No such thing as Christian yoga

      We abstain from things offered to idols -Acts 15:29

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. -Romans 12:1-2 NIV

      Yoga is a trend that's growing with great momentum in America. Should Christians practice Yoga? This is a hot topic that gets tempers to flare, trust me, I've gotten in several debates about it. I can't force anyone to see it my way, there are many different opinions, but I can share what I believe to be true about this issue. 

       Yoga is rooted in Hinduism. Oneness with the universe is the goal of all yoga. That's also known as the process of enlightenment, or union with Brahman (Hinduism's highest god). As Christians we are only to be in union with our God, and yoked to Him.

        Spiritual dangers of yoga: 

- Many yoga classes instruct students in astral projection, or "stepping outside" of the body, which poses a serious spiritual danger.

- The word "namaste," often said at the close of yoga classes, means, "I bow to the god within you."   - The sound "om," chanted in many yoga classes, is meant to bring students into a trance so they can join with the universal mind.

 - The "salute to the sun" posture, used at the beginning of most classes, pays homage to the Hindu sun god. 

       It's impossible to extract Hindu spiritualism from yoga. Every pose is a pose to a different god. Can Christians stretch? Yes! But next time you are in a yoga pose remember these are postures that are offered to the 330 million Hindu gods. You are giving offerings, praise and worship to another god. How can we do this as Christians? Some yoga classes in America will even have statues or pictures of the god's for you to "bow" in front of, as it is in India. The best thing I've heard about this subject is, Christians participating in Yoga would be like a Hindu or Buddhist taking communion.