Yoga

I admit, I was skeptical before attending a class. I was warned by a friend that yoga empties the mind and makes room for evil spirits and evil thoughts. While this may be true in some instances and cultures, you don’t have to necessarily empty the mind. In fact, I fill mine mind and heart with messages from Scripture and the word of Christ.

The first class I attended was a free class on a Sunday night: Sacred Sunday Yoga. My yoga instructor read Scripture, and God’s Word was at the center of our meditation and yoga practice.

After attending the class, the instructor shared a book by Brooke Boon called Holy Yoga. The book explains the roots of yoga, but also how yoga can be a daily exercise that not only helps us physically and mentally, but also spiritually.

Boon defines “Holy Yoga” as a practice of bodily alignment, mindful breathing, and purposeful reliance on God. Holy Yoga is dedicated to facilitating the worship and celebration of God through movement and meditation. She explains that Holy Yoga or any form of Christian yoga is not a religion[1].

For my first yoga experience, I brought my wife Renae with me. I knew I would probably be the only guy attending, yet the intimidation went away as soon as I walked in the door. My instructor was welcoming; she explained that yoga was personal and everyone was at different levels. She also explained that my yoga practice was between me and my mat.

So, how do you begin a daily yoga practice?

Begin with breathing. There are a variety of books and digital resources that exist that will help you with breathing and poses. Youtube has some great guided meditations to help you focus on breathing.

One of my favorite yoga channels on Youtube is Yoga with Adrienne. I’ve also purchased the Insight App that has thousands of meditations as well as a timer. Two books I highly recommend are Holy

Yoga by Brooke Boon and The Science of Yoga by William Broad. If you want to study how certain poses help strengthen particular muscles Yoga Anatomy by Kaminoff and Matthews is excellent.

The simplest way to begin training yourself to breathe mindfully is to sit quietly and focus on your breaths. Imagine you are breathing in the goodness and grace of God and breathing out every negative thought and emotion.

Once you are comfortable with breathing, I recommend attending a yoga class. Find a gym or studio near you and attend. Don’t feel intimidated. Just focus on you, God, breathing, and your yoga mat.

[1] Boon, B. (2007). Holy yoga: Exercise for the Christian body and soul. New York: FaithWords.

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