yoga

Should Christians Practice Yoga?

Mark Russell — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 08:51:10 -0700

Recently, my wife, Laurie, started taking yoga classes and has gotten a lot out of it. (you can see some of her comments here).

Years ago, I heard Christians murmur against yoga as an “eastern” or “spiritual” practice that ran against fundamental Christian teaching. I never concerned myself with it since I didn’t really care much about yoga.

But now, my wife is a fledgling yoga darling and I am increasingly seeing my need for it. All of this got me remembering the good ol’ days of warnings against yoga and got me reflecting again.

Mohler’s argument is essentially that yoga is a New Age practice and you can’t really divide the exercise from the spiritual purpose. He cites postmodern spiritual confusion for the reason many Christians (like my wife!) ignorantly practice it resulting in a form of syncretism meaning the mixing of religions.

As passionate as Mohler seems in his position, I’m prone to disagree for several reasons.

First, Christianity is fundamentally an eastern religion. These were the first words out of my wife’s mouth when I told her about Mohler’s blog. The context has that truth ringing deeper in my mind than ever before. As much as modern Christians imagine Christianity as a “western” religion, its roots are undoubtedly eastern.

References to Daniel praying three times a day and to meditation in the Scriptures shows that our historical practices of prayer are quite similar to those of other religions.

As a result, we have nothing to fear because of the “eastern” origins of a practice but it is rather something we can learn from. Perhaps it can even shake us out of the “western” captivity of the gospel.

Second, all truth is God’s truth. In many Christian circles there is a certain refusal to accept any part of another discipline if it doesn’t affirm every single aspect of Christianity. You can see this with science. In other words, some churches reject scientific teachings because those teachings don’t culminate with affirming orthodox Christian teaching.

A more balanced and reasonable approach is to realize that every discipline is imperfect and we should strive to take what is good and noble and reject that which is not. In the case of yoga, flexibility, building body strength, and exercise combined with relaxation and stress removal techniques is good and something we all need on a periodic basis and a part of the "sabbath" principle in Scripture. Granted some yoga tries to direct one’s energy toward other spiritual teachings and that’s what we should guard against. There is no need to throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater.

Third, Mohler’s blog reveals an even deeper and more troubling aspect, namely a black-white or good-bad way of viewing the world. Just because an activity or even a religion does not affirm Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life does not necessarily mean that it is all bad. Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism all have aspects that we should all learn from and redeem.

Life is more grey than many of us care to acknowledge. Living in the grey requires more discernment and humility and is often times more difficult than the black-white world. But it is a more honest reflection of reality.

Fourth, Christians have a long history of re-purposing “pagan” practices. The Christmas tree is a notable example. It would have been hard to divide the tree from its pagan roots, but Christians did. Many of our hymns were adapted from “worldly” bar tunes, even Amazing Grace. So, history has shown us that certain things can be used for new purposes without detrimental spiritual confusion resulting.

Fifth, Mohler’s blog carries the implication that we can be accidentally duped into engaging in a false religion. While undoubtedly there are many people who do not have spiritual clarity about what they believe or what they are doing, the idea that we can be worshipping another god against our knowledge seems quite dubious. I doubt anyone is accidentally worshipping Satan because they have a Christmas tree.

Sixth, as yoga has moved mainstream, there are now plenty of centers and instructors that are devoid of the religious/spiritual aspects of yoga. Mohler acknowledges this but says that you can’t really divorce the spiritual from the physical in yoga. I believe that is true for the Christ follower as well. If you do yoga to the glory of God then it’s a spiritual act. As yoga is secularized or even repurposed as a Christian act, we are again reminded that our spiritual loyalties are a matter of the orientation of our hearts and not the historical origins of our preferred exercise routines.

I would have posted all of this on Mohler’s blog but his is the only one I’ve ever seen that does not allow readers to post comments. Hmmmm….

