Biblical advice on ""yoga"?

[God saves]

So basically I have to do "yoga" at school, though now I try to consider the class as just "stretching" class. I was aware of the spiritual roots of yoga (through my own research) before I started the course, and some of the information I found somewhat disturbed me.

I do wonder if yoga even in its purely physical form can lead to dulled spiritual awareness, because I feelI have somewhat sensed this, although my sense may be wrong

My concerns and personal thoughts about this are:

-Romans 14:1 "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations." - I am not sure if this applies to the physical aspects of yoga. However, I do not think the fact that it is wrong to partake in the spiritual aspect of yoga as taught in pantheism is a "doubtful disputation", so I believe this would not apply to anything that definitely goes against God.
-1 Corinthians 10:21: "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." Hypothetically I might argue that while I am physically bowing down to an image or statue of a false "god" in my heart I am worshipping the one and true living God, but I believe to make such an argument in order to justify physically bowing down to idols would not make sense and would be obviously wrong.
-Colossians 3:17: "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. - so everything, including this class, must be done in the name of the Lord Jesus for the glory of God.
-I believe that the enemy is more subtle than we realise
-I also feel that the fact Jesus Christ our Lord died for our sins and was raised from the dead, and has won the war over the enemy by His death and resurrection, definitely doesn't mean we should do anything that is against God and/or may give an appearance of evil

So I am asking for others' perspectives from a Christian point of view.

 

[salt-n-light]

I had that same feeling when I started to go to barre class. Sometimes I see them do hand postures. I don't do them. But doesn't mean I throw the baby with the bath water.

If you believe in the spiritual aspects, I think that's where the harm is. But seeing that its a required class, and usually the yoga is watered down in school level, breathing and meditation and stretches are not inherently bad things. In this case, don't give it too much power. If they are telling you to worship something while stretching, just dismiss it mentally. When I meditate, I ponder on scriptures. When I breathe, I don't think about other gods, I just focus on getting oxygen. God knows your heart on the matter.

If it's not required you have the choice to switch it. I think you should be able to.

Another way to talk about it is discussing it with others. Like "Hey don't you think its weird that we are doing these poses, this is what I've learned about it." Maybe you're not the only one weirded out about it and have it be a moment to fellowship with other like-minded people.

 

[timewerx]

You can probably do it with indifference - without any emotion towards it. Purely for the sake for passing requirements at school, nothing more.

Also consider the context of Paul's teachings in the Bible, he is a Roman citizen and often taught teachings that is very agreeable to the authorities and ruling power/culture. Very government friendly - you can likely guess this is to avoid rebellion and for the Roman Empire not to suspect the Christians of plotting any form of rebellion- Romans do review religious teachings to avoid religions / teachings that are potentially seditious.

If the Romans suspect rebellion from Christianity, they would certainly round up every Christians and kill the movement too soon. Not a good thing!

There is a time to speak out / contest against what is being imposed on you and a time to keep a low profile. A time will come you'll have more opportunity to freely practice what you believe without having to accept what others impose on you against your will.

 

[*LILAC]

So basically I have to do "yoga" at school, though now I try to consider the class as just "stretching" class. I was aware of the spiritual roots of yoga (through my own research) before I started the course, and some of the information I found somewhat disturbed me.

Personally I fail to see anything blatantly wrong with many of the physical postures practised in the class (though a few of them have made me feel uneasy).

Some of the things about the class that make me the most uncomfortable include the gesture and greeting "namaste" at the end which I have mostly refrained from, and prayer positions in the class (not practised in every class) - even if I was not aware of the spiritual roots of yoga, I think this would have made me feel uneasy.

I do wonder if yoga even in its purely physical form can lead to dulled spiritual awareness, because I feeI have somewhat sensed this, although my sense may be wrong

My concerns and personal thoughts about this are:

-Romans 14:1 "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations." - I am not sure if this applies to the physical aspects of yoga. However, I do not think the fact that it is wrong to partake in the spiritual aspect of yoga as taught in pantheism is a "doubtful disputation", so I believe this would not apply to anything that definitely goes against God.
-1 Corinthians 10:21: "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." Hypothetically I might argue that while I am physically bowing down to an image or statue of a false "god" in my heart I am worshipping the one and true living God, but I believe to make such an argument in order to justify physically bowing down to idols would not make sense and would be obviously wrong.
-Colossians 3:17: "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. - so everything, including this class, must be done in the name of the Lord Jesus for the glory of God.
-I believe that the enemy is more subtle than we realise
-I also feel that the fact Jesus Christ our Lord died for our sins and was raised from the dead, and has won the war over the enemy by His death and resurrection, definitely doesn't mean we should do anything that is against God and/or may give an appearance of evil

So I am asking for others' perspectives from a Christian point of view.

