I Googled "Christian Yoga." Over 53 million links were found. That's a 53 and six zeros. So I'm quite certain that everything that CAN be said about this topic has already been said several times over.
But as a pastor, I field questions about "Christian Yoga" from my own congregation. Women from our church are attending a Women's Retreat in the area which is offering Christian Yoga as an optional activity. So what do I say to them?
Ultimately, I do not think this is a "black and white" issue. So some discernment is needed. Rather than try to hold a nuanced, complete discussion of the topic here, I will use this post as a tool to aggregate my thoughts and give an overview - including a few other resources to consider - for further, prayerful consideration.
(1) The Incompatibility Position -- Because Yoga is built upon and grows out of eastern mysticism and eastern religious ideologies whose worldviews ARE incompatible with a Bibliocentric, orthodox Christian worldview, many Christians assert that "being a Christian" and "practicing Yoga"are inherently at odds. When it comes to traditional yoga, I tend to agree... although what passes for yoga in the Unites States is hardly "traditional" anymore, and most so-called "Christian" yoga goes out of its way to avoid using phrases and language that roots the physical practice (stretching and deep breathing exercises) in its eastern mystic philosophical framework.
(2) The 1 Corinthians 10:23 Position -- "All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful/beneficial/uplifting/good for you." This would be the position of many people I look to for Spirit-led wisdom, such as Pastor John Piper. You can read his short article on this topic here. He ends with the summary statement, "As I assess maximizing rather than minimizing my pursuit of God’s goals and the flourishing of my own soul, I would go another way and find another kind of exercise." I totally respect this position and would tend to counsel members of my own congregation to take this approach. In other words, this is the, "It may not be inherently WRONG, but neither is it inherently SAFE, so why dabble with it?" approach. I believe the underlying compatibility of "Christian yoga" with our scriptural worldview rests almost entirely in the hands of the LEADER and the depth of their understanding of theology and the dangerous theological and spiritual assumptions tied into traditional yoga practice. For that reason, I would council our congregation to seriously consider avoiding the practice altogether.
(3) The Freedom and Redemption Position -- I'm a big BIG fan of freedom and redemption of culture for the glory of God. There are also Christ followers I respect who make the case that the physical and emotional benefits of yoga stretching and breathing exercises can be enjoyed within a God-honoring context. For a good summary of this position, click here. This position on "Christian Yoga" asserts that the Church is in the business of redeeming things the devil has co-opted and utilizing them for God-glorifying purposes. Think of the tradition of the Christmas tree, for example, which may have had its roots (so to speak) in pagan worship practice, but is now filled with Christian symbolism. Think of this position every time I play drums in our church on a Sunday morning. While some may assert that the drum set has been used to produce SO MUCH anti-Christian art, it is also used now in churches and venues around the world to help give voice to millions of worshippers, singing praise to Jesus Christ.
So in a nutshell...
I tend to agree with position #1 above. Christianity and traditional yoga practices are incompatible, because yoga is built upon and fueled by non-biblical eastern religious worldviews. However, in the case of "Christian Yoga," it seems that SO MUCH responsibility lies with the LEADER to re-interpret and re-contextualize these otherwise eastern mystic ideologies that it seems WISEST to me to adopt position #2 and avoid the practice altogether. Having said that, I respect those who adopt position #3 to choose for themselves what they feel is best. I know some would disagree and consider "Christian Yoga" to be a complete oxymoron, but I tend to believe there is enough freedom in our faith to allow differing opinions on this. I put "Christian Yoga" in the "adiaphora" bin.