The Practice of Being Comfortable in Being Uncomfortable

Laurie Russell — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:54:27 -0700

A new yoga studio recently opened near our home. I was excited when a friend informed me about it. Over this past Labor Day weekend, we traveled to visit Mark’s brother and his family. While there, my sister-in-law invited me to attend her Gentle Yoga class. It was wonderful. We stretched, breathed and relaxed for an hour. After the class, she and I walked to the coffee house next door and sat in the sun, sipped our drinks and chatted away. I still feel peaceful when I think of that morning.

Naturally I was thrilled when I heard about the studio. Was it possible that I’d be able to experience this peaceful yoga on a weekly basis? My blood pressure was lowering at the thought of it.

A week ago I entered the studio for my first class. The staff informed me of an introductory offer of “20 days for 20 dollars.” Can’t beat that - so I signed the dotted line. I walked into the studio, Hmmm, it’s a bit warmer than I remember the other yoga studio being. Oh well, what do I know about yoga?

What I didn’t realize that I was in a Bikram Yoga class. It’s a 90-minute class that is held in a room that ranges from 95 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. You go through a series of 26 stretches, poses and breathing exercises that make you wish you were dead (well…initially). There was no soft music or an instructor speaking calmly while spraying organic lavender - only a man with no body fat telling me strongly to push and pull harder.

Halfway through the class I wanted to bail but my pride kept me in the room. I left the class with a love/hate for Bikram. It was a great workout but I wasn’t sure if it was for me. However, I hated to not get my money’s worth on the introductory offer – so I went back. The next class went better.

Today was my third try and I believe I am being won over to the practice. I can see improvement in my ability to hit the poses. My flexibility has improved as well has my balance. It’s not easy and I’m not good at it but there is potential.

We were in the middle of a particularly hard pose (I would tell you the name of it but I still can’t understand the names) and many of us struggled to hold it and maintain our balance. The instructor guided us through it and while giving us mental encouragement, “Often in life we find ourselves faced with struggles and pain. During these times we are stretched and face pain. It is then we learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Not many are willing to go the less traveled path. But those who do, find true strength and peace.”

Wow – beautiful message.

I have no idea of this person’s belief system but God spoke strongly to me during that moment. Focus. Breathe. Don’t let the discomfort and pain deter you. It’ll make you stronger and direct you to my peace.

Life offers us many choices – some are pleasant and others are tough. The pleasurable moments serve a purpose and we’re meant to enjoy them. However, some paths we are to walk put us in heated situations and give us momentary discomfort. But, if we focus on God, breathe, move forward and endure the pain we’ll see progress, change and experience the joy of God’s peace.

How do you gather the strength needed to travel the narrow paths God has called you to?

Has anyone else out there tried Bikram yoga? Any thoughts on it?

Stress, Yoga, and the Distracted Life

Caroline Ferdinandsen — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:55:53 -0700

Got stress?

It’s nothing that a good yoga session can’t fix. A couple of stretching positions and some focused breathing can dissolve your troubles in a half hour. Between soccer practice, taxes, car repairs, bizarre co-workers, and bad hair days, stress levels are soaring in my California community. I guess a lotus position makes perfect sense.

Day spas are booming, too. A half-day’s program, with themes like “Utopia” and “Tiny Bubbles at Waikiki” sets you back about three hundred bucks. You need the first three hours to ameliorate the stress you incur with the cost of the treatment, leaving that last hour, baby, for a sweet fix. Sir Thomas More and Don Ho would be proud to be associated with such fine programs.

In my neighborhood, everyone likes the word stress. It’s blamed for male pattern baldness, bad marriages, lousy karma, and the common cold. Who knew? If I had known stress was such a killer, I would’ve signed up for yoga classes long ago and saved myself a lot of trouble.