As a person who has personally experienced demonic activity connected directly to yoga poses "even though it was only stretching and exercises", I strongly recommend you find a way to work around this and not to participate. It doesn't matter if you skip "some" of the stuff. Those poses are designed for the Hindu spiritual rituals that NO Christian should ever be a part of. Find a way out of it. Do not participate in it. We must be vigilant and participating is not being that. It's sad that so many schools are forcing this on everyone. Christians need to stand up and fight for what is right in Christ and not be blind into doing these things because everybody else is doing it.

 

[RaymondG]

This is not a religious or spiritual matter...... If your conscious warns you against this.....stop doing it and move on. Those who can eat meat and stretch with no internal turmoil, they are free to continue.....as we know there is only but one God.....so it matters not what god others say the meat or poses were offered to.

There is not much to gain from judging every activity as good or evil before making decisions on them.....and this can subtract from time which could be spent worshiping the true and living God, besides whom.....there is no other.

 

[WannaWitness]

I ran across some commentaries not too long ago which gives some information for Christians who wish to stay away from yoga altogether knowing its origins but also desire the same type of health benefits yoga is said to bring. The first commentary touches a little on two fitness ministry programs, in particular. One is called Praise Moves, and the other is called WholyFit. The other two links are from the official Websites of the two programs. I am still checking them out, but they seem to contain helpful info and more than likely does more good than harm, seeing that they are totally based on the Bible.

Is There a Christian Alternative to Yoga?

Company | PraiseMoves

WholyFit is NOT Christian Yoga - Christian Fitness System | WHOLYFIT Christian Fitness

I realize this is not a debate thread (to begin with, I'm not a debater so you're pretty safe there). This is merely meant as a response to the OP (and of course, anyone else who may be interested in taking a look), and sincerely hoping that the writer of the OP may find the info useful that I have presented, all in a sincere effort on my part to be as helpful as possible.

God bless you all!

 

[Mark Quayle]

So basically I have to do "yoga" at school, though now I try to consider the class as just "stretching" class. I was aware of the spiritual roots of yoga (through my own research) before I started the course, and some of the information I found somewhat disturbed me.

Personally I fail to see anything blatantly wrong with many of the physical postures practised in the class (though a few of them have made me feel uneasy).

Some of the things about the class that make me the most uncomfortable include the gesture and greeting "namaste" at the end which I have mostly refrained from, and prayer positions in the class (not practised in every class) - even if I was not aware of the spiritual roots of yoga, I think this would have made me feel uneasy.

I do wonder if yoga even in its purely physical form can lead to dulled spiritual awareness, because I feeI have somewhat sensed this, although my sense may be wrong

My concerns and personal thoughts about this are:

-Romans 14:1 "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations." - I am not sure if this applies to the physical aspects of yoga. However, I do not think the fact that it is wrong to partake in the spiritual aspect of yoga as taught in pantheism is a "doubtful disputation", so I believe this would not apply to anything that definitely goes against God.
-1 Corinthians 10:21: "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." Hypothetically I might argue that while I am physically bowing down to an image or statue of a false "god" in my heart I am worshipping the one and true living God, but I believe to make such an argument in order to justify physically bowing down to idols would not make sense and would be obviously wrong.
-Colossians 3:17: "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. - so everything, including this class, must be done in the name of the Lord Jesus for the glory of God.
-I believe that the enemy is more subtle than we realise
-I also feel that the fact Jesus Christ our Lord died for our sins and was raised from the dead, and has won the war over the enemy by His death and resurrection, definitely doesn't mean we should do anything that is against God and/or may give an appearance of evil

So I am asking for others' perspectives from a Christian point of view.

You are responsible for your own decisions. Be careful not to hold others to your unit of measurement.

from Jeremiah 10:
"Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.”

I see this kind of like the fight over the Christmas tree and celebration. I love the whole Christmas season, except the commercialism. I don't care where it came from. I'm not superstitious about origins, as if that has any relevance to what I'm doing.

If I was to take this to its logical extreme, I'd be afraid of the whole Old Testament, since some claim it is copied from tales of Gilgamesh and who knows what. I really don't care about Gilgamesh (disclaimer: I'm not saying here that I give them credence about what came first), nor the pagan roots of some of the Old Testament rituals nor anything else.

--I belong to the Creator, not to the accuser.

