That's a Great Question - Why do I teach Yoga in a Christian Church?

The other night, my husband and I were having a lovely dinner with another couple who had invited us over. The evening was wonderful - great food, lively conversation, and relaxation. The husband, a devoted Christian, was asking me how I got interested in yoga and more specifically in teaching yoga. He understood yoga to be rooted in Hinduism and Buddism and was trying to get his head around the fact that I taught yoga in a Christian church to Christians. How exactly does a Christian teach yoga he wondered?

The question begs an answer. Teaching yoga, for me, is not just an opportunity to teach others about the physical benefits of stretching and becoming stronger through the practice of yoga. Sure, that is a part of what I hope to accomplish. But more than that, is the opportunity for me to teach others to slow down and listen to our Father, to break out of the distractions and craziness of daily life, and prayerfully listen to His voice. You can't do that if your always distracted and busy. You need some carved out quiet time and that's what is carved out in class.

Prayer, and scripture from the Bible are in my classes. We focus on being grateful and joyful to God for our health and wellness. We practice glorifying Him, not ourselves when we give thanks for our accomplishments. It is amazing to me how much we take for granted, so we slow down and thank the Lord for his many blessings.

If we sit still, and we ask for God to come into our hearts, He will.

That's why I teach yoga - to offer people an opportunity to "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord"(Psalm 27:4). It's a discipline that starts and then grows daily with each time we open our hearts to His Word as we do our daily practice.

Also, because it's hard to know when to stop "doing" for everybody else, yoga class offers us to take a time out from the multi-tasking we sometimes call life. Yoga class for me reminds me of what the flight attendants say about putting on our oxygen masks before a commercial plane flight. "If oxygen levels are low, the mask above you will drop from the overhead. Make sure to secure your own mask before assisting others."

It isn't selfish if we think about it thoughtfully. We can't help anyone else if we can't breathe yourself. And from a perfectly practical point of view, it stands to reason that the healthier we are, the better we are able to serve others.

So, that's why I teach yoga.

Have we learned to be still in God's presence? Have we ceased our work long enough to receive God's gifts? How can we if we don't put the oxygen mask on once in awhile?