Yoga - it's the talk of the (US) town

So apparently there has been a lot of conversation going on in the US recently about Yoga and Christianity - whether the two can or should be mixed.
Here is a link to the article in the Seattle Times
(As a side note, Mark Driscoll is the senior pastor at Mars Hill Church, which is also where Rob Bell is a pastor. Just saying, because I thought it was interesting, because I think Rob Bell is pretty amazing, and it's interesting that he works under Mark).

And here is a blog post where I heard about this at The Church of No People

Well, what now? What of Yoga?
Can we take it as just a form of exercise without thinking of it's eastern roots? Or do they carry into any form of Yoga - changed or unchanged?

To be honest, I find it interesting that Christians do yoga. This is probably mainly because I wouldn't do it. I would like to think that I could do yoga and focus on God and not be adversely affected in any way, BUT because I would worry about that, it probably wouldn't do me any good at all - because then I couldn't focus on God for worrying that I wasn't focusing on God!

But for anyone who does, who am I to judge? Paul tells us in the Bible that "everything is permissible". But then he also goes on to say
"Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." (1 Corinthians 10:23, 32-33).

So if we find that what we are doing is leading our brother or sister in Christ astray, should we still do it?? Well, it's a matter of your conscience and not mine, for I would endeavour to quit to not let my brother or sister fall.

Now, I do not want to sound judgmental in this: I know different people see things differently - I choose not to drink alcohol, but this does not mean that I condemn all Christians who do so - it is a matter of conscience.

So what would you do? Would you consider doing yoga, or does your conscience not allow you to?

Balancing

It seems like Christianity is such a balancing act. You can't go one way, or the other, without being 'wrong' in it. It certainly is a narrow path to walk and the Bible tells us to not take one step to the right or to the left, like a balancing act, a tightrope, you can't lean either way without falling off the wire! I kind of came to this while reading about the ecumenical councils for my church history assignment. The councils were discussing how Jesus had two natures, and two wills to correspond with those natures, but people were swinging one way by saying he had two utterly separate natures, or merging them completely by saying he only had one will. But in reality it seems likely (and this is what I believe) that Jesus does have two natures, but they are neither completely merged, nor are they completely separate. They are God-done, so that we cannot really perceive how they are put together, just kind of know that they are indeed put together. Just the whole balance thing. And tonight at KYB more revelation came: It is the Holy Spirit which is our great balancer! To keep with the illustration of the tightrope, the Holy Spirit is that big long stick that the people use to help keep their balance. Sometimes it is appropriate to swing slightly one way or the other, and it is the Holy Spirit which helps us see that. He is the one who keeps us steady. Now this is where the analogy falls short, however, in that a skilled tightrope artist can do it without the stick and still make it to the other side without falling. However, in life, we cannot make it to Heaven without the Holy Spirit in us, and that does not happen without belief in Jesus and that we need to cross the tightrope in the first place!