Open Modal
charles-stanley
On Air
App-Store-Badge
Google-Play-Badge

For several decades Christians have debated whether or not activities rooted in Eastern religion, such as Yoga, Tai Chi, and Meditation are permissible or beneficial to practice. As with most debates within church circles, the lines are drawn, and people strongly debate, usually on what they want to justify for themselves as “right” or “wrong.”
I think, often times, we miss the point when we fall on a “side” of an argument. Instead, I think it’s more biblical to consider the best, most beneficial, perspective that we have as believers. Some things are okay to do, if handled properly and they are not anti-biblical, but the question we need to be asking is “will this benefit my walk with God and the spiritual condition of those around me?”  So often, we are stuck arguing what is “okay” for us to participate in, rather than prayerfully considering what is “best” for us as we pursue Christ.
So, back to yoga…because I know that’s immediately what everyone listening wants to know about. Well, let’s start with what God says, through Paul, about exercise in general. The Bible says that it profits us little in comparison with our sanctification. So, right there…just to start, if you’re more interested in yoga (or cardio, or weights) than you are about growing in Christ, that’s a deal breaker and we need go no further.  But, what if you are balanced and bodily exercise is in its proper place, can we do yoga then? Well, then I think we need to ask ourselves not if it’s “okay” to do, but is it profitable? And, that’s a question, that if you are truly, TRULY, concerned about, you will approach with Bible study and prayer. You might say, Brett, what is the big deal? Why do I need to even pray about it? Well, because yoga is rooted in Eastern Religion and as believers, we need to be very careful about what participate in.
Christian broadcaster Todd Friel, in a segment he did, quotes Ronald Percer, a Zen Buddhist Teacher, saying about teaching yoga to the common public that “we know we are teaching Buddhism, but they don’t.”  In short, Yoga is the physical element that is supposed to combine with Mantra in order to ascend superconscious and attain higher planes. We could go on about its connections with Eastern religion, but the bottom line is that yoga is absolutely a part of unbiblical religion.
See God’s Word clearly tells us that we are only “enlightened” by God’s revelation to us…God is transcendent, we can’t and don’t ascend toward Him. Furthermore, we are sinners who are incapable of saving ourselves and we need a Savior, we need God’s grace, we need His power to live a biblical life. Yoga and Eastern Religion teach nothing like that and are quite the antithesis to biblical Christianity.
So, the bottom line…is yoga “wrong?”  Well, I think that’s not the question, the question (for anything like yoga) is, is it beneficial to my spiritual walk with Christ? Only you can answer that question but commit to answering it honestly in prayer and fervent Bible study. For me, it’s just not worth getting anywhere near it.

Loading...