Yoga and Christianity - my personal experience
As a loyal follower of yoga and Christianity, I learned a few things along the way.
I don’t usually write about my religious beliefs. I hope everyone can believe what they want as long as they don’t intend to hurt anyone else. But when a friend questioned the compatibility of yogic philosophy and Christianity, I saw an opportunity to share what I learned.
First, I may as well briefly explain the experiences that shaped my worldview. I had a suburban Anglican upbringing. That era feels like a former life. In my early twenties, I was married and dumped. This heartbreak sent me away from the typical social expectation for relationships. I did not want marriage for some years afterwards. Then I met a caring person during an ambitious phase of my life. We dated, moved in, married, had a child, ended our romantic/intimate relationship and chose to peacefully co-parent. That is the short version. Sometime in the months before my most recent separation, I started following a Christian yoga teacher. I had seen this leader at an event years prior but didn’t look further into that worldview at the time. More resources became available from that teacher during the pandemic. I learned about how yoga is about yolking with the universal divine that is within the self. That is my attempt at understanding. God gives us the air that we breathe in from our surroundings. Our breath, our being, the planet… it is all connected. The more I absorbed perspectives like this, I realised my spiritual practice can serve and express my religious beliefs. It is not an either-or.
Other resources best explain the connection between these two worldviews. I refer to the experts instead of relying on my own interpretation. Christians Practicing Yoga provide a blog post about the Eight Limbs of Yoga from the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali. That post highlights the, “Yamas (attitudes towards others) and Niyamas (attitudes towards self).”
Their Christian perspective is that, “…Love is a person. Love is not a nameless, formless force in the universe. His love for us becomes the model we are to follow in loving Him and others… As we extend this kind of love to God, to ourselves, and to others, we can be sure we are incorporating the essence of the yamas and niyamas.” Sorry to cram quotes into my post. But, as the Beatles wisely sang, “All you need is love.”
I explore yoga to practice peace within. The two beliefs harmoniously guide me to myself, purpose and clarity.
Mala beads. Image: Unsplash.
