To get this out of the way, the Bible doesn’t once mention the word yoga. But does that mean that the Bible doesn’t have anything to teach us about practicing yoga? And more importantly, should Christians feel comfortable about practicing yoga? We’re going to unpack verses in the Bible that may not use the word yoga but still have implications about the choices we should make in our lives.
How could it be wrong to practice yoga?
Some Christians will argue that it’s wrong to practice yoga because it derives from another religious perspective, specifically Hinduism. And although this is helpful to keep in mind, I would argue that this might be too extreme a response to the practice. As a Christian, I don’t think that everything in the Quran or Bhagavad Gita must be negated, and I find it limiting to reject any position without first attempting to understand it’s merit.
It is important, however, to attempt to distinguish where practices might be in conflict with the Bible. And if the yoga that you practice includes spiritual beliefs that are in conflict with the Bible’s teachings on prayer or sin or freedom, then it may be worth considering if any of these concepts have influenced or informed your own system of beliefs.
But there is no place in the Bible where it says that certain breathing techniques or exercise routines are off limits. The Bible does teach that there are no other gods besides the one God, but if you’re approaching it instead from a mental or physical aspect, then the Bible actually teaches that you are free to make these choices yourself.
If the Bible doesn’t say yoga, what can it teach me about yoga?
Even if the word yoga isn’t used once in the Bible, there are still lessons that the Bible has to teach us about how we approach it. Paul teaches about questions that were similar to his audience in Rome:
Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
Romans 14:1–4
Paul teaches that each person will stand before God to give an account for their life. And if they practiced yoga as a means for relieving stress and building flexibility and stamina, then I am convinced that no one is able to accuse them before God. Paul does continue to give warnings, however about how these decisions affect communities:
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
Romans 14:13–18
So it may not be quite as simple as whatever you think goes. But it’s important as Christians to allow others freedom in regards to the things that the Bible does not expressly condemn or sanction. If someone is troubled by your practice or unable to comprehend the freedom that you have personally, Paul makes it sound like it may be better to keep the matter to yourself. He sums it all up at the end of the chapter:
So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Romans 14:22–23
Conclusion
I’m sorry about quoting so much of the Bible here, but honestly, the Bible is a much better resource than I am, and it’s incredibly clear once we know where to look for the answers to our specific questions.
If we understand Romans as being applicable for things outside of its immediate context, then it’s easy to see how it would speak into the practice of yoga. All Christian’s should take seriously their actions and have the understanding that God sees what they do and measures the heart. But Christians should also be careful not to add rules to the Bible that the Bible itself doesn’t contain. Then we would be following something other than the author of the Bible.
If you still have questions about yoga or if you have other questions about how to live a life in obedience to God, I’d love to answer it through another post or even through a conversation. Please reach out today so that we can continue the conversation.
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