by Rod Benson

Reverend Rod Benson is Professor of Christian Ethics at the NSW Baptist Theological College and the Director of the Centre of Christian Ethics at Morling College.

In one of my previous churches, I discovered to my surprise that one of the organists, an octogenarian and foundation member of the church, had spent many years practicing and teaching yoga. It seemed incongruous that such a devoted follower of Jesus would so enthusiastically embrace what appeared to me to be a Hindu religious practice – and initiate others into the tradition.

Since then, I have discovered that many who identify as evangelical Christians, especially young women, practice yoga as an important part of their daily or weekly regimen. They have used yoga to reduce stress, as part of a holistic fitness program, and – less commonly – as a spiritual discipline not unlike certain forms of mystical Christian meditation.

Practiced carefully and consistently, yoga achieves all these goals. And it is especially useful in raising awareness of one’s body, and bodily rhythms, and in helping to ameliorate the Western dichotomy between body and mind. Serious non-Christian practitioners of yoga are more specific about aims and outcomes, speaking of a desire to empty the mind and achieve a sense of union with what is euphemistically termed the ‘transcendent.’

Yoga does indeed find its roots in ancient Indian philosophy and religion. And there are ethical as well as spiritual concerns to be considered. Teachers, for example, tell me that children are now introduced to yoga at some Australian public schools, and in after-school care programs, by amateur instructors who insist that it is “secular” and “values-free.” Like the Japanese spiritual practice of reiki, performed (I am told) by nurses on newborn babies without the consent of management or parents, yoga is at the very least a values-laden practice that children should arguably encounter in religious studies classes rather than the gymnasium.

Yet for evangelicals like Agnieszka Tennant, yoga is merely “bodily-kinetic prayer,” and, she says, “the Hindu gods don’t make it onto my mat”:

My natural response to any deep-breathing exercises is an emotionally-felt love of God. Soon after I take off my socks and do a couple of poses, spontaneous prayers soar to Christ … The Spirit – which in both biblical Greek and Hebrew also means breath – is indispensable to my soul. Breathe in. Breathe out. Holy Spirit in. Anything that’s not from God out …” [1]

Then, at the end of her yoga session at the local gym, Tennant’s instructor bows and says, “Namaste,” which, she points out, can be translated, “The soul in me honours the soul in you.”

Are Tennant and her ilk onto what appears to be a good thing but deluding themselves as to its basic nature? Are they, in fact, mistaking darkness for light, falsehood for truth, evil for virtue? Some Christians would suggest they are, and urge them to cease practicing yoga for their soul’s sake. Among other things, these well-meaning Christians might argue, a more accurate translation of “Namaste” is, “I bow to the god in you” – a clear echo of basic Hindu doctrine. Others would no doubt respect Tennant’s integrity and freedom to express her Christian faith in whatever manner she wished, within reason.

But there is a third response, one that is more than likely coming soon to a church near you: full-blown, no holds barred Christian yoga! The widespread popularity of yoga among evangelical Christians has created a burgeoning market in yoga programs, purified and packaged for Christian consumption. One of the most popular of these is Laurette Willis’s PraiseMoves.

Willis has responded to the spiritual challenge of yoga by reworking it to conform to popular evangelical spirituality. In place of yoga stretches, vinyasa flows and meditation, her product offers “Walkin’ Wisdom Warm-Ups,” “Scripture Sequences” and – wait for it – “What Would Jesus Do? Relaxation Time.” You can buy her book, Basic Steps to Godly Fitness, peruse the website, and purchase the workout DVD. And the movement is growing: Monica Byrne reports that, in 2005, Willis trained nearly 60 instructors across the US to offer PraiseMoves classes in their own places of worship. [2]

PraiseMoves is a well-crafted program aimed to appeal to the evangelical enthusiast. Each pose is tied to a Scripture verse. “During the standing posture known as The Angel,” gushes Willis in her promotional material, “we’re stretching one leg back, stretching the hamstrings and reaching the arms up and forward slightly, lifting up the torso through the crown of the head. At the same time we’re focusing on the Scripture from Psalm 91:11, ‘For he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways.’”

For Willis, any belief system not explicitly sanctioned in Scripture is a potential threat to the individual’s moral compass. When it comes to yoga, importing Christian theology, prayers and Scripture quotations to the regimen seems to do the trick.

On reflection, it all sounds pretty harmless, and preferable to traditional yoga. I’m all in favour of encouraging a closer relationship between the evangelical body and the evangelical mind. But one wonders what Jesus and Paul would have made of PraiseMoves and similar programs, and, more generally, the increasingly fad-based and product-oriented nature of evangelical experience and discipleship.

Now, a confession. Despite my evident evangelical skepticism toward yoga, I do have a personal exercise regimen that reduces stress, increases fitness and – I think – deepens my spiritual life. It’s very simple: I walk and pray, though not as often or as long as I should. I walk the dog; I walk to and from the bus that takes me to work; on weekends I walk with my family to the duck pond near our house, and through the awesome Blue Mountains National Park, and along the cliff-top paths between Sydney’s equally stunning eastern suburbs beaches.

As I walk, if I’m not listening to radio current affairs or to those around me, I admire the natural revelation of God’s glory and goodness. Or I pray a prayer to accompany my breathing, in and out, in and out, “Fill me with your Spirit, cleanse me from my sin.” Other words or phrases could reasonably be substituted. That’s as close as I have come to practicing yoga, and it’s enough for me.

There is a place for physical exertion, and for stillness. There is a time for mental exertion, and for release. The pace of modern living is often exhausting. Each of us needs spiritual, emotional and physical refreshment every day. “Be still,” counsels the ancient Hebrew poetry, “and know that I am God!”

Frankly, it is those who can’t, or won’t, find this quiet place within to relax and refresh and refocus their spirits who need exhortation – not those whose private spiritual disciplines may look and sound a little unorthodox but who are otherwise spiritually, emotionally and physically healthy. It’s the old distinction between method and message, form and content, and the wisdom to discern the good in things and in persons.

Now, to put on my walking shoes, find the dog, and hit the pavement for an evangelical mind-body workout – minus the merchandise and mumbo-jumbo.

References

[1] Agnieszka Tennant, “Yes to yoga,” http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/120/42.0.html, dated 19 May 2005.

[2] Monica Byrne, “Yoga and fundamentalist Christianity,” Sightings, 18 May 2006.