Christian Unity: What We Share is Far Greater Than What Divides

When you first saw the name of this network and its website—Christians Practicing Yoga—did the question arise in your mind: “Who are they talking about here? Protestants? Catholics? Evangelicals? Pentecostals?” 

And you are likely aware that within most traditions of Christian faith there are members who do not see yoga as having a place in their spiritual practice, nor as even being an appropriate practice with which Christians should be engaging. It is in their eyes seen as a Hindu practice. (A response to this view is addressed in other blogs on this website; see especially “Can Yoga Teach a Christian to Pray?” and “Is Yoga a Religion?”) 

In this one, the question we want to address is: Can people of different traditions of Christian faith join together in the practice of yoga? And the answer to that question is: Yes! 

How so? Well, it is not only possible, but appropriate that we would engage together in this embodied practice, because we are all baptized into one body. And that one body is to lead a life worthy of its calling in one faith and one hope because there is one Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father of all. 

The goal of unity is a mutual recognition of the one faith and the one church in our many forms of church life, a recognition that makes possible a common Christian life and mission. 

Our unity as Christians is like a bouquet of flowers made up, not all of one flower or of one scent, but of many different flowers and many different scents which give to the bouquet more beauty by virtue of its diversity.

And yet, all the flowers are together in the water—the waters of baptism—and held close by the rim of the vase, the “container” of the living tradition of faith and love and witness that comes to us from the apostles and the early church and finds expression in the Apostles and Nicene Creeds. 

Our ecclesial diversity creates the space required for sharing our diverse gifts with each other within the framework of community. True and sustainable diversity is always taken up into the service of unity because it is directed toward building community. 

The movement in our lifetime that has been building bridges between the different denominations of Christian faith is called “ecumenical,” which comes from the Greek word oikoumene, referring to the whole inhabited world as one household. Christian unity is not an isolated end in itself, but must always be understood as unity in and for the world. 

The key point is that a divided world may see the church and its unity and realize that the church is a stage on the way toward the restoration of the world’s own unity. 

 Fellowship and Spiritual Friendship      

So much of the official and public ecumenical life of the churches today revolves around theological, historical, and moral considerations that we risk forgetting the role of the personal in ecumenism. 

There is simply no substitute for the personal. Theological consensus will open the door to church unity, but the only thing that will get us through that door is growing together in newly discovered fellowship and spiritual friendship.  

Being side-by-side on our yoga mats; sitting together in quiet meditation following our yoga prayer posture flow; sharing a fresh air walk or a good conversation over a meal afterward—all these sow the seeds for and develop the roots of fellowship. It is communities of believers, even more than articles of belief, that need to be reconciled. 

People need occasions where they can come together across denominational lines to share with each other an experience of their common Lord. Under the banner of that lordship, they will discover relationships of surprising depth. They will inevitably come to see the truth of the situation: what they share is far greater than what divides them. They can be seasoning for one another and light for the world around them. 

We need new ways of inviting people to share life and faith, new social networks that enable people to “be there” for one another in prayer and service. With the living stones of our lives, a spiritual house is being built. 

Oak Ridge Teachers Retreat, 2012

And so has it been for our growing network of Christians Practicing Yoga. When I offered a retreat in 2001 for Christian teachers of yoga from around the U.S. and Canada just to give them an opportunity to meet and learn from one another, when the retreat was over they said, “Oh! Could we do this again? This has been so supportive and energizing! We’ve learned helpful things from other teachers.” 

We did more than just practice yoga together. We prayed together in a variety of ways. Gave and listened to talks. Reflected on the appropriateness of an embodied spiritual practice like yoga in an incarnational faith which asserts that God became flesh in Jesus of Nazareth. So, not surprising that we should find meaning in a spiritual practice that invites us to go to God the way God came to us: in and through a body! 

When I asked if they would like to come together again a couple years from now, the response was: “Great! Let’s do it!” And so we did, and have continued to do so every-other-year with this summer being our 10th retreat. It has also been challenging and a big, big stretch for many of us as we learn to listen to others “in the family” who see things so differently than we do. But the time together shows us that we are simply talking to another seeker of truth, of Christ, and that simple realization keeps us coming back year after year—in person and in written forms.

And as one would expect, our relationships have expanded and deepened, not just as yoga instructors but, yes, as Christians practicing yoga.