 

[crossnote]

One wonders why they can't just have an exercise class without intermingling it with an Eastern-Hindu-philosophical religion. 'Hey boys and girls, today we are going to do Christian Aerobics!". Yeah that will go over just peachy-keen as the ACLU comes sweeping down. lol

 

[com7fy8]

I have commonly heard yoga to be for stretching and exercising and breathing and helping to calm a person.

Ones have not talked about honoring gods of polytheistic hinduism.

Ones tend to adopt what they like and leave the rest. Ones do this with Christianity, too. Ones might like the music and coffee hour, on Sunday, but go home to mind their own business.

Also, I am being told how many secular people are trying to stop religious stuff in school. So, I am curious if these same secular ones would be interested in getting all children interested in polytheism . . . if they do not believe in the existence of any god or God Himself.

But an issue is if there are any postures which can automatically get a person effected by demonic activity. I think you can prayerfully test about how you are being effected while you do postures, see if God is ruling you in His peace to do something. And also constantly sense and submit to doing whatever God has you doing in His peace, all the time. Always sense and test for what He has us doing, how He has us relating.

Or else, we could get effected by Satanic spiritual stuff, while doing anything that is not in the ruling of God's peace > Colossians 3:15, Matthew 11:28-30, Philippians 4:4-7.

Even good and acceptable behaviors can be done the wrong way, in a disobedient ego spirit. So, we always need to be concerned about if and how it is really our Heavenly Father guiding us.

 

[com7fy8]

Christians who wish to stay away from yoga altogether knowing its origins but also desire the same type of health benefits yoga is said to bring

I do what I call "fake yoga". First, I become as prayerful as God pleases, so He is moving me and having me do stretches. So, it is a submission to God exercise, not only me controlling my own self, if He really is doing this with me, of course. Who am I to boast?

Exercises include how I might hold hands, then moving one against the resistance of the other, in various full-stretch rotations and twistings while moving, so there is full range of joints and full stretches in various directions, and not just single direction stretches and strength moves.

And move and twist my back and legs, against resistance and with full rotating and some amount of resistance, however I might do this. And fold my hands and twist my fingers and wrists around each other. And there can be more. Sometimes I do twisting and rotating and full range motion with resistance while holding or pressing against a sign post or tree or whatever.

And I am trusting God for the results.

 

[SavedNoCompromise]

Yoga is demonic and you need to renounce participation in it and leave it alone. You can learn more about its spirityal detriment and how it opens doors to demons from Gene Moody who wrote a deliverance manual on this. You will have to find a substitute.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

So basically I have to do "yoga" at school, though now I try to consider the class as just "stretching" class. I was aware of the spiritual roots of yoga (through my own research) before I started the course, and some of the information I found somewhat disturbed me.

I would write a letter to your teacher stating that because it conflicts with your faith, you are not prepared to participate in the class. Respectfully ask them to incorporate exercise that has no spiritual root to it. In that way you may be able to change the direction that the school is taking.

 

[Sketcher]

Out of curiosity, was this yoga class required, or just one option to fulfill a requirement? And what curriculum or major are you in that requires this class?

 

[God saves]

Out of curiosity, was this yoga class required, or just one option to fulfill a requirement? And what curriculum or major are you in that requires this class?

deleted

 

[God saves]

I would write a letter to your teacher stating that because it conflicts with your faith, you are not prepared to participate in the class. Respectfully ask them to incorporate exercise that has no spiritual root to it. In that way you may be able to change the direction that the school is taking.

I already kind of did except I didn't ask for exercise that has no spiritual root to it. I feel like writing another letter may just seem like creating more dissension, though I wouldn't mind the class completely getting rid of all spiritual aspects (though others may claim it's not spiritual) like maybe remove the greeting at the end, but I don't really think a letter would really change anything at this point.

Or if all the parents of the students in the class want an alternative, which I think is unlikely.

 

[Jonathan Walkerin]

Avoiding yoga is just about as inane as avoiding watching Olympic Games because 800 BC they were honoring Zeus......

Yoga is great exercise to calm your mind, being mindfull of your breathing and getting your body light and flexible.

If someone has issues with sanskrit mantras just substitute your own prayer or affirmation instead. The purpose of these mantras is to tune your body and to start the exercise and to finish it in peace.

1 Corinthians 9:25-27

 

[Ada Lovelace]

So basically I have to do "yoga" at school, though now I try to consider the class as just "stretching" class. I was aware of the spiritual roots of yoga (through my own research) before I started the course, and some of the information I found somewhat disturbed me.

Personally I fail to see anything blatantly wrong with many of the physical postures practised in the class (though a few of them have made me feel uneasy).

Some of the things about the class that make me the most uncomfortable include the gesture and greeting "namaste" at the end which I have mostly refrained from, and prayer positions in the class (not practised in every class) - even if I was not aware of the spiritual roots of yoga, I think this would have made me feel uneasy.

