Are some yoga postures offensive to God?

Since some of the yoga moves started out as Hindu prayer moves, aren’t they wrong to do, or wouldn’t they be offensive to God?

This question comes to us from Cecely, who is often asked this question in her role as a Christian Yoga teacher. This is a very common question about Christian yoga and makes some assumptions that are not true.

Postures are not worship

The first misconception inherent in the question is that it assumes that hatha yoga postures are all postures of prayer or worship. While some postures do assume prayerful or worshipful positions, they were originally developed as physical exercises to prepare the body for extended periods of stillness and contemplation.

Activity itself does not have meaning

The second assumption this question makes is that any action or activity can have a fixed and exclusive meaning, intention and object regardless of who performs it and the context it is performed in.  If we follow this line of reasoning, then it must be that anyone who eats bread and drinks wine at the same time is participating in communion, knowingly or not and therefore doing it inappropriately. That does not make sense, of course.

What about the prayer posture?

The prayer posture, with your hands pressed together in front of your chest, standing or seated, is sometimes objected to by Christians, assuming that is exclusively an act of prayer to Hindu deities.  But this is a posture of prayer in most faiths and cultures.  It is also the sign of greeting in Thai culture. Again, if we follow the reasoning of this objection, then millions of people are unwittingly praying to a Hindu deity several times a day. It is superstitious thinking that underlies a question like this.

Only you add meaning to your postures

God made our bodies and He designed the ways they move best. Postures and exercises that enhance our strength, balance and flexibility are exercises that are part of His design. A posture is only invested with meaning by our intention, our faith and our theology.

When I bring my hands into the prayer posture, I address my prayer to God in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.  When I lift my hands in a posture of worship, I am worshiping my God, the one true God.

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Please note: While we endeavor to answer as many questions as we can, we cannot promise a response to every question. If you thirst for additional learning, please refer to our book Christian Yoga: Restoration for Body and Soul, or our Christian Yoga Philosophy online course.