Glocal Christianity

Yoga Body, Yoga Spirit

I have been looking back over what I've written on Yoga over the years, and have how people have commented in response, and what stands out for me is the need for Christians to clearly articulate how they understand the mind, body, soul and Spirit.

Yoga, given its Hindu origins, tends to be grounded in pantheistic (God is all) pneumatology where no meaningful distinction is recognized between soul and Spirit, humanity and divinity. Christianity, on the other hand, teaches a monotheistic (God is one) pneumatology, where a significant distinction is recognized between humanity and divinity, soul and Spirit, which has consequences for how we understand union / yoga with God. The hurdles to union are not just perceptual and mechanical, they are also ethical and relational. Thus, genuine union goes beyond experience, beyond what we can perceive. And yet, experience of God is not unimportant or inconsequential. It is a blessing to experience. So, how to move forward? For me it is a matter of faith seeking experience.

Authentic yoga, authentic union, begins with faith, begins with entrusting your self, your soul to God, to Spirit. The soul is not essentially equivalent to Spirit, but it is radically dependant on Spirit (see previous comments on mysticism), a subtle but important difference. Thus, contra Hinduism, authentic yoga is more about soul realignment or attunement than soul deconstruction or denial. Its about entrusting ourselves to Spirit, the Spirit most deeply known through Christ. Christian yoga begins with Christ faith.

Going deeper, from a Hebraic understanding the soul is a mind and body unity, it is the self understood holistically. So there is no mind / body split, but there is a soul / Spirit split. Christian yoga, union with Christ, heals this split through the karmic transferrence he achieved through his death and resurrection.

So what then of experience? Well, faith needs to be exercised. We are called to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, body and soul, so what are we waiting for? Use your body as God intended it, worship the Lord with your whole self. Let go. Trust. Listen. Listen to yourself, listen to your environment, listen to your God, listen with your whole self and not just your ears. It is said the sacred / secular split is a false one, well, what of the split between physical discipline and spiritual discipline? Stretch yourself. Why not explore as you exercise?

Related posts on Christianity and Yoga:

How (not) to Christianize Yoga
Christian Yoga
The Yoga Sutras of Sri Paul
Jesus Yoga
Stretching for Jesus

How (not) to Christianize Yoga

There are good ways to Christianize a non-Christian practice ... and there are not so good ways. Care to see an example of how NOT to Christianize Yoga? Let me introduce you to Scripture Yoga.

But first, read this article by Mike Frost on Risky Negotiation.

Done? Ok, let's proceed. Here is what Scripture Yoga has to say for itself:

Scripture Yoga is a form of Christian yoga with Biblical scripture verses recited during the stretches and postures. The scriptures are based on themes like Peace, Angels and Prayer.

Does the mere insertion of verses make a practice Christian? If I highlighted the scriptural references within Metallica's "Creeping Death", could I use it as a worship song?

Christian yoga allows you to practice yoga in a Christian environment. If a secular yoga class is not completely separated from its eastern religion and philosophy, then you may be exposed unintentionally to a non-Christian environment. Therefore, Scripture Yoga provides a Christ-centered alternative to secular yoga.

Scripture Yoga allows the practice of posturing and meditation in a Christian context devoid of eastern religious influence.

Does the mere environment, the mere context, make a practice Christian or Christ-centered? If I sang the Mr Hankie song in church, would that make it Christian?

Scripture Yoga is different from secular yoga because you listen to God's Holy Word as it is recited during the yoga class.

How secular is secular Yoga? Is there such a thing? How deeply does this instructor understand Yoga philosophy?

The postures for Scripture Yoga are the same as those used for Hatha Yoga. The difference primarily lies in the purpose and focus of the meditative session. If secular yoga is not completely separated from its eastern religion and philosophy, it could expose participants to spiritual forces that are not of God.

Does this instructor not recognize that the asana poses and pranayama breathing exercises flow directly from Hindu spiritual practice, that pneumatology is an issue in all of it, and not just the meditation session? And more, even if it were possible to completely secularize it, is secularity any more philosophically neutral than Hinduism?

The most popular type of yoga in the United States is Hatha Yoga in which the Eastern religion and philosophical portion of yoga is completed separated from the yoga class.

Completely? It may not be explicit ... but not even implicit? Surely you jest.

Ok, enough critique, what can I constructively add?

