“WE PROCLAIM HIM, ADMONISHING AND TEACHING WITH ALL WISDOM SO WE CAN PRESENT EVERYONE PERFECT IN CHRIST.” COLOSSIANS 1:28

MODULE 6 LESSON 4

Excellence: The Role of Music in Christian Yoga   

We want our Christian yoga class to be a worshipful experience. One of the ways we do this, in addition to the key elements of scriptural use, Christian Meditation, and prayer, is with music. 

With this in mind, we unlock the role of music in Christian yoga and its role in worship. 

Music in Classes

Depending on your 200-hour teacher training, you may or may not currently use music in your classes. Generally, in yoga, we find this is a preference among different styles of training. 

In Christian yoga, we can go either way. Since quietness and stillness are embraced in our faith, having a class free from music is perfectly fine. For this lesson’s purpose, we discuss how to create a worshipful experience by using Christian music. 

Take Caution with Music Selection 

When teaching Christian yoga, we want to be cautious about what type of music we select. In Scripturally themed classes, it’s best to avoid using traditional yoga music infused with the Sanskrit language. 

It’s essential to know the words sung over us when practicing yoga, and unless you know the Sanskrit language, this can prove challenging with traditional music. It is not worth compromising our faith for the sake of a catchy tune. In fact, any music that glorifies false gods should be avoided (1 Chronicle 16:26).

Furthermore, any music genre (secular included) that would glorify sin does not fit into the Christian yoga practice as our primary aim is to glorify God. 

Going Deeper

Let’s begin by discussing how Christian music enhances our classes for excellence. 

As always, scripture is the best place to start. What does God’s word say about music? 

Psalm 105:1-6 gives us a lovely word picture. 

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

    praise him in his mighty heavens! 

Praise him for his mighty deeds;

    praise him according to his excellent greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;

    praise him with lute and harp!

Praise him with tambourine and dance;

    praise him with strings and pipe!

Praise him with sounding cymbals;

    praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Music is one way we can express praise to the Lord. When it comes to our Christian yoga classes, it is yet another way to adore our Lord and Savior. This is worship. 

Worship is natural to human life and is happening in the hearts of all people all the time. God created us to worship, and whatever rules our hearts rule our minds. In a mind-body practice, what better way than infiltrate our students’ minds than with songs, hymns, and spiritual songs that make music to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19) 

Ways to Use Christian Music in Class

Now that we understand the importance of music to our faith and to connecting to our Savior, we can now work to incorporate it into our teaching practice. 

Follow this four-step process for implementing Christian music.

Step 1: How Much Christian Music? 

Decide the amount of Christian Music you want to incorporate into class. 

While we want to avoid traditional yoga music, we can incorporate some secular songs into our practice. As long as the song does not have a message or lyrics promoting sin, this is generally okay. 

Do you want an entire playlist of Christian music? Do you want to add some secular songs to the playlist? 

Many secular songs can enhance our scriptural theme and overall class message. This can be helpful when teaching a mixed group or both Believers and non-Believers. 

Do you just want to play one or two Christian songs and the rest of the class be silent? If so, you could open or close with Christian music. Placing a song at the beginning or the end (or both) is a lovely way to add worship. 

Step 2: Type of Christian Music 

Decide what type of Christian music you want to incorporate in Class.

Do you want music with lyrics? Do you want instrumental?Do you want a combination of both?

If you are teaching at a location that does not allow Christian yoga, using instrumental Christian music is one way you can honor God. 

Take Note: We delve into more information on addressing secular classes and students in Christian yoga in our next lesson, five. 

Step 3: Match the Music to the Style of Yoga Class

We want the style of Christian music to match the style of Christian yoga we are teaching. 

Select slower songs for slower-paced classes—gentle, yin, restorative, slow flow, evening practices, etc.  Select more upbeat, quick tempo songs for faster-paced classes—power, morning practices, yang, fitness, etc. In general, match the song to the pace and style of yoga presented. 

Step 4: Create a Playlist. 

Our playlist and song choice should go hand in hand with our Scriptural theme. This is yet another way to reach students, especially those that are auditory learners. It adds excellent value to our classes and is a consistent joy for our students. 

For example, if you select the theme of grace or love, you may want to incorporate the instrumental or vocal version of the song Amazing Grace at the beginning or end of class. 

If you feel stumped on how to find Christian music, you can follow playlists on Spotify that are not only Christian but for Christian yoga. Simply type “Christian yoga” in the search menu and see what pops up. 

Call to Action: Write for Insight

Do you plan to use Christian music in your class? Why or Why Not? If so, what type of Christian Music do you plan to play? Old hymns, instrumental, upbeat Christian rock, or more current Christian music? 

What are your thoughts regarding worship and music in Christian yoga? 

Putting It Into Practice: 

There are many ways to make customizable playlists for class. Spotify is probably one of the most simplistic, and there is a free option. 

Whether you use Spotify or another playlist creation site, it’s time to create your first Christain yoga class playlist. 

Step One: Select one of the class themes you created from Module 5. This will be a class one of the classes completed from start to finish.

Step two: Create a playlist that will enhance your class’s scriptural theme. 

Select from the following how you wish to incorporate your music: 

Entirely Christian- an all-Christian playlist. There is a mix of both Christian and clean secular music.There is only Christian music at the beginning or the end of class (or both). 

Step Three: 

Post the link to your playlist to the PCYTT Facebook community. This can be an excellent way for us to share music and get ideas. 

If you do not have Spotify (or the like), you can post a handwritten playlist.