What is Holy Yoga?

     There are many well- known styles of yoga:  Iyengar, Anusara, Bikram, Ashtanga and Kundalini to name a few.  Nomi Morris of the LA Times reviews religious yoga in her 2010 piece "Bending Yoga To Fit Their Worship Needs."  Morris notes that some Jewish yogis center their practice around the Kabbalah or the Torah.   Other Jews feel more comfortable viewing yoga as a solely physical practice.  There is also holy yoga, yoga linked to the Christian tradition.

     Holyyoga.net states that their mission is   "experiential worship specifically created to deepen your connection to Christ."  The practice is supplemented by scripture readings and music.  This yoga style was founded by Brooke Boon in 2003.  

     I have always enjoyed yoga, but this morning I had the chance to try Holy Yoga.  The class was  held in the church sanctuary and soft music played in the background. The instructor started out with brief remarks on being a child of God. At different intervals, she read selections from the book of psalms.  As we did our practice, she highlighted the symbolism of the poses.  Pigeon pose, a  floor pose that involves a bowing motion, can remind us that we bow to the will of the Heavenly Father.  Different heart opening poses can be seen as a physical prayer of opening up to God's love for us.   I left the class feeling limber and peaceful.    

     Some Christians feel that the Hindu past of yoga makes it inappropriate.  Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church (Seattle WA) has said that yoga is paganism.  In a Christianpost.com article, he is quoted as saying that yoga opens the door to demonism.  My experience was a prayerful and moving one, but people need to worship as they see fit. 

     One of my most memorable yoga practices was a Good Friday class.  The class was silent, contemplative and spiritually nourishing.  I see nothing wrong with adapting a practice to your own beliefs.  Buddhism teaches, and science confirms, that nothing in life is static.  People and circumstances are always in flux.  Why should religion be any different?  For me, any activity that encourages us to contemplate the Divine is time well spent.