Article by Steff Kiger
Despite the persistent rumors, practicing Yoga does not really interfere or conflict with Christianity. Yoga is not a religion in itself, so it is not possible for it to conflict with Christianity.
Naturally, it really depends on who you ask. Some people in the Christian faith will call Yoga a form of hippy witchcraft. The exercise of Yoga has even been said to be the product of the devil or one of his evil minions.
Like the witch trials of old, Yoga seems to be in the cross hairs from some people who feel it threatens their lifestyle or belief system. What these town criers fail to realize, though, is that a practice called meditation, which is quite similar to Yoga, has been a staple of the church activities for hundreds of years without issue. Perhaps those who denigrate Yoga would spend their entire meditation time focusing solely on the worst thoughts that can come to mind, and this is why they feel uncomfortable with the whole exercise.
If you focus on one specific branch of Yoga, it is indeed possible to find some conflict. In some cases there are types of Yoga that include various Eastern religion teachings in their practice of the exercise. While this does stand in conflict to Christianity, it is by no means the only type of Yoga that can be practiced, and those with a more open mind can find plenty of Yoga styles that do not incorporate any religion at all.
You cannot exclude or preclude any specific faiths for involvement in Yoga or meditation. You can’t actually pigeonhole Yoga into any particular religion. It is an exercise that is relevant and yet non-specific to all faiths.
If you take a closer look at the guiding principles of Yoga, you’ll see that they are incredibly similar to the guidelines set forth in Christianity in the Ten Commandments. In fact, for people of all sorts of faiths, Yoga helps them attain an even more intimate experience with their particular God. Even with this, Yoga is under constant attack from those who don’t seem to recognize the only positive elements that come from its practice.
In the end, the most important thing to consider, whether you are One new man Christian or not, and whether or not you are an active member of the Yoga community, that everyone will have their own interpretation of their faith. Our world is getting increasingly smaller as we grow in population, and it does no one any good to start making broad accusations about the way someone else chooses to practice their faith. Rather than working toward intolerance, it would benefit everyone and be the greatest act of charity if we could simply let bygones and differences be just bygones and differences. Look for Ephesians 2.
About the Author
Stronger Christianity