Yoga has been practiced in the West for only about the last century. Since Americans began embracing yoga, several new "styles" or brands of yoga have been developed by various teachers to better meet the needs of Westerners.

It can be confusing if you look in the phone book or drive down the street and see names like "Ashtanga Yoga" or "Bikram Yoga" or "Kripalu Yoga." The names are simply telling you what style that studio teaches. One style may focus more on bodily alignment, while another focuses on athletic "power"-type moves. Some styles emphasize the individual's needs and capacity, while others encourage precise implementation of each posture regardless of unique body types.

Each style was originated by a particular yoga teacher and has been carried on by other teachers and students over time. Since there are hundreds of books, articles, and Web sites available to explain the various styles of yoga, I'm not going to describe them in detail, but feel free to consult other sources if you would like to learn more.

All these styles of yoga involve the traditional yoga postures that teachers have been passing down through generations for thousands of years. The postures themselves are similar no matter where you go - anywhere in the world! But the sequence of postures, the manner in which they're undertaken, and the mental/spiritual intent vary. How does Holy Yoga fit into this picture? Holy Yoga has been developed to be yet another unique "style" of yoga. We use the same basic body positions as in all of yoga. But we use them in conjunction with specific language to help accentuate the physical pose and to worship God, connect with Christ, and be filled with the Spirit.

The idea of Christian yoga isn't brand-new. Thomas Ryan, a Catholic priest and scholar, has studied yoga in depth for many years. His 1995 book, Prayer of Heart and Body, was an important work establishing yoga as legitimate Christian discipline. His more recent work, Reclaiming the Body in Christian Spirituality, takes the idea further by examining the role of the body in Christian spiritual life. He encourages a healthy spiritual attitude toward our bodies and shows us how our physical activities are acts of worship toward our Creator, God.

More recently, Episcopal priest Nancy Roth has been studying and teaching yoga and has authored a wonderful little book, An Invitation to Christian Yoga. Some of her teachings, though seemingly simple, have been life-changing for me as I came to understand the profound spirituality inherent in the movement of the body in union with the mind and spirit.

Why Is Yoga So Popular?

Larry Payne, coauthor of Yoga for Dummies and Yoga Rx, calls yoga a "natural, do-it-yourself prescription for good health and stress management."3 Sounds great, doesn't it? I think that definition embodies the reason for the popularity of yoga.

Today we know that stress is one of the greatest contributors to poor health. Stress makes a healthy body more open to disease and worsens the effects of most illnesses and ailments. On top of all that, being stressed just doesn't feel good! Yoga is one of the best ways to calm a stressed mind and body.

But people have many different reasons for wanting to do yoga. The most important motive for Americans is to "stay in shape." This can mean losing or maintaining weight, increasing muscle tone and flexibility, or simply staying physically fit. Yoga can accomplish all of these goals, but the purely physical effects were never the intent of yoga. If you enter a local yoga studio with entirely physical goals and are unaware of the spiritual content that particular class comprises, you can possibly find yourself spiritually compromised. This will never happen with Holy Yoga! Even if you approach Holy Yoga with a physical motivation, you'll find it safe for your Christian walk.

Another reason some people practice yoga is for specifically therapeutic purposes. More than just a general "staying in shape," these practitioners are seeking relief from specific illnesses or bodily ailments. Yoga therapy has been developed to address all manner of problems, including chronic back pain, asthma, heart disease, arthritis, and chronic fatigue syndrome. In fact, yoga has proven so effective in managing some chronic diseases and pain issues that some insurance companies offer coverage for yoga therapy.4 Because of its proven effectiveness in relieving or managing all types of physical problems, yoga has continued to increase in popularity even as other disciplines such as Pilates and tai chi have also become popular.

Many people practice yoga as a spiritual discipline, which is our central focus in Holy Yoga. But the idea of yoga as a Christian spiritual discipline is still not very widespread, so we are always careful to distinguish Christ-centered yoga from all the other types. The idea of seeking enlightenment is common in yoga circles. We need to be clear in delineating this idea from what we are taught in Scripture. While enlightenment traditionally refers to a deep experience of the core of the self, as Christians we are seeking communion with Christ. This does, of course, entail a more profound knowledge of the self. But self-awareness is not our final goal - Christ-awareness is.

One of my students, Peggy, said, "Holy Yoga is a special time for me to worship God fully with mind and body." That's the whole idea behind the practice of Holy Yoga! Before you go any farther in your exploration of yoga as a Christian practice, take some time to ask yourself: Why do I want to do yoga? What's my goal?

Set your intention first. Focus your goal on God and whatever He wants for you. Dedicate your practice to Him and Him alone. Only then will Holy Yoga become your own unique way to worship God with all of yourself through the ancient disciplines of bodily prayer.

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Tags: Yoga

About the Author

Brooke Boon lives in Phoenix, Arizona. More