CityView Magazine

January/February 2015

CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC

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CityViewNC.com | 15 faith YOKES WITH yoga CHRISTIANITY BY ANGIE TOMAN & MELISSA AGUIRRE Y oga itself is not a religion and can be practiced by Christians in order to strengthen and even heal their physi- cal bodies. Further, yoga can open one's mind in stress free mediation for spiritual prayer with Christ. e practice of yoga releases stress and anxi- ety, which is taught in the Bible. Christians should not be concerned about the practice of yoga as taught by the proper instructor. In his letter to the Corinthi- ans, the Apostle Paul explained the importance of the body. He stated that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. As such, a healthy, pure body honors God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). In Christianity, one's body is his or her temple. us, it would seem important to properly care for the body physically, emotionally and spiritually. Yoga, which means "to yoke" or bring union, when earnest- ly practiced manifests a balance between the mind, body and soul by using movement connected with the breath in the present moment. While yoga can help you deepen the spiritual practice within your faith, yoga itself is not a religion. Instead, it is a discipline to help instill purity, surrender, wellness and discipline. In the West, yoga is mainly categorized within the health and fi tness industry. Most yoga sequences implement physical fi tness by combining strength, fl exibility, balance, coordination and deep breathing. Another benefi t of this "physical fi tness" discipline is the improved concentration that results. Yoga also promotes therapeutic applications, which include im- proved circulation, respiratory function, digestion, joint mobility and much more. Yoga can be used as a tool to help maintain a healthy, balanced body, thus supporting the Christian's "temple." e Lord commands, "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalms 46:10). But how can we be still in our In the United States, many variations of yoga have exploded over the last decade. While people from all walks of life are now discovering the benefi ts of "getting on the mat," some Christians are skeptical of this practice. Their reticence often stems from a mistaken belief that yoga is an Eastern religion.

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