I suspect at least a portion of you already have your minds made up about yoga, but you clicked on this link because you wanted to see what we had to say about it, to know if Mama Bear supports it or not. Am I right or am I right? This is one of those topics that can be divisive. Those who are against Christians practicing yoga accuse them of synchronizing with the culture and other world religions. Those who see it as an area of Christian freedom, practice yoga themselves, or who couldn’t care less if other Christians practiced it, are exasperated by what they see as legalism surrounding this topic. Then, there are the mamas who are genuinely unsure where they should land on this issue or how to guide their kids through it. As yoga is increasingly being taught in public schools,1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4831047/ Mama Bears should be equipped to think through this ancient practice with wisdom. So let’s talk.
This is going to be a two-parter. In Part 1, we’ll begin with some information about yoga that you might not be aware of, like its symbolism, philosophy, and spiritual ramifications. We’ll especially focus on what yoga is, and where the conflict lies in our list of things you need to know. In Part 2, we will use the Mama Bear Apologetics ROAR method to practice discernment as we think through the information covered in Part 1.
What exactly is yoga?
Yoga originated in India and is steeped in Hinduism but the practice has been adapted by several other Eastern worldviews, including Buddhism and Sikhism.2Sikhism is an Indian panentheistic religion in which salvation entails becoming one with god when we detach from from any earthly desire or attachment. All that to say, yoga has evolved, and there are various types and subtypes of yoga practice. While researching, I noticed multiple ways in which people seem to interpret the purpose of yoga. For example, some people believe they can attain supernatural powers such as levitation or clairvoyance,3 https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/laghima while others reject that idea in favor of a less fantastical view in which one achieves “enlightenment.”4 https://fractalenlightenment.com/41321/yoga/uncovering-meaning-siddhis-can-yoga-give-superpowers So, it’s pretty safe to say that we as Christians can reject these overt aspects of yoga. Duh. No brainer. However, how is it being presented to us in Western culture?
Hatha Yoga is the type of yoga we modern Westerners typically think of. It’s the kind of yoga where you put your body into poses and breathe deeply. So while you may associate this kind of yoga with breathing through downward dog, we need to recognize that it is much more than that. Remember: yoga is a philosophy about reality, not just physical exercise. In fact the physical poses are intended to more deeply entrench you into the philosophy. Regardless of how a person practices yoga, we cannot ignore that the underlying philosophy is present, and that matters. We must acquaint ourselves with the worldview yoga is promoting.
The Worldview Behind Yoga
Yoga is intended to “yoke” you… but to what?
If you want a clear-cut explanation of the intention of yoga, just look at the name. The word yoga literally means yoke or union. By and large, the purpose of yoga is to unite yourself (or fully realize your union) with the “Divine Consciousness,” the supposed eternal power that permeates everything in reality and which encompasses all knowledge (of like, everything!). The worldview behind yoga assumes that your inner self is divine, that everything that exists emanates from one impersonal force (Brahman), and that therefore your divine self and this force are connected. Your perception of who you think you are is merely your “ego” and the goal is to gradually detach from it so that you can know your “higher self,” realize your connection to all things, tap into the omniscience of the “Divine Consciousness,” and reduce suffering.
It’s all about Chakras (pronounced shock-rahs)
Have you ever heard someone say they need to “balance their chakras”? It’s easy. Just shake your hips because they don’t lie. Oh wait, that’s Shakira… Chakras, on the other hand, are referred to as “energy centers” in the body. They are supposed points in your body in which a mystical (and mythical) divine energy, called Kundalini energy, moves through. Kundalini is often portrayed as a snake and is believed to be “coiled” at the base of the spine, and moves up the spine when activated. (That doesn’t sound nefarious at all? What could possibly go wrong with balancing a snake energy in your spine?)
