrounding it is to offer one’s life to God, dedication of the fruits of all efforts to the Divine.
   Again, remember that we don’t worship a bunch of Gods, we worship one. But He does want our lives.

• Asana, the third branch of the Eightfold Path is the one with which most Westerners are familiar as “yoga” In most yoga classes, the Sanskrit word “asana” is used to interchangeably in English with pose or posture.
  This most familiar branch of yoga is helpful for taking care of our bodies and keeping them healthy.
• The fourth limb is called Pranayama and is about the lengthening and extension of the breath. With mindfulness and concentration, we can send the energy of the breath throughout the body, releasing tensions, supplying strength, and bringing stillness to areas where we are troubled. When practicing yoga, we often discover parts of our body that are tight, sore, numb, or painful of which we were not even aware. This is the process of developing mindfulness. The breath is also a useful tool for meditation. By bringing our awareness to the breath, by actually sitting in physical stillness and taking the time to simply listen to it, we can quiet the mind. Most of our thinking is simply illusions the mind creates to distract us from reality. We often miss out on our own lives by living inside our heads. When we calm the mind, we open our awareness to the direct experience of the present. It is at that moment that you discover your true nature and the nature of the world around you.
  God breathed life into man, and it is each breath that He grants us that enables us to keep on living. I don’t see anything wrong with learning how to utilize each breath to its fullest. And breath for meditation? I use breath prayers all the time when I’m stressed. (Inhale: Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, Exhale: Have mercy on me, a sinner.)

• Pratyahara is the withdrawal of the senses, or turning one’s mental focus inward. This is simple to describe or explain, but difficult to learn to do.
  Introspection is good, just don’t forget that God calls us outward to serve as well.
  Galations 5:13-14: “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
• The sixth limb is Dharana or concentration, described by Patanjali in Yoga Sutra 3:1 as “fixing of the mind within a point or area.” Whether by focusing on a specific chakra or energy center in the body, or by chanting a mantra such as “Om”, the meditation is centered on a specific space, sound or image. If the student is aware of distractions at all, then they are still making an effort to focus, or practicing Pratyahara.
  I agree with learning to focus, but be careful, as C.S. Lewis warned in The Screwtape Letters, that you don’t mistake God to be an object, or an object to be the focus of your worship. This is a lesson to be used in all areas of life though. Things are symbols, like the cross you wear, or the altar in your church, or the songs that you sing. Very useful tools, but remember that as we learn to focus, that God is beyond the object we use to learn to focus.
• One does not technically begin to meditate until reaching the seventh limb, or Dhyana. It is described as “uninterrupted flow”. Dhyana is effortless and seamless. The senses have been completely withdrawn.
  This one starts moving beyond where I’d like to be. I modify this step to being aware of being in communion with God. God is always with us, but we’re not always aware. The goal should not be to empty your mind completely, but to rid it of unhealthy things to make room for the things that God has for us.
  John 14:26-27: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
• The ultimate goal of the yoga student is Samadhi. This is the same Sanskrit word used in Buddhism for “enlightenment”. In The Storytelling Monk‘s glossary of metaphorical meanings in Sanskrit, Samadhi is described as “a state of inner calmness, which is born out of sincere practice.” Linguistically, the word Sama is derived from Samahita, meaning “balanced”, “complete”, “pure”, or even “dissolved”.
  A state of inner calmness is good. God desired to make us whole and complete beings. We were designed that way, but in our fallen world, things don’t work out that way. Again, like I’ve said before, this is one of those places where we must remember that the road that we take to get there is God, through His filling us with His Spirit, not emptying our minds before many deities.