Some people have asked, “How can you be a Christian and practice yoga?”  Well the answer is quite easy and here is why…

Prepare, Root, Align, Yield.

Prepare: The term “yoga” means to “yoke” or “unite” as in uniting the body, mind, and spirit.  People that practice yoga know that you often step onto the mat with an “intention.”  That intention is completely up to you and what you want to get out of your practice.  It can be qualities or virtues you might want to practice such as: patience, gratitude, meditation, being present, etc.  Personally speaking, I usually step onto my mat with focusing on God and entering into a time of worship and gratitude by honoring him with my body, knowing that it was bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6: 19-20).

Root: In yoga, we use our feet a lot as our firm foundation or base.  It supports our ankles, knees, hips, spine, etc. When we are holding poses, we have to make sure that we plant our feet on ground to make sure that we have a sturdy foundation.  One of my yoga teachers always say, “Alright, spread those toes out…ready? Let’s grow tall!”  In Psalm 26:12 it says, “plant our feet on level ground!”  When we become planted, we become rooted–and when we become rooted it requires us to be still.

“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” –Exodus 14:14

Align: When we practice yoga, its does a lot to restore the natural mobility and healthy alignment of our spine while we renew our mind.  James 2:26 says, “faith without works is dead.”  What is needed to make faith and works come alive?  ACTION!  Therefore, action is also needed on the mat to engage our body, mind, and spirit to align the body.  While moving into difficult poses, patience is also needed.  And we all know when life throws us curve balls, we all need patience.  Or at least I know I do…

Yield: Sometimes I step onto my yoga mat with my mind racing a thousand different ways. Practicing yoga has taught me to stop and let it go at the door. Lets me enter into a time of stillness and allows me to be completely calm, which is important in todays world since it only seems to move faster and faster.  I get to focus on my meditation and my deep breathing.  During Jesus’ ministry, Christ often withdrew from His disciples for hours to be alone with God to spend to pray (Luke 5:16).

And at the end of class after a few minutes of savasana, I can re-enter into the world of chaos with a renewed heart, mind, and spirit to share love and joy with everyone else around me.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” –Psalm 119:105

xoxo,

T