The aim in yoga is to activate and balance your chakras because you want your sweet little Kundalini snake to be balanced in each area. This is one of the goals of the yoga postures and movements – to direct this energy throughout your body. As your chakras become activated, the Kundalini moves up your spine through each “center.” Many who teach the chakras warn that Kundalini can be dangerous, but not for the reasons that you think. They say that if you get too much “energy” in a particular chakra, it will become unbalanced and negative (and sometimes dangerous) effects can manifest, such as headaches, depression, rage, and hallucinations.5https://chakrapractice.com/what-is-kundalini-syndrome/#What_Are_the_Dangers_of_Developing_Kundalini_Syndrome
If your kid watches the television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, you should be aware of an episode in which a guru teaches the main character how to open his seven chakras. You can watch the scene here.
The postures are intended to facilitate worship
It is often stated that the yoga poses (called asanas) were designed to worship Hindu gods. The truth is that some of the poses are, and some aren’t. According to Marcia Montenegro of Christian Answers for the New Age, “The poses themselves are often depictions of Hindu deities, and the hand positions mimic the hand positions seen on the statues of Hindu gods.”6 https://www.christiananswersnewage.com/article/christian-yoga-an-oxymoron Other postures are simply inspired by things found in nature. Let’s look at a few common poses:
Sun Salutations
You may recognize sun salutations as a series of poses which are often used as a warm-up exercise at the beginning of a yoga session. What you might not be aware of is that these poses were designed to worship the Hindu god Surya, which is a personification of the sun (*cough* pantheism). This asana is also called “Surya Namaskar.” “Namaskar” is a formal word for “namaste,” and similarly means “I bow to you.” Therefore when you perform Surya Namaskar, or sun salutations, you are doing poses designed to bow to the sun.
Warrior Pose
This pose represents the Hindu mythological god Virabhadra. Get ready for this one… In Hindu mythology, Virabhadra is a creation specifically for the manifestation of the god Shiva’s wrath. Shiva (one of the primary gods of Hinduism) made Virabhadra out of a lock of his own hair and commanded him to take vengeance on his dead wife’s father by cutting off his head and destroying everyone else with him.7 https://beyogi.com/virabhadra-rise-warrior/
Tree Pose
Here is a pose which is supposedly meant to symbolize becoming “rooted,” balanced, and grounded. But it’s also meant as an act of worship to the Hindu god Vishnu. Further, from my research I understand that trees are considered sacred in Hinduism and are often associated with specific deities. Basically, tree worship is a thing.8 https://www.hinduscriptures.com/vedic-culture/nature-worship/siginificance-tree-worship/7592/
Breath control is about alignment more than oxygen
In yoga, breath is important. Remember, yoga is designed to bring your consciousness into oneness with the “Supreme Reality” or Brahman. Pranayama, or the practice of breath control either during still meditation or while performing asanas (yoga poses), is therefore designed to prepare your mind to enter into a meditative state in order to accomplish that goal of oneness with the divine.9 https://www.christiananswersnewage.com/article/yoga-training-not-just-exercise
Can we ignore the spiritual aspects of yoga?
So far, we’ve gone over some of the very basics of what yoga was designed for. Of course, more questions remain. Are the philosophy and spiritual ideas so deeply ingrained in yoga that they cannot be separated from the practice? A pro-yoga Christian blogger writes, “I personally don’t believe simply putting my body into a triangle shape means I subscribe to an entire belief system. I just think it stretches my inner thighs really well.”10 https://www.crossroads.net/media/articles/can-christians-do-yoga She makes a point! But, Mama Bears, let’s not stop there. Because of yoga’s spiritual roots, we would be wise not to be so dismissive in our evaluation of whether or not to partake. If we are to grow in spiritual maturity, we are told to have our “powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14).
Join us for the fun part in “ROAR’ing Through Yoga” where we will engage our critical thinking and work to discern truth from error, good from evil.
Alexa es madre de dos hijos a los que educa en casa. Se aficionó a la apologética tras pasar por una etapa de dudas que estuvo a punto de arrebatarle la fe. Alexa tiene experiencia en cine y vídeo, y no dudará en enfrentarse a cualquiera que no esté de acuerdo en que «Jesus Freak» es la mejor canción cristiana que jamás haya existido.