I do wonder if yoga even in its purely physical form can lead to dulled spiritual awareness, because I feeI have somewhat sensed this, although my sense may be wrong

My concerns and personal thoughts about this are:

-Romans 14:1 "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations." - I am not sure if this applies to the physical aspects of yoga. However, I do not think the fact that it is wrong to partake in the spiritual aspect of yoga as taught in pantheism is a "doubtful disputation", so I believe this would not apply to anything that definitely goes against God.
-1 Corinthians 10:21: "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." Hypothetically I might argue that while I am physically bowing down to an image or statue of a false "god" in my heart I am worshipping the one and true living God, but I believe to make such an argument in order to justify physically bowing down to idols would not make sense and would be obviously wrong.
-Colossians 3:17: "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. - so everything, including this class, must be done in the name of the Lord Jesus for the glory of God.
-I believe that the enemy is more subtle than we realise
-I also feel that the fact Jesus Christ our Lord died for our sins and was raised from the dead, and has won the war over the enemy by His death and resurrection, definitely doesn't mean we should do anything that is against God and/or may give an appearance of evil

So I am asking for others' perspectives from a Christian point of view.

I replied to this thread in the Teen Section, but since it then got moved to another subsection there, you may have missed it, so I am copying and pasting it here.

As with many of the dilemmas we encounter in our spiritual journeys,I think we have to carefully examine the impact it has on us as individuals, because there's often the potential of deriving benefit, or being harmed. It has to do with context and our own hearts.

Some sincerely believe yoga is wrong for Christians, and defend that stance with scripture, while other Christians feel the precise opposite, and have Biblical reasoning for why they believe it can be physically, emotionally, and spiritually enriching. As a practicing Christian who has incorporated yoga into my daily life since early childhood, I'm definitely of the latter mindset. One thing to understand is that what we colloquially refer to as "yoga" often is not actually yoga; it's only asana (the physical postures) and pranayama (the breathing exercises). It's not incorrect to view what you're taking now as "stretching class" since it's a class involving stretching, strength training, and breathing exercises. Classes that labeled Hatha, basic, or power are almost always focused on the physical practice.

Though the religion Hinduism involves yoga; all yoga is not Hinduism, and in fact there's yoga that incorporates Christian elements into the practice and views it as a form of embodying Romans 12:1-2. Hindus have objected to the yoga most Westerners practice (as do many Easterners who are not Hindus) even being called yoga, because it's evolved so much from the origins there's little resemblance. It's sort of comparable to how millions who are not Christians participate in Christmas festivities that differ dramatically in tone and intent from the original celebration of the birth of Christ. Yoga can definitely be spiritual, but there's no reason Christians cannot root it in their spirituality. The prayer postures can be viewed as prayer to God. Yoga means “yoke” or “to unite,” as in uniting the body, mind and spirit, and for me, and it's uniting my body, my mind, and my spirit with Christ. Yoga is my morning prayer and mediation ritual, and it's deepened my spirituality rather than detracting from it. I have difficulty reining in the thoughts running wild in my head at times, especially in the morning when I'm thinking about getting to school on time, about the obligations of the day. By praying while doing yoga, I'm fusing physical actions with spiritual ones, which requires concentration. I focus on what I'm doing in that moment, on giving gratitude for a new day, on praying rather than fretting about whatever stresses and pressures lie ahead. It alleviates anxiety and gives me calm assurance. My body is transformed from the state it was in after hours of slumber, stiff and drowsy, by the physicality of it. It's a way of caring for your temple, as biblical instructed. There's a multitude of studies showing the physical and psychological benefits of yoga, especially for kids and teens. I am unusually flexible and credit that to having practiced yoga routinely for most of my life. My mind is transformed and renewed.

The church I grew up attending has Christ-centered yoga classes that are also a form of fellowship. One of my favorite places in the world to practice yoga is at a gorgeous cathedral about an hour from my college. It begins with a reflection and prayer. It's a beautiful and soul rejuvenating experience for me.

I've purposefully used the words "for me" to emphasize that my fruitful experiences may not also be yours. You have to evaluate for yourself whether it's something productive for you to pursue. I'd encourage you to try approaching it differently from this point forward. Make the deliberate effort to focus on God when you're making the prayer postures. During breathing exercises I like to think to myself as I draw breath in "Lord Jesus" and as I exhale "have mercy." If after making some mental and spiritual modifications you still feel uncomfortable, then discontinue the practice altogether. If it's a class you're obligated to take, then just omit anything that unsettles your spirit and focus completely on the physical aspects.

