‘Why I don’t do yoga’

In a previous opinion post, yoga teacher Olivia Shone said that the decision to do yoga is a ‘personal decision on which the Bible offers no clear guidelines.’ I’d like to share my experience and why I disagree.

I was first introduced to yoga at the age of 21 after suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome for six months and being unable to leave the house most days. Yoga was recommended to me as a modality that could help me feel more energetic.

I took a viniyoga class with poses specifically designed to increase energy. I was amazed that I was filled with energy and recovered pretty much instantly.

 For three days after that first yoga class I felt in an altered spiritual state

There was another strange feeling. For three days after that first yoga class I felt in an altered spiritual state. I felt strangely separate from other people. It’s hard to describe but it felt I had set out on the path to enlightenment and was completely alone.

The feeling gradually faded and I continued doing yoga every day as it aided my recovery. I also set off on a new age path, and for the next twenty years explored many modalities such as meditation, tai chi, energy healing, breathwork and more.

When I came to Christ at the age of 42 I wondered if I could continue with yoga. After all, what harm could it do to stretch my body? I was convicted by an interview with an ex-yoga teacher who explained how most yoga poses are designed to worship a different Hindu ‘god’.

When I came to Christ at the age of 42 I wondered if I could continue with yoga. After all, what harm could it do to stretch my body?

For example the tree pose is an act of worship to goddess Sita, the dancer pose to Shiva, and the half moon pose to Ganesha. When we look at the history of yoga and where it comes from it is intertwined with Hinduism. The word yoga means to yoke to join with Hindu triune godhead of Brahman, Vishnu and Shiva.

In an article published in September 2009 edition of Hinduism Today, Subhas Tiwari, a Professor of Yoga Philosophy and Meditation said that ‘Yoga is Hinduism..efforts to separate yoga from its spiritual center reveal ignorance of the goal of yoga.”

Slow yoga poses and breathing are designed to bring the mind into a trance state to prepare it for meditation. The short term effects may be positive, such as experiencing relaxation or relief for aching muscles.

However we are also opening ourselves up to spiritual warfare. The Bible tells us to be awake and sober-minded, to meditate on God’s word day and night. Yoga does the opposite of this, creating a hypnotic state outside of God that allows the demonic realm to influence our lives.

With alcohol or drugs it’s easy to recognise the side effects with a hangover or ‘come down’ the next day. With the spiritual realm it’s often harder to see the spiritual side effects of practises such as yoga.

It might look like a subtle sense of being ill at ease, or something more serious like a physical injury to ourselves or to a loved one. It could be a struggle in a particular area of life, such as finances and relationships. As Christians we are not immune to struggle and difficulties of course, but practising yoga is putting ourselves into the hands of the enemy.

There is widespread confusion in the modern Western church because when yoga was introduced it was often presented as a physical practise rather than a spiritual one. This is not the case in India. Ex-yogi Mike Shreve, author of Seven Reasons I No Longer Practise Yoga has observed that when Hindus in India convert to Christianity they always give up yoga.

Claiming you can do yoga as a non-spiritual practise is a bit like thinking you can eat cake for the healthy proteins and vitamins while not absorbing the sugar. All the good intentions in the world cannot make a cake devoid of sugar, and using a Hindu practise to stretch will always have spiritual consequences.

When I first let go of yoga I was so confused about exercise. I was used to exercising every day. Slowly as I let go of the practice I realised that it had actually been a heavy yoke of addiction in my life. I still exercise regularly, but I am not in bondage anymore where I feel I have to do it every day. I feel so free!

If you have been relying on yoga for its benefits I know my words may be hard to hear, but I pray that anyone reading this takes time to pray and seek other ways to obtain health and healing. I have heard many miraculous stories of healing through prayer and God may direct us towards other non-spiritual modalities for health and wellbeing.

As we know from the story of the Apostle Paul, God does not always grant us healing, but he will always give us his grace.

Listen to the WA podcast episode: Yoga for Lent? On Premier Plus, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.