How Yoga became a battle for Christians who believed it promoted a pagan religion?

Time of India

3 hours ago

Yoga is everywhere these days. From morning sun salutations on YouTube to high-end retreats in Bali, it's become the go-to remedy for stress, tight hamstrings, and busy brains. For most people, it's just part of their wellness routine—stretch, breathe, relax, repeat.
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But in some Christian communities, yoga is stirring up more than just physical energy—it's become a spiritual red flag.
For these believers, yoga isn't just a trendy workout or a way to unwind. They see it as something much deeper—and potentially dangerous. To them, yoga's roots aren't just cultural, but spiritual. And that spirituality? It's not exactly in line with their faith.
Yoga didn't come from a gym in L.A. or a mindfulness app—it's been around for thousands of years and originally emerged from ancient Indian traditions, especially Hinduism.
The Yoga Sutras, one of its foundational texts, talks about yoga as a path to spiritual enlightenment and union with the divine. That's not exactly the vibe at your local hot yoga class, but the spiritual DNA is still there—whether people notice it or not.
And that's what worries some Christians.
While many folks see yoga as a way to tone up or de-stress, some Christian communities see the postures and mantras as spiritually loaded.
They believe that even if you're doing yoga for the physical perks, you might still be opening the door to ideas that don't sit well with Christian theology.
The most striking example came from Greece in June 2020, when the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church issued a formal statement denouncing yoga as 'absolutely incompatible with the Christian faith.' The Church emphasized that yoga stems directly from Hindu religious practice and should not be considered a neutral form of exercise.
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Specifically, they cited poses like the surya namaskar—sun salutations—as inherently devotional acts, not simply stretches.
This statement came after Greek media highlighted the importance of yoga in combatting stress related to COVID pandemic.
'Yoga has no place in the life of Christians,' the Synod stated, warning followers that even seemingly benign involvement could conflict with Christian teachings.
Yoga in India: Christian pushback from the birthplace
Interestingly, some of the strongest concerns are coming from India itself, where yoga was born. In 2018, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in Kerala raised alarms about yoga, warning that it could confuse believers about the line between God and creation. They weren't thrilled about how certain poses or chants might bring Hindu spiritual concepts into Christian minds, even unintentionally.
In Nagaland, a state with a large Christian population, church leaders have gone so far as to discourage people from taking part in
, saying that the event—even if promoted by the government—still carries religious undertones that don't align with Christian teachings.
A debate that's gone global
This isn't just an Indian thing. Scroll through Christian forums, church blogs, or theological discussions, and you'll see the same conversation popping up. For some Christians, the concern isn't whether yoga is 'bad,' but whether it's spiritually safe. Is it really just stretching? Or is there something deeper going on that could subtly shift your beliefs?
In 2019 a church hall in Devon, England, barred a yoga class.
"Some will say at its root it is an eastern spirituality which they would not feel sits well with Christian spirituality," Venerable Mark Butchers, Archdeacon of Barnstaple told BBC.
At the heart of the issue is this: Christianity and traditional yoga come from very different spiritual worlds. Christians believe in salvation through Jesus and a personal relationship with a single, all-knowing God. Classical yoga, on the other hand, often talks about self-realization and becoming one with a universal consciousness—something many Christians would see as pantheistic or impersonal.
That's where things start to clash.
But what about the health benefits?
Let's be real—most people doing yoga in 2025 aren't trying to merge with the cosmos. They're just trying to touch their toes, de-stress after a long day, or calm their minds before bed. Health professionals across the board agree that yoga can be great for flexibility, anxiety, back pain, focus, and just overall chill vibes.
For many Christians, that's where the conversation ends—they're totally fine with yoga as long as it's stripped of spiritual stuff.
In fact, some churches even offer 'Christian yoga' classes that swap out mantras for Bible verses and make the practice about connecting with God rather than the self.
Still, others remain cautious. Even moves as simple as saying 'namaste' can feel off to those who take their faith seriously. That word, after all, means 'the divine in me bows to the divine in you'—a lovely sentiment for some, but one that doesn't exactly match Christian beliefs about God being distinct from humanity.
It's not about fear—it's about discernment
This debate isn't about Christians being anti-yoga or anti-other religions. It's more about spiritual boundaries. Many simply want to make sure that what they're practicing aligns with what they believe. In a world where spiritual practices are constantly being rebranded as 'wellness,' that's not an easy task.
For some, yoga is just stretching and breathing. For others, it's walking into spiritual gray zones they're not comfortable with.
As yoga continues to grow worldwide—appealing to everyone from stressed-out office workers to spiritual seekers—it's likely this debate will keep popping up. Can you really separate yoga's physical side from its spiritual roots? Is it possible to de-spiritualize a practice that was built to be deeply spiritual in the first place?
For now, many Christians are making their own choices—some fully embracing the practice, others modifying it, and a few walking away altogether. It's less about banning yoga and more about asking hard questions in a soft, stretchy world.