So I don’t argue the religious aspect, but I also don’t see how I can’t do these poses and worship the one true God who created the sun, trees, and everything else instead? To me, as long as you’re careful about where you’re going to practice so that the religious aspect isn’t pushed, it’s no different from hiking (known as tree bathing in some cultures), deep breathing (or meditating), essential oils and castor oil packs (very new age) and just simply stretching and not calling it yoga? There’s scientific evidence behind all these things and that they’re beneficial and I know the True Scientist that gave us these gifts. If you’re careful about one, you need to be careful about all of them bc they all tie back to something secular. But aren’t so many things, now Christian things, taken originally from secular ideas and redone? Aren’t the dates chosen for Christmas or Easter placed there to give a “Christian option” for a formally secular holiday? I just think that if paul tells us we can eat meat sacrificed to idols, we can do yoga. HOWEVER, I don’t flaunt it because I know it would make many of my friends stumble, and that’s not ok. I was very convicted though about talking to my kids (again) about The Last Airbender series and all the eastern spirituality seen there and how western culture is just gulping it up because we do enjoy that series and likely should cut it out.
Courtney, I recommend reading our next blog as well here. https://mamabearapologetics.com/roaring-through-yoga/ Does this help explain any better our thoughts on it? And as to Paul telling us we can eat meat sacrificed to idols, he also mentions that if they announce “this meat was sacrifciced to an idol” then it’s best not to partake. And I agree with you about movies and stuff. We can’t shelter them from everything. But as I mention in the follow up blog (in the argue section), there’s a difference between chewing and spitting through studying a world religion and trying to chew and spit through practicing a world religion. BUt again, take a look at the next blog. I’d love to dialogue more in the comments!
I’m all for discernment and I love the chew and spit (take what you like and leave the rest) practice. Because it’s soooo relevant here. And with acupuncture. And with eating meat. And with …
I am a Christian, I’ve been practicing yoga for 27 years and I trained to become a yoga therapist. Are you totally aghast? Lol Returning to discernment and chew & spit, there’s a few things that may help here.
1. It’s kind of impossible to stretch without assuming some kind of variation of a yoga posture. Your basic lunge, back knee down or up, with hands on your hips is a modified variation of a yoga posture; standing and reaching up and over to one side to stretch is a variation of a yoga posture; sitting cross-legged on the floor is a yoga posture, sitting on your heels is a yoga posture, modified squats are similar to a yoga posture, sitting wide-legged on the floor and reaching for your toes is a yoga posture… the list goes on. Not to mention many exercise theories like Pilates, have postures that are also found in yoga. This is because many of the postures are regular bodily movements that are exaggerated to bring in either a stretch effect or a strengthening one. They are born out of British calisthenics from when India won independence from Great Britain. Yoga’s true origin.
2. Yoga is steeped in Hinduism simply because that is the predominant religion of the region. Yoga is not religion, however, it is a science and a philosophy. Yoga teachings, practices and techniques have been perverted and used in ways that was not originally intended, however, just as many Christians pervert scripture and wield it inappropriately for manipulation, power and control.
3. Many postures are named after deities, animals, plants, etc. and stories for teaching have been woven into their practices. Not as a way of worship, but as a way of teaching perseverance through life’s challenges and lessons, remembering and connecting to a deep a rich purpose, etc., or an interconnectedness that all sentient being share. I’ll use tree pose as an example: trees breathe the carbon dioxide we exhale and we breathe the oxygen trees exhale. The Lord, our God, made the trees and made us—we need each other.
4. In several places in the Bible meditation is mentioned, we are even instructed TO meditate. But nowhere is the “how-to” given. Yoga offers us a brilliant how-to.
