What is yoga?

Yoga means to unite or to yoke, and Patanjali defined it in the Yoga Sutras (the earliest known definition of yoga written between 500 and 1300 AD) as the "establishment of harmony between the everyday self and its spiritual source". As humans made in God's image, the source of every aspect of our being is Him, so, for a Christian, yoga is a means of yoking ourselves to our Creator and Sustainer. This includes our body, through external movement, and our inner selves or soul, through contemplation, meditation and prayer.

Yoga is not just a form of exercise, but a way of life. The eight limbs of yoga outlined by Patanjali include:

• Yamas (external ethics or self-restraints)

• Niyamas (internal ethics or observances)

• Asana (physical postures)

• Pranayama (breath work)

• Pratyahara (withdrawal from external senses)

• Dharana (concentration)

• Dhyana (meditation)

• Samadhi (absorption)

Isn’t yoga Hindu worship? How can it be Christian?

The Yoga Sutras are not a religious text, although they were written in the context of the Samkhayan tradition of the time. According to this worldview, yoga was a tool to control the mind in order to earn good karma, and thus eventually to escape reincarnation and ultimately the body. Attachment is what leads to conflict, so the goal is detachment and salvation through escape. 

But since then, yoga has evolved and grown and been influenced from many directions over thousands of years. Each translator and interpreter of the Yoga Sutras has applied their own worldview to their interpretation, from Hinduism to Buddhism to atheism to Christianity.

Most commonly in the west today, the tendency is to emphasise the physical aspect of yoga and de-emphasise the spiritual aspect. By practising yoga as a Christian, and using the inner focus a yoga practice brings to turn one’s attention to God, we are actually practising yoga in a more authentic manner than someone who is only focusing on the external nature of the physical postures.

Why might a Christian choose to practise yoga?

As a Christian, practising yoga is not a means of earning salvation, nor is the aim to detach from this life or escape the body. The Christian is saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph 2:8). Not only that - our bodies are to be treated with honour. We have an embodied saviour (John 1:14); our own bodies have been declared the temple of God’s Spirit (1 Cor 6:19); and we look to an eternal renewal of our bodies (1 Cor 15:42), along with all of creation. So the end goal of yoga for the Christian is different.

As mentioned, yoga is a means of yoking ourselves to our Creator and Sustainer. So while yoga is not a means of salvation, it is a discipline through which the salvation we have already received can be “fleshed out” or embodied. It is not a means of salvation, but of sanctification. 

Many Christians find themselves connecting with God in powerful ways on their yoga mats - finding ways in which to worship “with all their heart, soul, mind and strength” (Mark 12:30). The stillness and contemplation which a yoga practice offers can allow the Christian to simply abide in the loving presence of the ever-present God (Ps 46:10). The non-physical aspects of a yoga practice (meditation, contemplation) allow for time to sit and be nourished by God’s Word through the scriptures, and to listen for the prompting of the Spirit.

Do I need to be a Christian to practise with Seeking Eden Yoga?

Absolutely not! Everyone is welcome at Seeking Eden Yoga, no matter what beliefs they hold. Some classes will include Christian scripture and prayer, and some will not, so you are able to choose classes based on what you are comfortable with. But you are welcome to attend any class - just as you might attend a yoga class with a Hindu philosophy, even if you are not a practising Hindu.