Should Yoga Scare Christians?
The Oxford church I used to attend, St. Aldate’s, had a deliverance ministry written by Neil Anderson called Freedom in Christ. It required you to renounce various things. Including yoga.
I went through the course with two rather unintelligent but dominant women who over a exhausting period of 4 hours insisted I read out the book, orally recanting and renouncing and repenting of lists of things, no matter whether I had done them or not, or even knew what they were.
“What’s this?” “Never mind, repent and renounce it.” I did it to speed my exit!!
Putting yoga on this list is an example of Christian narrow-mindedness. Yoga is a system of exercises and deep breathing, which calms body and mind. It brings a relaxed calm of mind and clarity of thinking by stretching every muscle in the body—and in the process, giving one immense flexibility.
Yoga was originally an ancient Hindu spiritual practice, of course, but a Christian can use its system of slow stretches and deep breathing to calm their mind, to think about important, even spiritual things, to focus on Christ. This is particularly true in a class, in which the instructor tells you what to do, and you do it with your mind in a calm, alive state.
Yoga is particularly good for recognizing the body-mind connection celebrated by the ancient Greeks–a healthy mind in a healthy body. It is difficult to have clear, inspired, creative thoughts–or even pray and reach a breakthrough– in a stiff, restless, tense and uncomfortable body. Conversely, a restless, stressed, hyper mind causes physical restlessness and discomfort.
The Benedictines realized this mind-body connection when they balanced prayer, study and physical labour.
Yoga both calms the mind by exercising the body, and relaxes the body by calming the mind.
There is no inherent opposition between yoga and Christianity. I often pray or think while doing yoga in a class.
My father took it up in his late fifties, and practised it for 30 years, dying a very fit and limber 89.
I do yoga off and on, and when I am practising it regularly, I find it clears my mind, stills my emotions, helps me feel calm and even happy, and I am, of course, a whole lot more flexible and energetic.
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Yes, I too have had unintelligent people suggest we throw out all sorts of things. Some we did–and mildly regretted later. Some like throwing out jewelled elephants because the Hindus had an elephant God called Ganesha was just plain stupid!
I'm sure some good can come of Anderson's teaching but I some two predominant responses to it when it swept through our old church.
The first was fear and doubt. For example, one of the girls in our study began to experience back pain. One night while we were at her house she asked us to pray for her. The Anderson study leader went around her house looking at things and found an old Yoga VHS tape that she hand't done in five years – he told her that was the cause of the back pain – she had let this demonic influence in and it was manifesting as pain. The poor girl accepted that and threw the tape out. Months later she finally went to the doctor and found out she had a slipped disc. I saw many people get very fearful about any aches and pains they had.
The other response I saw to it was arrogance. As in, 'I read Anderson's book! Now I know how to take on demons! I'm a spiritual giant now!'
It was just a strange time. Made me want to study the Bible for Bible study and nothing else.
I didn't know that, Freda. Should get hold of one!
I've used breathing and meditation from the Buddhist tradition – but with a Christian emphasis – for many years. It sounds as if yoga would help me body, mind and soul……… after the hols. Btw there are several books on Christian Yoga.
Interestingly, I've just returned home from a talk by a Christian specialist in Chinese religions who said that the occult element in Tai Chi and Feng Shui can be harmful too. His view on yoga was that it depends…
It's only brought good to me, Roy and my father, so far, but of course, I am careful to focus on Christ during the breathing and relaxation exercises.
Anita
Quite extraordinary. How on earth can Freedom in Christ possibly equate with renouncing yoga?
There really are some very odd ideas out there.
Certainly there are some habits, behaviours even ways of life which run contrary to the Christian concept of a good life and most of us I imagine try to do our best to follow the rules but, Yoga???