As with any good passion, there are things about yoga that make me nuts.

Not yoga itself, but the perceptions assocaited with it – for example, Christians can’t do yoga because it’s worshipping other gods. Whenever someone says that to me, the top of my head blows off. I can’t help it.

First – yoga is nontheistic. It is a series of stretches and breathing exercises designed to help you become a better person (click “8 Limbs” above). The sutras acknowledge a ‘higher power’ or ‘higher consciousness’ but if you’re part of a monotheistic tradition, insert your deity here. If you’re an atheist, stick with the higher consciousness part. Everyone can find a spot to fit here.

Second – yoga classes are as individual as their teachers. So to say that doing yoga means you have to pray in Hindi is like saying “I don’t like Captain Crunch, so there is no cereal that I will ever like.”

There are absolutely classes which involve chanting (typically in sanskrit and not necessarily as deity prayer though -again – you can insert the deity of your choice). There are classes that have a more spiritual bent. I’m a big believer that if those are the kind of classes you’re teaching, you need to advertise it clearly. That’s true of just about anything – no one wants to walk in expecting A and get D instead. Of course that would be disappointing.

But for example, I don’t even use the word ‘meditation’ in my class. Is that what savasana is? Pretty much. But if it makes you feel better to call it ‘relaxation,’ it’s that too. My classes focus on breath and asana, stretching and strength building. So do most other yoga classes.

I make myself available for students if they want to talk about incorporating a spiritual aspect into their practice, but I don’t make it a part of my classes. I don’t talk about religion, ever. I don’t lecture about the sutras, even though there are koans of wisdom I may use. It’s my goal to help each student have the practice that they want, I’m just the guide to get them there.

So yes, Christians, you can absolutely practice yoga. Stretching and breathing isn’t a conversion process or proselytization. I guarantee that no teacher is trying to make you uncomfortable, so if one class or teacher doesn’t work for you, check around (especially at gyms). There are so many great benefits of yoga that it would be a shame not to try it because of a misconception.

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