Christian yoga is a spiritual practice of Christians most common in Eastern and Western Countries. It is a discipline that one practices to be much closer to God. Taking the path of Christian yoga can lead to healing of the mind and body. But perhaps even more important than that, it can lead to the discovery of what at the moment is only a potential within you.
Many of classes in the U.S teach the practice of yoga, the physical discipline that focuses on postures or asana, and employ no religious teaching at all. Other yoga teachers have training in yoga schools.
Practitioners say that Christian yoga fills a need for believers who want the health benefits of yoga but are put off by the practice’s ancient Hindu roots. With this, it brings together the wonderful physical benefits of yoga within their spiritual beliefs.
The doctrines and practices of yoga date from the period of the Upanishads. The word yoga originated from Hindus, it is a religious practice of Hinduism that through the practice of certain disciplines one may achieve liberation from the limitations of flesh, the delusions of sense, and the pitfalls of thought and thus attain union with the object of knowledge.
Though developed in the ancient Hindu tradition, the movements of Christian yoga are so universal that they can adapt to or be adopted by any culture or spiritual path.
The yoga has been known for many years, and was practiced by some of the Early Christian during the persecution. The spirit and love that touched the Early Christian has been inherent from the men and women today. Christian yoga is about unfolding some of these wonderful possibilities each hold latent. It is about possibilities so amazing that many early Christians were willing to die in support of keeping a doorway open for other people to claim them. Go into it and are transformed by following the Christian pathway, the Christian yoga.
In the Eastern belief, Christian yoga is not an Eastern postures or breathing techniques, rather the aim is to open to an influence that can transform and heal. Eastern yoga attempts to drop the ego, the Christian path aims at transforming the personality. Christian yoga is described absolutely in the New Testament in the story of Jesus’ life as an allegory. It is a step-by-step way of transformation and the finding of a new life. As Jesus promised, this ‘heaven’, this new awareness of your life, is not far away. It is already yours if you know how to find it.
In Western, Christian yoga from its very beginning women played an important role in its practice and teachings. It is about universal processes of life, of mind and heart.
Christian yoga has garnered criticism, despite of its prevalence.
Many Christians says that Christian yoga is incompatible with Christianity, and emphasizing that it is not a religion in itself. Other says that there is no such as Christian yoga because it blends two different belief structure. Catholic priests in Mexico City instructed their parishioners not to attend Yoga classes because this practice would lead to other god’s and Eastern religion beliefs.
Though critics have charged that yoga’s ancient Hindu origins are incompatible with Christian faith, practitioners say the exercise is an ideal vehicle for spiritual reflection.
