Is There Such a Thing as Christian Yoga? A Catholic Perspective

Many years ago, just after the birth of my second child, I found myself, once again, suffering from the often painful side effects of CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome). My mother gave me a self-help book for my birthday and it had information about Yoga with a brief selection of poses introduced at the end of the chapter. I did them, simply out of curiosity, and was completely shocked at the immediate strength and ironically equal relaxation the simple stretches gave me. I did not pursue the practice further, but I often touted the effectiveness of the three simple moves I had learned and tried no more than four or five times. I did not pray before or after, and I did no meditation. I even showed them to my husband who remarked that a couple of the stretches were ones football players have done in America for years during practice. Simple stretches, right? I soon discovered not every Christian feels this affectionate towards the many thousands of years old Hindu practice of Yoga.

As a devout Catholic, nowhere near Sainthood, I decided to research the issue after years of half-hearted wonder. I knew that if my own faith is complex and dear to me, infused with a myriad of practices and Sacred Tradition, then Yoga - as a tradition of Hinduism - a religion eons older than my own, was not going to be tossed away by a simple pat answer. But I Googled the question anyway:

"Can a Christian Do Yoga?"

The most negative responses came first, and they were from my Evangelical brothers and sisters. They ranged from promising immediate demon possession to anyone who stretches and breaths consciously at the same time, to the possibility of integrating Christianity into the Yoga to create "Chroga". The former response was far more interesting, and frankly, sincere. I didn't even bother to research "Chroga". That's a whole other topic.

I stumbled upon an article written by Laura J. Bagby at CBN.com. It was an excellent article, in which Bagby interviews actress, singer, public speaker, and personality trainer, and fellow Evangelical - Laurette Willis. What gives Willis' opposing opinion to Yoga merit is that she was a devout student of Yoga for 22 years. Her thoughts on the exercise are clear:

"These are postures that are offered to the 330 million Hindu gods." I am not sure where she gets a number so high, as Hindus I know claim thousands of gods not millions, but nonetheless, Willis continues with, "Yoga postures really are...offerings to the gods. If you do these postures and you do this breathing technique and this meditation then you will be accepted by a god, little 'g'. That's the real danger."

As a Catholic, I have a few issues with the above statement. Firstly, most Evangelicals agree with Luther that one is "saved by faith alone", and often that faith is discovered as the Sinner's Prayer is prayed before an alter one Sunday afternoon, at a revival service, in a car with a friend, on a park bench when alone, in prison, but always, the prayer must be sincere. It must be centered in faith or the prayer is simply words and completely ineffective and totally non-saving. Evangelicals believe that faith and the Sinner's Prayer alone can save, and some even believe as Catholics, that a life of Christian living must follow. But, Willis claims that a simple uttering of the words, and breathing in a certain way while relaxing, can awaken the Hindu gods (ones that Christians are not suppose to believe have any power - but are like the wooden and lifeless gods of Ancient Babylonia or Syria) are given all the power in the world, maybe even more, when a student of Yoga beckons them with a good leg stretch.

Catholics are often accused of practicing "empty tradition" and of simply moving their mouths without using hearts in their worship during the Mass, and to many Evangelicals, the Catholic faith has no saving power, no connection to a personal Christ, because it is looked upon as empty and insincere. As a Catholic, I know this is complete ridiculousness, a total falsehood and misunderstanding of the most ancient of Christian faiths, but if our faith has no power when it is supposed to be mindless, how does the non-Christian faith get so much sway? Makes the Catholic who loves tradition a little bit jealous. Maybe when Catholicism reaches beyond 10,000 years old, the Evangelicals will finally give merit to our Rosary?

Willis' answers, while very personally educated on the subject, still lead me nowhere in my search for the truth about Christianity vs. Yoga. She claims that when a Christian practices Yoga they, "come out from under the Blood of Christ". While I am no Theologian, I know that Christ's Blood was shed on the Cross and redeemed the entire world in one swift, all-powerful moment in time. For all eternity, all men have been redeemed, whether or not they acknowledge it. All men will not attain salvation, but the Blood of Christ touches the Earth in two places - on the Cross at Calvary and in the Real Presence of the Eucharist. The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is the only place where Christ's Blood is attained on Earth today, according to Catholic Tradition. To summon it, to move it around, to be able to control it is, well, completely out of the human realm of ability. Our human actions do not change the reality of Christ's redeeming Blood, or the position of it. However, our actions, the fluidity of our hearts to God's grace through the Eucharist, can bring great strife into our lives if we receive Christ's Blood without thought, or while engaged in grave sin. To move away from the Blood of Christ is to walk away from the Eucharist, if one is Catholic, if one lives like the Early Church believed. That's a lot more dangerous to me than stretching my legs and searching for my breath. However, I believe Willis is more accurately stating that practicing the deepest aspects of Yoga, as part of the Hindu religion, is not possible for the Christian. I have to agree here. Just as a Christian who celebrates Halloween does not instantly become a pagan, but a Christian who stands in the center of a pentagram and prays Wiccan prayers has really stepped away from the Christian worship as defined in the Gospel, even if they are being grateful for the earth God has given them. I suppose the prayerful part of Yoga, in the Hindu sense, can be something dangerous to the Christian walk if the Christian truly begins to practice Hinduism alongside Yoga.

"We are transformed by the renewing of our minds, not the emptying of it," says Willis, and here, is where the Evangelical and the Catholic completely agree. The practice of emptying ones mind is in direct opposition to Christianity. We are commanded in Sacred Scripture to, "Love the Lord thy God with all the heart, all thy mind, all thy strength..." One cannot truly be a Christian if their mind is directed away from God. Catholics meditate all the time. We have mystics who levitate and see visions. It is perfectly normal, and advisable, for us to close our eyes, lay prostrate before the alter, string our Rosary beads through our fingers - one bead at a time - concentrating on the virtues of the Blessed Mother, the Mysteries of Christ's love for the world, the heart of an all-loving Father, the invisibility of the force that is the love between Father and Son called the Holy Spirit. But our minds are to be focused on that word, "love", that word "Father", that name "Jesus". And to leave a mind empty is to completely waste the prayer time of any productive Catholic. So, yeah, here, Willis and I get on just fine.

And when she says that Christian Yoga is an "oxymoron" I agree, and I admire her for creating her own alternative, with the same health benefits in her book and DVD, Praise Moves. ButI know for a fact, that Christians can practice Yoga if they are not praying to Hindu gods, they are not practicing the religious aspects of it. Because, either you are a Christian or you are not. Either you believe or you don't. And without a soul's permission, nothing can enter it - not love, not hate, not peace, not God, not the Holy Spirit, not man, not Satan, not one or all of 330 million gods with Hindi names. One must open a heart intentionally to fill it with anything at all. Catholic Answer Apologists explain it like this,

"Physical exercises that are common to yoga that promote health and physical well-being are fine. What Catholics should not do is participate in non-Christian Eastern spirituality. If yoga contains non-Christian Eastern spirituality, one can do the physical exercises but refrain from the prayers. As a general rule of thumb, Christian spirituality is interpersonal (between persons) while non-Christian Eastern spirituality focuses the practitioner on the self."

Michelle Arnold, Catholic Answers Apologist.

"If people are simply using Yoga relaxation and stretching and breathing techniques, there is no problem. But Catholics must not engage in any Yoga theory or belief system."

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P., Catholic Answers Apologist

Agreed, because it is not a prayer that saves us, but rather, grace, and by God's grace, we can enter into a great exercise program without entering into a religion that is going to draw us away from the God who created the ability to meditate and find peace.