1. Well, if you refer back to the Mike Frost article again, what is lacking here is an exegesis of Yoga, an exploration of Yoga. In particular, differences between Hindu and Christian understandings of Spirit and the mind-body link need to be explored and understood.

2. What is also lacking here is an exegesis of scripture. Insertion of verses is insufficient. A theology of Yoga needs to be developed, a Christian philosophy that engages with the Hindu philosophy. So, not just Bible verses but Biblical thinking. How would a Christian pneumatology potentially reshape the practice?

3. Next, the asana and pranayama themselves need to be critically examined. Do some poses and breathing exercises themselves need to be rejected or modified? May some alternative exercises need to be introduced to balance things out?

4. Finally, it all needs to be integrated.

In summary, I am not criticizing attempts to Christianize Yoga per se, I am just saying let's try for something with more substance, that's not so superficial.

Yogic Mudras in Christian Imagery

I was doing some research into Christian mundras (mundra is a yogic word for ritual hand gestures) when I came across an interesting article in Christian Yoga Magazine. Yes, that's right, there's a whole magazine devoted to Christian yoga.

Anyway, it explained the Prithvi Mudra and Pran Mudra from a sort of Christianized Hindu perspective which is what I was looking for.

The mentions of the Law of Attraction and Oprah is all you need to figure out where this is coming from theologically. Hopefully that's all you need to figure out that I don't endorse it, but I think it could be interesting to chew over.

Jesus taught Bhakti-Yoga?

I love the way Yoga teachers give backhanded compliments to Jesus. It's quite skillful really. They come across so open and accepting, even as they undermine. Talk about contortionism! Stephen Knapp gives us some more obvious examples in his article Jesus taught Bhakti-Yoga.

By studying the teachings that are ascribed to Jesus, we can easily recognize that the essence of what Jesus taught was an elementary level of the Vedic process of bhakti-yoga and karma-yoga.

In this way, Jesus taught people the most basic portions of God’s law and gave the most simple commandments ... This is a sign of the kind of people Jesus was dealing with. They were very primitive and had to be taught the most basic of spiritual knowledge.

In this way, we can see that the essence of Christianity is the basic teachings of the Vedic philosophy which was developed much earlier and more deeply than that which is presently found within the philosophy of Christianity.

Jesus is embraced, but only as a minor guru with derivative teachings. Of course, anything which is distinctive to Jesus and not derivative is seen as a devolution from Yoga. Jesus is never allowed to actually speak for himself, to be understood within his own context.

Experience of a Christian Yogi

A very interesting story by a Christian yogi. Seems somewhat syncretist but interesting all the same. Check out also where he demonstrates and explains his way of praying the Lord's prayer in the manner of the yogic salutations to the sun.

• Do you have any experience of yoga?
• Do you recognize where this could raise questions from a Christian perspective?
• Does this method of praying, using the whole body, strike you in any way?

Can a Christian practice Yoga?

This video explores the question, can a Christian practice Yoga? Beginning with a communion analogy, it helps Christians to understand the issues in terms they are more familiar with. I did not agree with everything the speaker said, but i found it well thought out. Keep an eye out for who produced it at the end.

Related posts:

Christian Yoga

Yoga Piracy

Jesus Yoga

Asian Christian Art

Christian Yoga

I was having a look for articles on Christianity and Yoga the other day just to see what was out there. Here were some of the popular ones.

• Christian Yoga Some contrasting views.
• Yoga and Christianity: Are They Compatible? Can yoga philosophy can truly be separated from yoga practice? This article explores some of the issues.
• Does Yoga Conflict with Christianity? A Christian counter-cult apologist responds to claims made in Yoga Journal.
• Spiritually Incorrect A more sympathetic exploration review of Nancy Roth's book, "An Invitation to Christian Yoga."
• Yoga and Christianity: Loving with All Your Parts This was an article from a more Hindu influenced perspective.

Surveying the Field

Reading these articles, the big dissappointment for me was that none of them approached the subject of Christian Yoga from a missional-incarnational perspective.

On the one hand there were plenty of critical responses that focused on theological and spiritual boundary maintenance, which I admit has its place. But amongst these there was no critical reflection on why people were being attracted to yoga, no critical reflection on why Christian disciplines were not satisfying and, even more concerning, no development of a positive witness. It was all about keeping Yoga contamination out, there was nothing about Christians becoming more contageous themselves.

