Yoga, Faith, and The Conversation We Must Have
Preface
When I saw the video come through “Ex-New Age and Yoga Guru Warns Christians,” my first thought was, here we go again. I felt like my faith was being poked at. Another moment where I had to explain or defend my stance. Initially, I responded with, “I don’t know when I’ll get to this.” But instead of brushing it off, as badly as I wanted to, I sensed God challenging me to lean in: This is relevant. You’ll get to it now.
So I leaned in, pulling up the two-hour video.
This isn’t a recap of the video or a debate. This is a raw response…
This blog post is inspired by the message I sent in response to the person who shared the video with me and asked for my takeaways. This is the start of a conversation worth sharing more broadly.
Raw Response
“I watched the majority of this podcast. I have 20 min left (going to finish the rest soon) and feel like I can give you the conversation you are asking for. I agree with a lot of things—almost the majority of what she said—and have similar experiences in my walk with Jesus, including the purging of things that are not of God (crystals, sage, etc.). It’s also important to mention we all have very different walks and very different experiences. On purpose. Not everything that mentions yoga I can relate to, resonate with, or have the same experiences with. One thing she mentioned was vanity, which was obviously shaped by her personal experiences and traumas. I don’t have those same body image traumas and can’t relate to that topic.
She was deep into a lot of dark stuff, more than was ever welcomed into my life. Her personal accounts of what she did in “new age” are beyond what I have knowledge about or can speak on, especially as it pertains to Hindu gods, astrology, and witchcraft.
She touched on yoga, and the most prevalent thing she said (which I think is what you’re asking for my insight on) was that yoga cannot be divorced from the spiritual practice. From what it sounds like, the yoga practice she engaged in indeed could not be divorced from the spiritual aspects. If worshiping Hindu gods—which she said she did—was a part of what she did when she practiced yoga, it does not surprise me that the Holy Spirit would convict her of that and make her give it up. Hindu gods are not something I ever studied, believed in, promoted, or incorporated into my idea of “yoga.”
I want to talk about where my views differ. You know how she made the point that some people, even when she was in the new age, acknowledge Jesus, but it was a much different Jesus (not Lord and Savior, not the head of her life) than when she was actually walking in her faith? I think the same kind of misconception happens around language and MANY cases in our society overtime - including with the word “yoga”. Like in culture when we use slang- how the word “bad” can mean good in some contexts. What I’m realizing is “yoga” can mean different things to different people, just like anything else. This life and our experiences in it are subjective and complex, making it very important to have moments of clarification as such.
This is why I adopted the term “mindful movement” to better encompass what it is that I do—which you can read about on my website. I break down what I mean when I say the word yoga, which I’d say has a much different meaning than what she means when she talks about her yoga practice. She also talks about how having a good intention isn’t good enough. When people say, “I’m just stretching,” she says, “Then just stretch—don’t do yoga.” I get what she means. I think the term has been watered down for most of modern-day society, but for others, it’s still very much rooted in the spiritual philosophies she’s referring to.
I agree that having a good intention isn’t good enough. Before Jesus, I thought I was a “good” person. Being a good person is much different than being a soldier in the army of the Lord. There are very much yoga spaces that I do not enter into because those people have different views than I do that do not align with my faith. There is a darker, demonic work at hand - just like with anything in any space.
However, God has tasked me with helping people live healthier lives through wellness. I believe that everything we do should be built on the firm foundation of Christ—even when it comes to taking care of our bodies and our souls (minds and emotions)—all for the purpose of the Holy Spirit being the place from which we operate. That’s different.
Like I said in a previous message, I have been dedicating myself to learning exercise physiology and the impact it has on the human body with a concentration in human wellness and performance, as a full-time student, so that I can fulfill my purpose. I am more than happy to geek out on physiological responses to fitness, proprioception, breathing, balance training, mobility, flexibility, strength, the neuromuscular skeletal system, kinetic chain dysfunctions, postural distortions and how it relates to our health if that ever interests you as that is where the majority of my focus in all that I do.
All that to say, I am very much dedicated to following Jesus and building the foundation of ALL that I do in Him, including how I share the knowledge behind how the human body works, because the ultimate purpose is for our bodies to be working optimally for the purpose of serving the Kingdom!!! I am also very much dedicated to finding ways in which I can merge my faith into everything that I do. Also to mention: humility and humbleness in all of this, and being open to God being the head of my life in a way where I’m not holding onto something just because I want to—this shows up in literally every single thing I do.
