Should Christians Practice Yoga ?

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So what is Yoga really ?----Is it Health related or is it Spiritual related ----- or both

Read all ---I am just posting this part -----

Definition - What does Yuj mean?​

Yuj is a Sanskrit root word which means “to yoke,” “to unite,” “to add” or “to join." It is the origin of the word, yoga, which is a physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in ancient India and became popular in the West in the 20th century. The reason its root word is yuj is that yoga is a discipline that aims to unite the mind, body and spirit.

I say -----So Yoga is a pagan teaching ----So would that not make practising yoga a sin in God's eyes ------

Yoga is self reliant and True Christians are to rely on God and His word to unite the Spirit --mind and body to become one not ourselves -----

God says this in His word -----You can read the whole chapter here -

2 Corinthians 11 The Message (MSG)​

Pseudo-Servants of God​

11 1-3 Will you put up with a little foolish aside from me? Please, just for a moment. The thing that has me so upset is that I care about you so much—this is the passion of God burning inside me! I promised your hand in marriage to Christ, presented you as a pure virgin to her husband. And now I’m afraid that exactly as the Snake seduced Eve with his smooth patter, you are being lured away from the simple purity of your love for Christ.

4-6 It seems that if someone shows up preaching quite another Jesus than we preached—different spirit, different message—you put up with him quite nicely.


So is the Christian practising sin or health when practising yoga ?------
 
If there is a concern with Christians practicing yoga, it is whether they do so in a way that is respectful of it originating as another faith's religious practice, not whether it is a "Christian thing to do."
 
If there is a concern with Christians practicing yoga, it is whether they do so in a way that is respectful of it originating as another faith's religious practice, not whether it is a "Christian thing to do."
What about secular people who do it for exercise? There's no religion involved.

That may be cultural appropriation. But it was meant as a benefit to wellbeing and I don't hear many complaints about it from anyone but fundamentalist Christians.
 
What about secular people who do it for exercise? There's no religion involved.
Thing is, it originated in Hindu and Buddhist religious practices and I think even people doing it just for exercise should still be aware of and mindful of that. Same with something like mindfulness meditation.
 
Thing is, it originated in Hindu and Buddhist religious practices and I think even people doing it just for exercise should still be aware of and mindful of that. Same with something like mindfulness meditation.
They should perhaps, but most aren't.

My problem with yoga is that it's trendy - kind of a who's who yuppie thing - and people tend to show off about doing it. All the pretty, skinny people, in Lulu Lemon gear (or whatever's the latest) who buy trendy vegan smoothies after their workouts.

Another more technical problem is that, other than chair yoga, I can't do it.
 
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My problem with yoga is that it's trendy - kind of a who's who yuppie thing - and people tend to show off about doing it. All the pretty, skinny people, in Lulu Lemon gear (or whatever's the latest) who buy trendy vegan smoothies after their workouts.
Which is really what I am talking about. It's commercialization and commoditization of a practice that should actually be about the spirit (however you define that) as much as the body.
 
This just came up today on my Facebook page... from John Shore

A classic from
John Shore
.
Dear John: I am a Christian who works at a nonprofit organization. At work they’re starting a new health program for staff, which includes such elements as outdoor activities, meditating, and doing yoga.
Participating in the yoga sessions is not compulsory; no one’s being forced to do it. But my question is: Do you think that doing yoga and being a Christian are incompatible? Articles I have seen via Google search say they are—that a Christian should basically never do yoga. But I wanted to see what you thought about it. Thank you!
John's answer: I certainly do not think that doing yoga is incompatible with being a Christian. Just the opposite, in fact.
You should understand that while it has its roots in the millennia-old Indian traditions now known as Hinduism, yoga is NOT a religion. Like Hinduism itself, yoga has no truck whatsoever with any religion or faith system: it respects them all as equally and truly worthy of respect.
In short, yoga is no way contrary to, or in competition with, Christianity.
Yoga is a means of exercising one’s body, with the ultimate intention of clearing and calming one’s mind, so that one might then experience an elevation of consciousness. You are a Christian, meaning that you are, by definition, seeking Christ consciousness; you want to contain within yourself as much of the spiritual essence of Christ as possible. Using yoga to help you do that is like using a car to help you get somewhere you want to go. That’s what a car is for. That’s what it does.
Like a car, yoga doesn’t care where you want to go; it only wants to help you to get there. It is a means, not an end. A Muslim doing yoga will draw closer to Allah, a Jew to Yahweh, a Christian to Christ, an atheist to a heightened sense of integration with all. Anyone seeking an elevated, peaceful, more centered mindset can use yoga to get it. That is what yoga is for. That’s what it does.
Remember that human beings possessed a profound drive towards what we might call The Universal Divine long before Christianity came along. Yoga is perfectly okay with your moving Jesus Christ into the space that it calls (for one) The Divine Godhead, if that's what works for you. It invites you to do that. Yoga wants nothing more than to facilitate your relationship with your Higher Power, however you might conceive of that particular and deeply personal phenomenon. And if it can help you break a sweat while you’re doing so, then so much the better.
So go ahead! Do yoga! And do it as a Christian. Don’t be afraid of it brainwashing you into becoming a Hindu, or whatever. It won’t. You’ll still be you. You’ll just be a healthier, happier, more peaceful you. That’s good for you; that’s good for the universe; and that’s certainly good for Jesus.
 
For a few years I participated in a weekly yoga class which began and closed with the instructor reading aloud from scripture - I really enjoyed it. Prayerful.
 
