Let's Talk About Yoga & Faith
Yoga Journal|November - December 2021
YJ Senior Editor Tamara Jeffries set out to answer some perennial questions about whether yoga is secular or spiritual. What she discovered: It’s both. And more.
By Tamara Jeffries
Let's Talk About Yoga & Faith

I WAS ROLLING UP MY MAT AFTER CLASS —I had just taught yoga at the small, Methodist– affiliated women’s college where I also taught journalism—when one of the students hesitantly approached me.

She was a Christian, she explained; her mother was a minister. She was concerned about how yoga aligned with her faith. “Will this make Jesus mad?” she asked.

“Oh my goodness, no!” I said. I explained to her what I had been taught myself: that yoga was a series of exercises developed by Hindu teachers to prepare their young students to sit in meditation. It was brought to the West by Indian teachers who willingly shared it with Western practitioners. It had South Asian roots, but it was a secular practice. I told her that the class would mostly be stretching and breathing, and when we covered the Eight Limbs, she could think of the yamas and niyamas as a yogic Ten Commandments. She could dedicate her practice to Christ; she could meditate on whatever or whomever she wanted. She left relieved.

This story is from the November - December 2021 edition of Yoga Journal.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November - December 2021 edition of Yoga Journal.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM YOGA JOURNALView All
Learning to Hear the Voice of Self-Care
Yoga Journal US

Learning to Hear the Voice of Self-Care

How to discern what really matters.

time-read
6 mins  |
Summer 2022
Inclusive Yoga for All
Yoga Journal US

Inclusive Yoga for All

A Down syndrome diagnosis set this family on a path to make yoga accessible to everyone.

time-read
4 mins  |
Summer 2022
For the Joy of Practice
Yoga Journal US

For the Joy of Practice

Doing yoga without attachment to the outcome can bring unexpected gifts.

time-read
4 mins  |
Summer 2022
Be Kind to Your Spine
Yoga Journal US

Be Kind to Your Spine

Your vertebral column is a series of complex, interconnecting parts that support your every movement. Here's how to keep it safe.

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2022
A Skeptic of Chakra Balancing
Yoga Journal US

A Skeptic of Chakra Balancing

The experience helped me make peace with things that can't be explained.

time-read
6 mins  |
Summer 2022
Are We Having Fun Yet?
Yoga Journal US

Are We Having Fun Yet?

Bring play back into your practice with three styles of yoga that can get you out of your head and bring a smile to your face.

time-read
9 mins  |
Summer 2022
12 Ways to Use Blocks You've Probably Never Tried Before
Yoga Journal US

12 Ways to Use Blocks You've Probably Never Tried Before

The beauty of blocks? They not only meet you where you are in your practice, they take you beyond where you ever thought you could go.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Summer 2022
THE SCIENCE OF AWE
Yoga Journal US

THE SCIENCE OF AWE

THOSE MOMENTS IN LIFE THAT STOP YOU IN YOUR TRACKS IN ASTONISHMENT? RESEARCH SAYS EXPERIENCING MORE OF THEM CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

time-read
8 mins  |
Summer 2022
What Your Doshas Say About Your Dharma
Yoga Journal US

What Your Doshas Say About Your Dharma

Ayurveda can explain so much more than what's out of balance.

time-read
4 mins  |
Summer 2022
The Future of Yoga
Yoga Journal US

The Future of Yoga

Yoga has been evolving for thousands of yearsfrom a mind-and-body spiritual practice to a billion-dollar "lifestyle" practice. What's next? We asked futurists, teachers, and thinkers what to expect in the next decade and beyond.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Summer 2022