Yoga for Christians

Yoga (the physical exercise, as “yoga” is known in the west) can be seen as a form of moving meditation.

It is important not to neglect the relationship of mind and body. The Catechism of the Catholic Church 365 says,

“The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the “form” of the body: i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.”

Time spent in connection with the body can be a form of sacred prayer. As Dr. Gregory Bottaro writes in The Mindful Catholic:

“Your very body is sacred. You may have heard that you are a ‘temple of the Holy Spirit,’ but you are also more than that. You exist in the form that God himself would take if he were to enter into his created universe. He did this very thing! You can quickly turn the time you spend being aware of your body as it is into a prayer of gratitude, wonder, and awe at the creation of your own being.”

What the Church Says About Yoga

It is important to understand the word “yoga,” as it is referred to in the west (and as it is used here), does not encompass the spiritual aspects that some yogis speak of. In Merriam Webster’s dictionary, we see the difference in “Yoga” (capitalized) and “yoga”:

When Pope Francis spoke of Yoga, he said, “you can follow thousands of catechism courses, thousands of spirituality courses, thousands of yoga or zen courses and all these things. But none of this will be able to give you the freedom as a child (of God). Only the Holy Spirit can prompt your heart to say ‘Father.’”

Yoga has much to offer by way of healing, reconnecting with the body, and serving as a form of prayer. But we always remember that the ultimate source of our spiritual direction comes from the Holy Spirit.