A New Culture: Bringing Christianity to Yoga and Yoga to Christianity

When God called me to teach Christian Yoga I considered it an opportunity to share the hope of Christ with my community in my yoga class.  Over time my perspective has evolved in developing a Christian Yoga class and DVD, facilitating Christian Yoga Retreats and training successful Christian Yoga Instructors.  It has become apparent to me that God has called me to develop the practices of yoga and meditation to the Christians.  With faith, yoga and meditation has helped me through some of my life’s greatest challenges.  If our minds and bodies can feel the elation and release by breathing through a pose, how much greater will our minds and bodies feel at the resurrection?   

Last week I finished Adyashanti’s Falling Into Grace:  Insights on the End of Suffering.  This Zen Master holds insights into the life and perspective of Christ that our performance-based-busy Christian culture needs to adopt.   Adyanshanti’s book as well as my yoga and meditation practice has taught me how being present in the immediate moment helps us realize grace.  Yet, Adyashanti didn’t mention Christ’s resurrection.   Yesterday I began a traditional yoga class at the new Cole Fitness Center on the Campus of Indiana University Kokomo.  The energy of the next generation’s top minds is felt on campus, even at 6:30AM! This energy on liberal arts universities, looking for something to believe in, is creating new cultures as grass root movements.  I believe in yoga and meditation, which is why I teach yoga.  I believe in the resurrection of Christ which is why I am a Christian.  I believe in the potential of a complementary relationship between yoga and Christianity which is why I created Spirit of Heaven Christian Yoga.  I also believe that this combination can be utilized by the new culture of the next generation to both still their minds in this ever-busier world, and also to grow their faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.