Wow, lots of Baptist news lately. Today, Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote in his blog that yoga is:

“at odds with Christian understanding. Christians are not called to empty the mind or to see the human body as a means of connecting to and coming to know the divine. Believers are called to meditate upon the Word of God — an external Word that comes to us by divine revelation — not to meditate by means of incomprehensible syllables.”

Sounds to me like Mr. Mohler never took a yoga class. While I haven’t taken one myself in a couple of years, I did “religiously” for 8 years and still incorporate yoga poses in my stretching routines. What do I get out of it? A “looser” back, more flexible hips and hamstrings, relaxation, a clear mind, and a feeling that I’m about an inch taller. I’m not sure why any religion would have a problem with any of those things.

“Yoga is an exercise, health and wellness system. It’s so old that it belongs to humanity. It’s not based on a religion.” – Nicole Soteropoulos, yoga intructor in Louisville, KY

Amen to that.