The story of the Bible is the story of God redeeming the world. God is inviting the world back to the original goodness it was created for. God so loved the world, the Gospel of John tells us, that God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die for it and make it possible for peace to reign again.
The story of the Church is the story of people joining God in this reconciling work through the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us that when we are in Christ we are a new creation. “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his empale through us” (2 Corinthians 5:18, 20 ESV).
When we know Jesus, we are called to join God in redeeming the world. Finding things that are out of joint, but have truth within them, and bringing them into the light. Often times, when Christians are concerned with participating in yoga, it’s because of its history. The history of yoga, is actually quite complicated and varied, but clearly yoga was not originally “Christian”.
The more important question than its origins or how other people engage, however, is whether or not yoga contains truth. If it contains truth, then as ambassadors of reconciliation we are invited to own that truth and engage it for the glory of God. If it taps into something true about the world God created and is consistent with Scripture, then we can own those parts. Paul does something like this in the book of Acts when he says “In him we live and move and have our being.” Paul is speaking about God here, but using a phrase that originated in a different religion! Paul is borrowing this phrase from a writer attributing it to Zeus, and attributing it to God.
Is there something within yoga that offers life and truth and helps us better love God and love others? If so, then we are invited to redeem it, engage it, and bring it to the light.
The Bible is full of examples of people taking things from the culture around them and redeeming them for God’s glory. Not only do the Biblical writers do this but God takes things used for the pride of the world and transforms them for God’s glory. To see an example of this, notice the mention of the ships of Tarshish in Isaiah 2:12-16 when God proclaims judgment and then the presence of those same ships in heaven in Isaiah 60:8-9.
Therefore, the question is: Is there something within yoga that offers life and truth and helps us better love God and love others? If so, then we are invited to redeem it, engage it, and bring it to the light.
At Ruah Space, we believe the answer is an absolute yes. Yoga has helped Phil in his ability to be more present, create space to connect with God, live a more healthy lifestyle, respond in difficult situations rather than react, take time to slow down, return to his breath when anxiety hits, and connect deeply with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit regardless of what is going on around him. And that’s just the beginning. Here is an article with some recent lessons Phil learned with Paddleboard yoga!
“Jesus first, yoga second.”
-Yogafaith
Now, we do need to clarify that are not practicing yoga as others practice yoga. We are engaging those parts that have connected with the truth in a way that connects us with God, ourselves, and others. We are practicing our call as ambassadors of reconciliation. The parts of yoga that do not bring us close to truth we do not engage, but the parts that are true we use to worship God and grow in the likeness of Jesus. This is why we practice YogaFaith at Ruah Space. Their motto is “Jesus first, yoga second.” We view and practice yoga through the lens of Jesus for the glory of God.
May God bless you with the eyes to see and the ears to hear where you are invited to be an ambassador of reconciliation. If yoga can help you on that journey, we are excited to have you and hope you will check out one of our classes found here.
Does this bring up questions for you? Drop a comment below or send us a private message at info@ruahspace.com!
Grace and Peace.
Miss part 1 of this series? You can find it here.
Continue with part 3 of the series here: Christian Yoga? Part 3 – Yoga Postures, the Bible, and Prayer
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