I have tried to write numerous times over the last two years. Our family Bible verse is: Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 To those of you reading this, I hope that you know that my words are coming from a place of love. Not from condemnation or malice. I enjoy sharing how God continues to mold and shape me, thanks for reading! A few years ago I wrote a blog post titled “Does Downward Dog dishonor God?” I tried to address the question “Should Christians practice yoga?” Over the last few years my desire to know God has grown so much that last year I finally disciplined myself to read the Bible in its entirety. Even before I began reading my Bible something had just continued to feel off over the last several years when I would practice and teach yoga. I would have loved to have stumbled across a blog post like this back when I was looking into teaching Christian yoga. The only reason I ever felt … [Read more...]
Does Downward Dog Dishonor God?
Hi. My name is Tamara. I am a Christian and I am a registered yoga teacher. This is a topic that I have never really spoke about with anyone in depth. I have felt the judgment from other Christians because I teach and "practice" yoga. There have been several times over the last few years that I have struggled trying to figure out if what I was doing was dishonoring God. A few pastors have even brought the topic to their congregation and also to their blogs to much mixed reviews. Check out what Pastor Mark Driscoll has to say on the subject. His post starts out by saying: "There is nothing wrong with stretching, exercising, or regulating one’s stress through breathing. But when the tenets of yoga are included, it’s by definition a worship act to spirit beings other than the God of the Bible. By way of analogy, there is nothing inherently wrong with intimacy, sex, and pleasure. But when the tenets of adultery are included, it’s a sinfully idolatrous worship act. A faithful … [Read more...]
