I first found yoga in college. I was required to take a gym class and therefore stumbled upon a yoga class to fulfill that requirement. 

I have always struggled with exercise-induced asthma and back problems. Yoga was low impact for my body, and I figured it could help with my high stress at the time. Not only did it help with stress, but it also lowered my anxiety and corrected the slight curvature of my spine. I also found that while I was moving and resting, I was praying. I once heard someone call this “prayer in motion,” and I couldn’t agree more.

Lately I’ve been receiving a lot of questions about and even pushback on practicing and teaching yoga as a Christian. This is something I’ve considered deeply. Here are several reasons why I believe it is ok for Christians to practice yoga: 

1. Nothing was made without God’s knowledge. Any way in which our body was made to move, God created. God said that the creation and design of the human body was “very good,” and that includes how it works, moves and breathes.
2. Yoga means to “yolk” or “unite.” In Christian yoga, we are uniting with the one and only living God. Yoga is often mistaken as a religion. It is a philosophy, not a religion – nor does it “belong” to any group(s) or religions. It is a practice. Have poses (or stretches) been used by other religions? Sure, but it is not the root or origin of any pose or stretch. Yoga is not something that we worship. It’s something that enhances worship. It prepares us for meditating on God’s Word and oneness with Him.
3. God can redeem anything. He redeems each and every one of us and our stories. Why do we place Him in a box and limit Him from the ability to redeem a practice? Kingdom-minded people serve a God who can redeem all things.
4. Things only hold the power that you give to them. 
5. God can, and is, using yoga. I have literally – on more than one occasion – had people state that they would rather come to a yoga class than to a church because of the judgment and hurt they have experienced at church. That breaks my heart. God has blessed me with the training and knowledge to reach people who would not think about stepping foot in the doors of a church, but they would on a yoga mat. It has become my “Mission on a Mat” to share the love of Jesus with them through movement, meditation, scripture and worship. When they attend a yoga class with me, they hear the word of God and hear that they are loved and chosen by Him. It’s not about the yoga. It’s about spreading the gospel, meeting people where they are at, and letting Him work in and through them.
6. Stretching, or yoga, increases physical health, which allows us to operate longer and more effectively for Kingdom work. 
7. Mark 12:30 says, “Worship the Lord with all your might, with all your strength, with all your being.” Acts 17:28 says that “in Him we move, we live, we breathe, and we have our being.” Whether we are washing dishes, lifting weights or stretching, we glorify our Maker with everything He has given us. Romans 12:2 reminds us to take our everyday coming-and-goings, and offer them up as worship and prayer.  
8. The word of God repeatedly tells us to worship with our whole being (Mark 12:30; see also Acts 17:28, Luke 10:27, Matt. 22:37, Deut. 6:5). Imagine a practice where you can be a doer of those words, benefitting physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually by incorporating your faith in God.
9. Yoga benefits mental health. David Emerson wrote a book on trauma-sensitive yoga in therapy. I have learned the many benefits of yoga as a complement to psychotherapy – including helping clients learn self-regulation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, regulation of affective arousal, increased awareness of internal states, and recognition of physiological responses connected to symptoms (Emerson, 2015).

While it might be your personal conviction to not practice yoga, I don’t think it’s wrong or bad or sinful for others to do so. 

In 1 Corinthians 16:12, Paul says, ”’All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything.”

Like many of the things we do, the actual action or vessel is not what is sinful. For example, alcohol is not in itself sinful. It is the overconsumption and idolization of alcohol or another substance that leads to sin. 

That’s why with all things – including yoga – you have the freedom to practice it, use it, enjoy it and so on. But, you should be careful with it, and mindful of the Holy Spirit’s conviction. 

Like Paul says, while all things are lawful, it doesn’t mean all things are helpful. I wouldn’t recommend a “traditional” yoga class to most people, but I would probably recommend a Christian yoga class or practice. If you have the personal conviction to not practice yoga, that’s ok. But, it’s also ok if someone you know does have a Christian yoga practice.

God created all things, and He can use all things for His glory. I don’t think yoga is an exception. 

If you’re looking for more resources on this, our friends over at Stand Unshaken share some of their thoughts, experiences and expertise. They actually have a podcast episode where SU’s founder, Denika, and faith director, Alicia, discuss their thoughts on Christian yoga. You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts!