WIDE-LEGGED FORWARD BENDWhen I do yoga, I find peace and freedom and
this real, tangible connection to God. I feel how
much He loves me, and how proud He is of me.
A lot of Christians are hesitant to go to a
yoga class because it feels foreign to them. I am
trained in a style called Holy Yoga that fuses the
Christian faith with yoga. We don’t use Sanskrit
names for poses. We wouldn’t say Om, and we
probably wouldn’t say namaste, not because we
think those words are bad, but because our stu-
dents might be bothered by them. The aim is to
remove as many obstacles as possible to appeal
to people who wouldn’t otherwise walk into a
regular class. I know teachers who have tried
to start Holy Yoga programs in their churches
and were hit with resistance. Still, a lot of times
I think Christians are just looking for another
Christian to give them permission to do yoga.
When I teach my classes, I always start with a
prayer. I’ll share a quote from a Christian thinker
or author and read scripture that fits with the
theme of the class. If the theme is love tri-
umphing over fear, I might read from 2 Timothy:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of
power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Moving past fear and walking in this spirit of
love is what draws me to my mat over and over
again. My intention when I practice is to wor-
ship God, to enjoy His presence, and to give Him
room to speak.