On the other hand there were also a number of feel good responses that focussed on the positive aspects of Yoga, which also has its place. But amongst these there was preciously little to be found in the way of deeper thinking and philosophy, it was all about feeling and experience, the irony here being that Yoga is traditionally a discipline which aims at integration of mind and body.

Towards a Missional-Incarnational Response

What I feel is despirately lacking here is a deeper exploration of Yoga that takes full stock of both the compatabilities and the incompatabilities with Christianity, of both where we can learn from Yoga practitioners and teachers and where they can learn from us and our teacher, Jesus, in what it means to find union.

And one of the critical issues I feel needs to be explored here is the mind-body link, or to put a more theological spin on things, Christian anthropology and pneumatology in relation to spiritual discipline. The resurrection affirms a crucial link between mind body and spirit that has, unfortunatley, not always been fully appreciated by Western theologians and philosophers. The popularity of Yoga should goad us into a deeper exploration of, firstly, the role of the body in spiritual practice and, secondly, of the relationship between Spiritual awareness and self awareness. I would posit that Christian practice must begin with the understanding of self being radically dependant on Spirit, and of both body and mind being the locus of Spiritual training. What emerges - would it be fair to call it Christian Yoga or not - that's a second order issue for me.

Yoga Piracy

Some interesting articles here on Hindu responses to the co-option of Yoga by New Agers and Christians.
 
Yoga Renamed Is Still Hindu By Subhas R. Tiwari
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/2006/1-3/09_opinion.shtml

India makes moves to reclaim heritage from 'yoga piracy' By David Orr
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20050922-114821-4035r.htm

Classical Yoga Hindu Academy's website.
http://www.yogahinduacademy.beliefnet.com/FAQs.html

Yoga: West Meets East

I came across an interesting article on Yoga that I though I would pass on. Entitled "Culture Shock" it relates "How yoga's popularity in the West is changing the way Indians approach a practice created in their country thousands of years ago." Also comments on the reified picture many westerners have of the east.

The Yoga Sutras of Sri Paul

What would C4 contextualisation look like in a Western context?

Hamo raised this question in an article some time ago and I thrashed out a few issues with him on his blog at the time, but I'd like to raise the specter of it again given recent discussions on chi, ki, prana, pneuma, etc, etc, in relation to practices like Tai Chi and Yoga which have become commodified for Western consumers.

For those not familiar with the contextualisation scale, C4 equates to "contextualized Christ-centered communities using insider language and biblically permissible cultural and religious forms." For the other types see the article.

Here's a translation of the bible to ponder over:

Therefore, I urge you, fellow sanyasins, in view of God's compassion, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, sacred and satisfying to God—this is your pranic act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of maya, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. [Romans 12:1-2]

How comfortable are people with that?

What if you had a serious yoga devote in your cell group?

Would you back away from C4 contextualization even if she was having difficulties with your in-house language?

What might stop you from diving in?

Or what if we try and translate things the other way

“Use the Holy Spirit Luke!” – Ben Kenobi

Doesn’t that sound a whole lot more problematic theologically?

I was recently re-reading a book on Fung Shui which went into elaborate detail about the art of arranging your home to attract Ch’i. Now, once you realise that the author is actually taking about the Spirit of God in creation you have to ask yourself just how uncritically we can sample from consumer culture. There are some hard core issues masked behind the language gap.

Jesus Yoga

Jesus said, "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoga upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoga is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 112:28-29 paraphrased

The word yoga is directly related to yolk and union in sanskrit, the sacred language of Hinduism. Jesus spoke a lot about union with God through him. But how was his path to union different? Basically, with the yoga of Jesus, the initiative rests with God not the practitioner. We find union through trusting in God not attaining perfection through practice. In Jesus Yoga, the search for perfection is a consequence of finding union with God, not a precondition to union.

Christian Yoga in Time Magazine

Duncan MacLeod has drawn attention to Time Mazaine's latest edition which has a feature on Christian Yoga entitled "Stretching for Jesus". Also worth checking out is a feature Christianity Today ran previously entitled "Yes To Yoga".

Yoga in Australian Sport

Some interesting past articles from Australian Yoga Life on the influence of Hindu spirituality (Yoga) on Australian sports.

Aussies go to bat for Yoga

Taking Yoga to Athens