“WE PROCLAIM HIM, ADMONISHING AND TEACHING WITH ALL WISDOM SO WE CAN PRESENT EVERYONE PERFECT IN CHRIST.” COLOSSIANS 1:28
MODULE 1 LESSON 1
Why and How Christians CAN Practice Yoga: The Comprehensive
Let’s begin our training time in prayer:
Father God, I invite you to be a part of my training time today. I pray you would use this material to help me know you and your son Jesus in a profound and life-changing way. I believe you call me to live a life of discernment, especially in the world of yoga. I want to honor Christ on the yoga mat, and for this reason, I pray you would speak the truth to me biblically as I work through this week’s lessons.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Why is Christian Yoga permissible?
1 Corinthians 10:23 says, “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is beneficial.” Yoga is permissible, but Christians need to have a clear picture of what is damaging to their faith. If yoga does compromise your faith, it will not be beneficial on any level...Mentally, physically, or spiritually. Yoga that causes us to stumble and sin creates a barrier between God and us. We must be mindful of this for ourselves and those we instruct.
The Christian life allows us free will, and with that, we have permission to explore, participate in, and seek out living abundantly. However, we must do this within the limitations of how God calls us to live. This, my friends, is not the wide road, but the narrow one. We cannot misinterpret freedom as an excuse to indulge in sinful behavior. We need to live life under the parameters of God’s will, including yoga. Galatians 5:13 makes this crystal clear as it says, “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.”
We have been given freedom in Christ. As long as we are not sinning in the freedom we have through Christ’s blood; then we can pursue our life’s desires. Including yoga. It is important to remember that pursuing yoga means we need to do so biblically, prayerfully, and by using Godly wisdom and discernment.
The good news is you are now in the right environment to thrive as a Christian practitioner and instructor. The PerfectFit training will continue to point you back to Christ to utilize teaching that will point your students back to Christ. By the end of this training, you will be able to teach, speak, and guide people in a yoga practice that honors Christ first.
Isn’t that exciting?
Traditional versus Christian Yoga
Let's take a side-by-side look at how the two are different.
Christian Yoga:
God and Jesus Christ are exalted.
Uses Scripture to teach, correct, and mold hearts for Christ.
Uses Prayer to connect to Christ.
Uses Meditation based on Philippians 4:8.
Utilizes the physical and mental health benefits.
Is led by Christian instructors.
Encourages surrender to Christ and His power.
Traditional Yoga:
False gods and eastern religions are exalted.
Uses worldly wisdom and sacred texts rooted in eastern religion for spirituality.
Uses chanting as a form of worship and meditation to false gods.
Uses meditation based on Self, New age techniques, Eastern texts.
Infuses new age practices and meditations exalting self.
May use certain poses to exalt or honor false gods.
Are led by people of all religious faiths, including Christians.
Encourages surrender to eastern deities and relying on self.
It’s important that you know and understand these differences of practice as a Christian yoga instructor. As you market yourself as a Christian trained and certified instructor, your regular students, potential new students, and the faith community will want to know HOW you are different from a traditional style. Always refer to the top list to answer these inquiries.
Be confident that you are set apart, and Christ redeems the style of yoga you teach!
With that in mind, when our well-meaning friends of faith tell us Christians can't practice yoga, we can adopt a truth-filled response that is God-honoring. This phrasing is helpful for yourself and will benefit your students as well. Recognize that they too may receive push back from the Christian community and want to know how to confidently answer in a biblically sound way.
The Biblical Response as to WHY Christians CAN Practice Yoga:
“Did you know that through Jesus’s death on the cross, I have been given freedom? In Galatians 5:13, it says, “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.” When I practice yoga, I do not participate in or engage in any harmful practices to my walk with Christ or cause me to sin. I am wise to the deceptive new age practices and ties to eastern religion. I know how to avoid them. I use my time in yoga to exalt Christ. I yoke myself to Jesus in my mind, body, and spirit, making my yoga practice a time to honor, worship, and adore the one true King.”
Lastly, here is an article that continues to hone in on HOW Christians can practice yoga. It will further you and your student’s understanding of safely navigating the practice. It can be a helpful tool to send any inquiring student or to share when promoting your classes.
Feel free to utilize it in your monthly newsletter, social media, or email for content and promotion.
(If you chose to share this article, please give credit to the author.)
Bottom line, if you feel spiritually uncomfortable, awkward, or questioning the use of various practices in your yoga, listen to that. The holy spirit prompts us to make decisions based on God’s will. Remember, God allows us to practice yoga, but we need wisdom and discernment in doing that.
Final Thoughts:
As we proceed to the next lesson, let’s do so with a clean slate. We want to be free from any shame or guilt surrounding our participation in spiritually harmful yoga practices.
Let us all remember that Christ also offers us freedom from sin when we seek forgiveness. If you have participated in some of these behaviors on the list, then repent and turn away from them. God is offering you a way out. Romans 8:1 tells us that there is “no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.”
Jesus makes all things new when we repent and turn away from sin and strongholds. By attending this teacher training, He is making all things new and redeeming the path of traditional yoga to one that will honor and glorify Him.
Be excited, grateful, and ready to embrace a new way of spiritual teaching authentic to Christ and who you are in Him.
Scriptural Application:
Take a moment to meditate on the truth of God’s word. How can these scriptures help you stay connected to Christ and His truth amid any deceitful practices yoga introduces?
1 Corinthians 10:23
Galatians 5:13
Philippians 4:8
Romans 8:1
Write For Insight- Journal
1) Based on the traditional yoga list above, list ways your traditional yoga training worked against you and your faith in Christ.
2) If you participated in yoga practices that compromised your faith, how did you handle it?
3) Do you need to confess your sin and repent from this type of yoga practice? Why or Why not?
4) To become a Christian Yoga teacher, are you ready to start afresh with a clean slate in the way you teach and practice yoga?
