A Yoga Class

So I did my first ever yoga class today.  Lots of Christian people say "you shouldn't do yoga" because the totality of yoga combines physical and spiritual elements.  I think many people, religiously superstitious as we tend to be, somehow think there's something magical or mystical about the physical aspects of the discipline.

Having done my share of exploring eastern religions, and realizing that forms of yoga go hand in hand with some forms of Hinduism and Buddhism, I simply don't do the chants.  When they're all chanting and meditating, I'm focused on Jesus.  I realize that there is power in words; I'll be the first to acknowledge that chanting "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" will bring results.  The question for me was, "what power is behind those results, and where are they coming from?"  A lifetime ago, I began chanting for something and got it -- supernaturally.  At that point, a part of me realized that we get to make choices about whom we'll serve, about what deity we will recognize.  Just as there is power in Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, there is Power in the Name of Jesus, and that's what I choose to chant/rely on/put my faith in/submit to/follow, etc.

So that's why I don't chant when they do yoga, but I do recognize that the practice is one in which body and mind are being disciplined, and I happen to like that.  The yogi I was under today has a sweet spirit, not like the one whose vibe is so off-putting that I'd never go to her class.  It's interesting to evaluate these yogis because they remind me of we Christians.  The one with the sweet spirit who's just doing her thing but who has an amazingly flexible body and spirit is the one who can teach me; the one who looks down her  nose at kettlebells, who appears dramatic, and who always has an entourage is the one I find off-putting.  So as I look  at these  yogis I can't help but wonder what sort of images we Christians project and how people receive them.

Anyway.  I always thought people who did yoga were just a bunch of flaccid, overly stretched, weaklings.  I was so wrong!  We planked, we did downward dogs, we did three different warrior stances, we did pigeons, we did a whole bunch of stuff, and it required core strength, it required flexibility, and it showed me how tight I am.

Interestingly, one of the things I want to do is learn to stand on my head (I studied a lot during childhood, so now I'm doing a lot of kiddie things).  In this class, we did some bridges and some shoulder stands, and some head tripods.  I'm probably months or years away from being able to do a headstand, but this is the place to learn!

The schedule doesn't really work for me, but if I can start out a couple of times a month until I can get my schedule adjusted, that will be cool.  I'm looking forward to literally stretching myself in this class.