All that to say, I am not here to defend yoga. I don’t believe that’s what God tasked me to do. I do believe, however, He did task me with being a disciple and sharing the love and teachings of Jesus Christ—and using physical well-being as a way to raise up a healthier generation focused on longevity, as it pertains to the things we can do, have the power to do, and have the responsibility and duty to do to make our bodies a living temple for the Holy Spirit.
With that, I commit myself to being a lifelong learner, acknowledging that ultimately, I know nothing. All I can do is seek first the Kingdom of God and continue to follow the steps of Jesus Christ—my personal Lord and Savior—and ask for guidance and direction whenever it comes to having these dialogues and conversations, because they are necessary.
I admit that I am but a wretched man who has a long way to go. However, I intend to continue to walk this path, proclaim my faith, and allow His word to shape me, accepting conviction when it comes.
I also want to mention that I will probably write a blog post or make a YouTube video along the lines of this topic. In accepting my purpose in life, I have also accepted the fact that I must lean into challenging conversations, not for my sake, but for the sake of the mission. Having dialogue and topics like this accessible on the platforms I, with the help of God, have been diligently working to create, only makes sense. Again, thank you for the conversation starter.”
Reflection
There are many thoughts I have on this topic, and they are just that: thoughts. Thoughts from my human mind, which count for nothing in comparison to the omnipotence of God. I never want to be standing so firmly in something that I am positioned incorrectly to be use by the hand of God. In the words of Lauryn Hill, “If everything must go, then go. That’s how I choose to live.” Twisting and altering concepts for my benefit won’t help me grow. It won’t get me anywhere in my walk with God. There’s no hiding from Him.
Still, there are very distinct visions He has given me and a mission He has designed me for. I will continue to work toward fulfilling that so long as He orchestrates my steps in doing so.
When it comes to personal experiences with purging New Age elements, I find it necessary to dive deeper into that in another post, as that was a very real experience I went through when Jesus began to convict me of my wrongdoings. Although I never directly or intentionally worshipped other gods (or so I thought), I recognize there were occult beliefs, practices, and curiosities I had, was exposed to or engaged with. Things I initially saw as harmless. But shortly after accepting Christ into my life around 2022, God made it clear those things were not of Him.
Even though I’m still growing in my faith and still very fresh in this walk, I know what I know. And that is this: Jesus found me on a beach in North Carolina at my lowest point. He single-handedly pulled me out of the pits of darkness. He left the 99 to rescue me from death and destruction. And since meeting Him, my life has been radically changed for the better. Though not always obedient, He still uses me. He is still working on me, and giving my life to Jesus was the best decision I’ve ever made. Nothing can strip that from me. Aside from that Truth, everything else can be washed out to sea. And that Truth is, and will still be, all I need.
Science?
Before my return to university, I had never been one to lean on science. My interpretation was that science was contradictory to God’s word. I realize now that science is simply man’s attempt to understand what God already created. It’s not at odds with Him. It’s trying to catch up to Him. Science proves how incredible He is, especially when considering how much we can’t even comprehend.
This has reminded me that it’s important to clarify what Sol Soul Sole is and what I do.
I’ve already been addressing the language piece, but this goes deeper. This isn’t about doing the same thing under a different name. This video was proof that there are people who believe yoga can’t be separated from its spiritual roots. And while I may not agree, the truth is, how I “feel” makes no difference in the matter of others’ beliefs. It may be time I stop defending a point and give up that limiting way of thinking. Can I make a bigger impact by drawing the line in the sand and saying, perhaps, what I do isn’t “yoga” by any definition? I am taking what I know to be physiologically true and unifying that with what I know to be Truth in Spirit, creating the practice of mindful movement.
Spirituality aside, from a practical standpoint, we have bodies that need care. Science offers helpful insight on how to do that best. I don’t intend to hide behind a name change or behind science. Still, I do think breaking down mindful movement from a kinesiological lens serves the purpose of understanding the human movement system, performance, and optimal neurophysiological functionality. In what I do, movement is performed for physiological benefit. The mindfulness aspect is for cultivating proprioception, or body awareness, which also offers neurological, physiological, mental, and emotional benefits. And still, the foundation remains the same: being rooted in the Word of God and Jesus Christ.
In the next post, I’ll go deeper into the scientific components of Mindful Movement, including breathwork, balance, mobility, flexibility, strength, and more.
