Yoga and Christianity- can you practice yoga and be a Christian? | Religion | Forum

The growing acceptance of yoga as both a physical and spiritual exercise has led to yoga classes and yoga devotees all over the world. But one Baptist theologian fears the practice conflicts with Christianity. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is blogging about a new book by Stefanie Syman, The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America. Mohler calls it “a masterpiece of cultural history”- but that isn’t stopping him from ripping apart her findings.
In her book, Syman proclaims yoga is now so mainstream that it’s often cleansed of spiritual connotations. The practice of yoga is meant to be a spiritual one, connecting the body, mind, and soul in quiet and meditation, but many use yoga purely as great exercise and stress relief.
Mohler isn’t convinced. In a blog post he states,”the bare fact is that yoga is a spiritual discipline by which the adherent is trained to use the body as a vehicle for achieving consciousness of the divine…We are not called to escape the consciousness of this world by achieving an elevated state of consciousness, but to follow Christ in the way of faithfulness.”
Many Christians disagree with Mohler’s interpretation, pointing out that the goal of most Christians is to be more Christ-like in their day to day operations. Striving for a higher level of consciousness can help each soul along that journey. A higher level of consciousness may even help heal some of the world’s problems by acknowledging how interconnected we are, instead of focusing on our differences.
A disclaimer- I am Christian, and I believe yoga can be used to help achieve balance between your mind, body and soul. But I want to hear your thoughts- do you disagree?
Can you still be Christian AND practice yoga? What about other faiths? Can you be Jewish and practice yoga? Muslim and practice yoga?
Is this an outdated way of thinking or just trying to preserve a pure faith?
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