Welcome to CF, by the way!

 

[God saves]

I replied to this thread in the Teen Section, but since it then got moved to another subsection there, you may have missed it, so I am copying and pasting it here.

As with many of the dilemmas we encounter in our spiritual journeys,I think we have to carefully examine the impact it has on us as individuals, because there's often the potential of deriving benefit, or being harmed. It has to do with context and our own hearts.

Some sincerely believe yoga is wrong for Christians, and defend that stance with scripture, while other Christians feel the precise opposite, and have Biblical reasoning for why they believe it can be physically, emotionally, and spiritually enriching. As a practicing Christian who has incorporated yoga into my daily life since early childhood, I'm definitely of the latter mindset. One thing to understand is that what we colloquially refer to as "yoga" often is not actually yoga; it's only asana (the physical postures) and pranayama (the breathing exercises). It's not incorrect to view what you're taking now as "stretching class" since it's a class involving stretching, strength training, and breathing exercises. Classes that labeled Hatha, basic, or power are almost always focused on the physical practice.

Though the religion Hinduism involves yoga; all yoga is not Hinduism, and in fact there's yoga that incorporates Christian elements into the practice and views it as a form of embodying Romans 12:1-2. Hindus have objected to the yoga most Westerners practice (as do many Easterners who are not Hindus) even being called yoga, because it's evolved so much from the origins there's little resemblance. It's sort of comparable to how millions who are not Christians participate in Christmas festivities that differ dramatically in tone and intent from the original celebration of the birth of Christ. Yoga can definitely be spiritual, but there's no reason Christians cannot root it in their spirituality. The prayer postures can be viewed as prayer to God. Yoga means “yoke” or “to unite,” as in uniting the body, mind and spirit, and for me, and it's uniting my body, my mind, and my spirit with Christ. Yoga is my morning prayer and mediation ritual, and it's deepened my spirituality rather than detracting from it. I have difficulty reining in the thoughts running wild in my head at times, especially in the morning when I'm thinking about getting to school on time, about the obligations of the day. By praying while doing yoga, I'm fusing physical actions with spiritual ones, which requires concentration. I focus on what I'm doing in that moment, on giving gratitude for a new day, on praying rather than fretting about whatever stresses and pressures lie ahead. It alleviates anxiety and gives me calm assurance. My body is transformed from the state it was in after hours of slumber, stiff and drowsy, by the physicality of it. It's a way of caring for your temple, as biblical instructed. There's a multitude of studies showing the physical and psychological benefits of yoga, especially for kids and teens. I am unusually flexible and credit that to having practiced yoga routinely for most of my life. My mind is transformed and renewed.

The church I grew up attending has Christ-centered yoga classes that are also a form of fellowship. One of my favorite places in the world to practice yoga is at a gorgeous cathedral about an hour from my college. It begins with a reflection and prayer. It's a beautiful and soul rejuvenating experience for me.

I've purposefully used the words "for me" to emphasize that my fruitful experiences may not also be yours. You have to evaluate for yourself whether it's something productive for you to pursue. I'd encourage you to try approaching it differently from this point forward. Make the deliberate effort to focus on God when you're making the prayer postures. During breathing exercises I like to think to myself as I draw breath in "Lord Jesus" and as I exhale "have mercy." If after making some mental and spiritual modifications you still feel uncomfortable, then discontinue the practice altogether. If it's a class you're obligated to take, then just omit anything that unsettles your spirit and focus completely on the physical aspects.

Welcome to CF, by the way!

Actually, I just created another thread here to let more people reply. Thanks for offering your perspective.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

Actually, I just created another thread here to let more people reply. Thanks for offering your perspective.

That's what I was hoping you would do when you posted the thread in the Teen Section since it's so inactive there you practically need to carry Kleenex with you due to all the sneezing you'll do when you wipe the dust off. The subsection it was moved to is even more dormant than the one it was originally in. This is definitely a better area since all Christians regardless of their age can respond.

If you wanted an even wider range of responses you could also post this in the Fitness section or The Junk Drawer (an area where almost anything fits in).

 

[Danayah]

The main problem is who did it and why they did it. It is tied to worship of other 'gods' and is used in the invoking of their demons.
We do perish for a lack of knowledge...
Check out this most popular ritual the "sun salutation".. So clearly pagan.

These are the things which the children of israel continually fell for, the satanic culture and practices of other people which appear cool, healthful or beneficial for life but in the end resulted in their defilement, woes, perpetual curses and ultimate ruin.

Pray about it anyway. Your spirit will not sit still if it is against this practice, its up to you to pick a side - flesh or spirit.