Derived From Hindu
The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit language of Hindu. Sanskrit was considered the language of the gods. Yoga teachers from around the world guide students through poses often still using their Sanskrit names. Yogi’s are believed to be connected through the Sanskrit language. (Sehra, 2019)

To Yoke ( Create Union)
The word Yoga comes from the root “yuj” which means to yoke. To yoke is to create union. What union does yoga create? A union of mind, body, and soul or breath and body, of a lower ego with our higher selves. A union with the universe or source or god.  (YogiApproved.com, n.d.)

A Spiritual Practice ( Not just exercise)
Yoga is believed to be a path to spiritual enlightenment, peace, joy and harmony taken by Hinduism and Buddhism. They believe that certain poses, positions, and postures along with specified hand gestures and verbal sounds enable you to rise above the carnal and mundane, to commune with the religion’s many gods. Yoga gestures are designed to invoke specific spirits for their powers, attention or to inhabit the worshippers bodies. (Price, PH.D, 2006)

Yoga’s ultimate aim is to unite the practitioner with deities. It is a tool of goddess worship and is tied to nature worship, particularly , mother earth.

Should Christians Practice Yoga?
The breathing techniques and poses have been beneficial to helping to regulate the body, however as believers in Christ we are to honor God with our body, the way we live, and most importantly with our heart. The bible says that “All things are lawful [that is, morally legitimate, permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life]”. 1 Cor 10:23 AMP

So while Yoga has it’s benefits, the practice alone is a form of worship to other gods. The practice invokes spirits of other gods which is not edifying to our God, or to our spirit of God that lives inside of us. Just about everything in yoga has a deeper and symbolic meaning.

The bible instructs us in Exodus 20:3-5 “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness (form, manifestation) of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth [as an object to worship].  Kings 17:35 For the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites and commanded them, “Do not worship other gods or bow down to them; do not serve them or sacrifice to them. Deuteronomy 5:7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

Therefore, because the Yoga practice is a form of worship to other gods this goes against the scripture mentioned above. We should serve no other gods before God, bow down to them, serve them, or sacrifice to them. despite the health benefits, the spiritual practice is an abomination to god voiding the benefits associated with the practice.

Alternatives
I used to practice Yoga with the understanding that it was harmless as long as I dedicate my practice to God. Once I learned that even the poses were dedicated to other gods, I immediately stopped and exchanged my yoga mat with an exercise mat. I still stretch from time to time, but stretches are now stretches I create compared to yoga poses.

I still use the breathing techniques of inhaling/exhaling as it’s a basic technique to control breathing. It is proven to help regulate your body producing the best in you. When you inhale (breathe in), air enters your lungs, and oxygen from that air moves to your blood. At the same time, carbon dioxide, a waste gas, moves from your blood to the lungs and is exhaled (breathed out). This process which is called a gas exchange, is essential to life.

So while Yoga has it’s health benefits, and you can be dedicating your practice to God, understand that the poses, the gestures, the sounds are all creatively used as a form of worship to other gods. By practicing Yoga there is no telling what spirits you are allowing into your body to reap havoc in your spiritual walk with God. All things are permissible but as a believer all things are not beneficial or edifying to your spiritual life.

Protect yourself and stay away from Yoga.

References

Paula A. Price, P. (2006). The Prophet’s Dictionary . In P. Paula A. Price, The Prophet’s Dictionary (p. 599). whitakerhouse.

Sehra, N. (2019, November 5). 30 Sanskrit Words Commonly Used in Yoga Defined and Explained. Retrieved from YogiApproved.com: yogiapproved.com/author/nicky-sehra/

YogiApproved.com. (n.d.). Curious About the Origin and History of Yoga? Here’s the CliffNotes Version. Retrieved from YogiApproved.com: yogiapproved.com/origin-of-yoga-history-of-yoga/