God used to use suffering to get our attention, but he’s got less and less to work with these days. In the old days, priests used Paul’s thorn in the flesh and the afflictions of Job for their homilies on adversity. Amy Carmichael’s decades-long ministry to young Indian prostitutes left her bedridden, and Joy Davidson Lewis found her conversion from atheism to Christianity rewarded with early cancer. If only they had signed up with Tawny at the Aveda salon for a killer facial, maybe things would’ve worked out differently.

Most of the things we call stress are really self-imposed busyness that masquerades as authentic suffering. My husband’s seminary professor recently gave a surprising answer to the question “What’s America’s biggest sin?” His response? Busyness. Why not choose materialism or vanity or sexual addiction or pride? Perhaps because he recognizes that a crowded life purposefully obscures God from view. All these activities can camouflage suffering, and in its place? Stress—a cheap substitute.

Suffering, with its festering wounds, forces us to meet with God on his terms. Stress, on the other hand, is easily negotiated with escapist television or a trip to the mall. Suffering creates an environment in which we are faced with questions of sovereignty. Stress asks far less penetrating questions, such as How can I prioritize my time better? or Which night is best for Bible study? Real suffering leads us to wrestle with God. Stress leads us to a martini.

Don’t mistake my thinking here. I’m not calling for widespread boycotts of pleasure in order to borrow the keys to the kingdom. That would be old school asceticism. Nor do I mean to discredit modern life as though somehow the old timers were holier than we are with their Dickensian-style misfortunes. But we would be wise to read John Donne’s words who says “No man hath affliction enough that is not matured and ripened by and made fit for God by that affliction.” David, who would be the first candidate for Paxil if he lived in my neighborhood today, had no choice but to confront his great sorrow in the Psalms by saying, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word . . . It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”

I don’t long for suffering to strike. I’ve felt its lashes before. But I also know that when it does, I will grapple with God in ways that I might not if I were merely tired, or overworked, or just plain ornery. I might have to take one of Donne’s beautiful sentences and make it my motto: “Affliction is a treasure and scarce any man hath enough of it.”

I don’t expect to find that posted at my neighborhood day spa anytime soon.

I Stole a Yoga Mat

Abbie Smith — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:23:46 -0700

The sun was shining bright and my post-yoga-class limbs were loosened-up for a new day. The better news though, was that while leaving the studio I’d acquired a new mat.

“Finders keepers, losers weepers,” I sung in my head. “So-long $19.99 sucker from Target that always makes me slip.” This new mat is posh and sturdy and made in Malaysia. My soundtrack was cut-short though, when bragging of the story to my sister Courtney the next day.

“You what!? You took that from the lost and found, Abb…what are you thinking!? That’s somebody else’s mat…good mat…and they’re probably a wreck about losing it.”
“Umm…oh…I…uh, thought you’d be excited. I was thinking that somebody lost something, and I found it, so now it’s mine. Their loss, my gain kinda thing?”
“Oh my god!” she exclaimed, “As if the lost and found is for everyone’s free taking?”
“Yeah,” I said hesitantly, still hoping to find the loophole that made me right. “Exactly.”

Much to my dismay, the conversation joined a kitchen-wide conversation a few hours later, inviting a wider critique on my apparently pilfering ways (for which my shame gage was slowly rising). And although yes, moralistic lenses concluded, one could take from the lost and found, as if a dumpster of pearls to bless the public, no, that wasn’t the lost and found's intention. In short, I had seen something better than what I had. And wanted it. So took what wasn’t mine.

I stole a yoga mat.

Jason Mraz has been flooding my ipod lately, and especially his latest album: “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things.” This title isn’t pretty, and yet it’s human. It doesn’t justify the paradox of my being, and yet gives face to the truth of it: jubilant and pure hearted, while unjust and ego-driven, in the same moment. I rationalize rules (much unconsciously) to get my way, and compromise ways that create a new rule.

Sometimes it frightens me to see such elementary pockets of my heart. And sometimes it refreshes me, permitting my paradoxes, and my continual needs for saving and conversion. (And for the record, I returned the lost mat to its bin. And sincerely hope the real owner finds it.)