Carolla ---you said ----Oh unsaafe - it seems you are again posting a 'question' and I have no doubt you already have your answer firmly in mind.

I say ---I do have my answer for me fixed firmly in my mind yes ---you are so right on that -----that being said my opinion is my opinion ---there are many different opinions out there and we all have a right to express our own opinion ===

So thank you for expressing your opinion on this subject -----you said you enjoyed it -----which is good for you -----
 
Read all --I just posted this
This is from

Can a Christian practice yoga without getting caught up in the religious aspects of it?​

By defintion, Christians should not practice yoga. They can, however, stretch. Stretching is good. The philosophical occult aspects of yoga are not. Yoga is religious in nature and an eastern philosophical one. Remember, the point of the practice of yoga is to unite oneself with "God." Take this quote from the Yoga Journal...

“Connecting the mind, body, and breath helps us to direct our attention inward. Through this process of inward attention, we learn to recognize our habitual thought patterns without labeling them, judging them, or trying to change them. We become more aware of our experiences from moment to moment. The awareness that we cultivate is what makes yoga a practice, rather than a task or a goal to be completed. Your body will most likely become much more flexible by doing yoga, and so will your mind.”4
As one can see, Yoga is more than just a physical exercise. We do not want to leave our minds open to false teaching.

I say --
--so the Stretching exercises that yoga presents for me would be fine ---but when there is self meditation involved then for the true Christian it should make them uncomfortable to practice that as True Christians are to only meditate on God and His word -----and rely on the Holy spirit to help with the inward attention ----

So Yoga --self reliant ----True Christianity -God reliant big difference in the 2 I say ----
 
Not really. I have a pastor who does yoga-mindfulness practice and it is about relationship with God and self in relation to God. I think Jesus had a form of meditative prayer with God.
 
Kimmio ---you said -----I have a pastor who does yoga-mindfulness practice and it is about relationship with God and self in relation to God.

I say ----well your pastor and you may think you can be in self and in God at the same time but Scripture is clear anyone who is in Christ Jesus self is laid down --self died with Christ --so says Galatians 2 :20---
you can't serve self (ego)--- and God -the 2 are enemies -----so says scripture -----but just maybe your pastor doesn't put a lot of Faith in what Scripture says -----there are many pastors who don't believe or follow scripture so he wouldn't be alone in that ----

You said ----- I think Jesus had a form of meditative prayer with God.

I say ---you are so right ----He meditated on what His Father wanted Him to do and He obeyed His Father's will not His own ------just saying ---
 
Kimmio ---you said ------If you want to talk selfish - praying to God for material benefits is selfish.

I say ---again that is your opinion -----but here is the thing ----first you have to have God's face turned toward you to have your prayers even heard -----many believe they can live anyway they want and just pray to God and He hears them -----but ------that is not what Scripture says at all ----so praying to God in ones selfish state and expect God to even hear our prayer let alone answer it ---is very selfish act in my view ------

Scripture is clear that sin and iniquity keeps God's face turned from hearing us -----Isaiah 59 ----
 
Personally, I have never practiced yoga and I am not sure I ever will. Tai chi is probably more my speed, really. I have a personal connection to the culture that spawned it and an abiding interest in Taoism, the religion/philosophy (the Tao is a bit hard to pin down on that front) to which is has some connections.

The discomfort some Christians find with any such practices is likely tied to rigidity on other fronts, too. There's a difference between a narrow path and having blinkers on that cause the path to seem narrower than it really is.
 
This is what Got Questions says

Question: "What is the Christian view of yoga?"

Answer:
For many Christians in the West who don’t understand the history behind it, yoga is simply a means of physical exercise and strengthening and improving flexibility of the muscles. However, the philosophy behind yoga is much more than physically improving oneself. It is an ancient practice derived from India, believed to be the path to spiritual growth and enlightenment.

The word yoga means "union," and the goal is to unite one’s transitory (temporary) self with the infinite Brahman, the Hindu concept of "God." This god is not a literal being, but is an impersonal spiritual substance that is one with nature and the cosmos. This view is called "pantheism," the belief that everything is God and that reality consists only of the universe and nature. Because everything is God, the yoga philosophy makes no distinction between man and God.

Hatha yoga is the aspect of yoga that focuses on the physical body through special postures, breathing exercises, and concentration or meditation. It is a means to prepare the body for the spiritual exercises, with fewer obstacles, in order to achieve enlightenment. The practice of yoga is based on the belief that man and God are one. It is little more than self-worship disguised as high-level spirituality.

The question becomes, is it possible for a Christian to isolate the physical aspects of yoga as simply a method of exercise, without incorporating the spirituality or philosophy behind it? Yoga originated with a blatantly anti-Christian philosophy, and that philosophy has not changed. It teaches one to focus on oneself instead of on the one true God. It encourages its participants to seek the answers to life’s difficult questions within their own consciousness instead of in the Word of God. It also leaves one open to deception from God’s enemy, who searches for victims whom he can turn away from God (1 Peter 5:8).

Whatever we do should be done for God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31), and we would be wise to heed the words of the apostle Paul: "Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise" (Philippians 4:8, NLT). A Christian should exercise caution and pray for discernment regarding involvement in yoga.
 
I think that if you look up 'yoga' in your Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, you may find the bible strangely silent on it. Basically it seems you are revving up your prejudices (pre-judgements) against a long standing practice that many find beneficial, and cherry picking particular verses that you see as backing up your prejudices. This is not a good habit to get into.
 
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