5. The intention ancient yogis had for the physical practices of yoga were many: improve strength and vigor to do arduous labor, improve health from disease, and to prepare the body for long periods of meditation (don’t know if you’ve ever tried, but sitting to meditate gets pretty uncomfortable very quickly). Fact: it does strengthen, tone, and make the body more flexible, the practices are unsurpassed as far as reducing the stress response in the body (fight, flight, freeze) which, when activated chronically by fears that are not related to our survival, is at the root of many common illnesses from chronic headaches to chronic back pain to reproductive challenges, digestive problems, you name it. It even helps to reverse heart disease in combination with lifestyle and nutritional changes. It’s in the science.
6. You mentioned union. Yoga is intended to unite the dimensions of the individual human being within his/herself, and also back to our original Goodness (not our original sin). God called man Good, FIRST. The mind-body connection is real, as is the mind-Holy Spirit connection. Shallow breathing trips up the stress response, and compounds anxiety, whereas conscious slow deep breathing turns on the parasympathetic nervous system, and helps us to remember God is in control. If we are not taking time out to connect these aspects, we will remain separate from God and His Will for our lives.
While there are plenty of yogis who used and still use yoga practices in a way that was/is twisted up in evil intentions, again, let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water and use what you are teaching us to use in your powerful work at mama bear: discernment—not Google research—to come to an understanding about what worship is. It’s a posture of the heart, not a posture of the body.
I hope this is helpful.
This is just as if not as bad as what the other side does to market it’s agenda and push its tools…. this article shows how far we will go to find all these things that make breathing as stretching bad. I mean I’ve lost all respect for this organization at this point amd I lived your books but you have done a deep dive off a hill into looney land and are just in this to stir up so controvery for your channel to get attention. Yoga, breathing, meditation is wonderful for myself and my kids amd yes WE HAVE CHAKRAS- it’s called energy and a energetic spine and to mock and make fun is just as bad as the others who mock Christianity….way to set an example….. Oh and even Jesus needed his quiet and meditation. Ugh. It’s logical science and 101 basics of this planet. I have news for you- we do not need a journalist with her agenda to push her ideas on intelligent thinking Christian women because you did so called research. It goes against all your discernment chew and spit. And in this it’s all spit. Good luck with this approach. Anyone that thinks for themsrlves can see this is a load of negative VIBES… Ohh spooky. bye
Courtney, I can see this is an area that you feel passionate about. I’m just curious what agenda and tools you think we are pushing?
You absolutely can. Please you the brain God gave you and not this unbelievably dissapointing brainwashing and agenda. Acupuncture, yoga, meditation, Chinese meditation is amazing amd Jesus in no way if you are a great Christian scholar would know this without a blink of a eye. This is a human 20th century ego controlling answer that creates division amd honestly is a huge tragedy bc these eastern tools are incredibly wonderful for natural care and not going down the big pharma plan. I cannot honestly get over this article. It’s so ego driven amd done in such human error and for selfish purposes..
.blown away. But it’s way we have our own brain to think. Goodluck!
Megan, thank you for interacting with the content. I can see you feel very strongly about this. I think it is okay to have honest disagreement or back and forth. You think that this article is “ego driven” and done for “selfish purposes.” I’m just curious, would we have to gain from an article like this that is egotistical or selfish? I’m a little confused. Again, we welcome disagreement and discussion. But those two accusations were a little confusing. But we are always willing to listen to critique if we have been wrong or present things in a wrong way. Would you care to elaborate?
Very informative. Looking forward to the second half!
I’m also wondering about acupuncture, as many Christians partake in it for its medical use.
Alexa,
I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that you addressed this topic. I am 100% behind your article. We as Christians need to wake up to the evil that is hidden right in sight. We may think that yoga is ok when leaving the names out and changing our exercises to “Christian yoga” but we cannot. The Bible says in James 3:12 says it perfect. Where we draw our roots from is where we are feed. Christians who practice this and are ok with yoga can feed others to a life where they are defenseless. We must also guard ourselves and others around us. I know someone very close to me who begun yoga practice a few years ago to help get out of a dark place and back on track in her life and now she has begun the full practice of Hinduism practices even after choosing the Christian faith. We can’t have it both ways.
Thanks for all the work you put into this.