I'm writing this for those who do ONLY the physical aspects of Yoga.
Matt Walsh's argument is actually better than I anticipated. Yoga, like many other things we do, has pagan origins. You know what else has pagan origins? Anything created by a non-Christian. Certainly Yoga is different than basketball, the pole vault or table tennis so I mean not to lump them all in the same basket, yet we can't fail to recognize that nothing is created, in terms of its attitude toward God, neutral.
The argument against Yoga is that it opens one's mind up to demons or something like that because of the poses and the blending of the spiritual with the physical. But what opens up people to demonic influence isn't how they stretch their bodies but what they put into their minds. If you don't do Yoga but do watch TBN or Steven Furtick, then you're at a much greater risk to be influenced by Satan than someone who does Yoga poses but fills their mind with biblical truth.
"Tim, Yoga is about communing with false gods!"
Truth bomb: there is only one God. There are no false gods. They don't exist. People create them in their minds and try to make them real but they don't actually exist.
1 Corinthians 8
4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
7 However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 8 But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?
Let me put that into the Yoga context:
1 Corinthians 8Not the most perfect word for word fill-in application but you get my point. Be careful with your freedom. That's extremely important. Let's discuss another important issue: be careful that your lack of knowledge (knowledge that's easily accessible thanks to the copy of the Bible you have and your self-evident Internet access) doesn't cause you to burden someone else. I.e. don't make someone feel sinful for doing something that's not sinful. If someone is doing physical poses and has no issues doing them and it's not having any negative impact on their walk with God, then don't burden them with your conscience.
4 Therefore concerning the practicing of Yoga, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
7 However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, practice Yoga as if they were communing with false gods; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 8 But exercise will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not do Yoga, nor the better if we do do Yoga. 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, doing Yoga in the gym, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to try to commune with false gods?
So before you blast your friend over her Yoga class (or her going to a winery or a certain movie or whatever it is) make sure you check the information available for its accuracy and biblical fidelity. Yoga poses are not, in and of themselves, sinful. You can't support the idea that they are sinful with any Scripture. This is a wisdom issue. This is a freedom issue. This is not an issue where your girlfriend is in active rebellion against God because she's trying to get in shape.
