A Christian Experience of Yoga?


by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

Susan Bordenkircher of Daphne, Alabama, has been a fitness instructor since 1996. After attending a national yoga workshop, she began teaching power yoga. Since 2001, she has been incorporating the disciplines of yoga with her Christian faith in a class titled Outstretched in Faith. Bordenkircher states that the Outstretched philosophy is simple: "we believe God will bless our sincere efforts at deepening a relationship with Him. He wants our fellowship and appreciates creative approaches to seeking His face. This is why Outstretched is dedicated to a Christ-centered pursuit of physical healing and spiritual growth through a practice of yoga."

Yoga is a traditional Hindu practice. In Hinduism, it is used to foster concentration and self-control in order to achieve unity with God and escape the cycle of reincarnation. A yoga practitioner would go through several stages in progressing toward total unification with the Absolute: "by means of knowledge with the deity; the practice of moral virtues and observance of ethical rules; bodily postures; control of internal and external senses; concentration of memory and meditation - finally terminating in total absorption." All such practices are learned and directed by a "professional yogin, called guru."1

Because of its history in the Eastern tradition, and its connection with reincarnation, some Christian churches, especially the Evangelical sects, have come out strongly against yoga. John Allan in "Yoga - a Christian Analysis" has concerns that someone practicing yoga might be opening herself to "possible occult or even demonic influences." He does not believe that yoga practices can be separated from their Hindu background. Surprisingly, the Catholic Church has taken a more cautiously optimistic stance toward yoga. "In October 1989 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a 'Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on some aspects of Christian Meditation.'" It cautions that mystical experiences such as those that may be induced by yoga should not necessarily be considered as an experience of the Holy Spirit, which is a gift from God. This document, however, does not rule out using Eastern-based prayer traditions, and in fact states that "the emphasis placed on bodily posture, breathing and the heartbeat in the context of prayer, has for centuries been part of the spiritual traditions of Christianity - but those of the east rather than the west."2

Bordinkircher would agree with this latter opinion. "This Christian approach to yoga simply allows us to combine these two essential goals: becoming physically healthy and spiritually healthy. We become more spiritually healthy through the yoga practice by calming our minds and quieting ourselves to the point that we can tune out the world's frequency and tune into God's frequency. Outstretched in Worship combines hatha yoga stretches and poses with Christian meditations.

"Being quiet with God allows us to create enough psychological and spiritual space that God can truly create an inner sanctuary in us. Being quiet enough to hear our Lord's voice is not optional - it's essential for growth. Yoga alone is certainly not the path to finding peace, but true, lasting peace and contentment come only through an on-going relationship with the Lord."

For more information on the Outstretched in Worship classes and video series, please visit www.christianyoga.us

1 John Harden, S.J. "Why is Yoga incompatible with Catholicism?" The Catholic Faith 4, no. 2 (March/April 1998): 54-55. http://catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0275.html

2 Louis Hughes. Yoga A Path to God? Dublin: Mercier Press, 1997. http://www.bodymindmeditation.ie/yoga.htm



Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur is editor of The Spiritual Woman Newsletter.



© Spiritual Woman Press, 2004. All rights reserved.