FAQs
I’m not a christian but I love what you’re doing can I still be involved?
100 percent YES! I am so incredibly grateful that you’ve found your way onto my page and my little business baby. The truth is, I’m just a girl who happens to really love yoga and also really love Jesus. Its as simple and as complicated as that. I knew that the peace and joy I felt whenever I did yoga was something I really wanted to share with my friends who are mostly Christian and have never thought to try yoga. This is the seed of a thought that sparked the desire to start ImagoDei Wellbeing & Yoga and whether or not you’re a christian, have any or no faith at all you are most welcome here, always.
What does “imago dei” mean?
So “imago dei”… what is it, what does it mean? It is latin and the literal translation is: God’s image. In the Christian faith it encapsulates the principle that we are made in the image of God. It is a doctrine about what makes us like God. We are creatures, fearfully and wonderfully made created beings, we are not the source we are not the answer. Yoga is not the answer nor is it a means to an end. If we want to know who we are or how to live well and whole, we need to go back to the Creator; to go back to the meaning for which we were made. Yoga is just one of many tools that we can use to find the time and cultivate a space in which to create an opportunity to encounter the presence of God: moving meditation if you will.
The heart behind IMAGO DEI Wellbeing & Yoga is that your life has purpose and meaning because God has made you to be like Himself. It means that your life has intrinsic value, not simply because of who you are as an individual, but because of who He is. It means that your life is sacred because He has stamped His identity upon yours, and every time we step onto our mats it is an opportunity to soak our souls in these truths, to live into our belovedness. What I love about this concept is that even if you were to just take the first letters of the words, “imago dei” they spell: I.D. its intrinsically all about identity. Hopefully as you practice your time on the mat will be a holy reminder of who are and more importantly whose you are, a space where we seek to recognise the dignity and divinity in us in order to recognise and restore that very same dignity and divinity in others.
But I’m a Christian, can I practice yoga?
If this is a question you’re asking yourself at the minute as you’re checking out the website and scrolling through these FAQs I would love to share with you an article I wrote for the Christian Yoga Magazine and hopefully give you some food for thought. I’m a regular contributor to the magazine and recently wrote an article for them called “Guarding your heart, guarding their heart.” which I hope will help address of your thoughts and questions about being Christian and practicing yoga.
What I need to get started on my yoga journey?
You don’t need £60 leggings or the latest activewear gear, you don’t even need a yoga mat! You just need yourself. It’s called a yoga practice because it’s something we practise weekly if not daily. Cultivate the habit of making time for yourself to be with God. You just have to be willing to try it, to come again the next day and try again. You never know, it might just change your life.
Do I need to be flexible?
I hope you already know that the answer to this is unequivocally NO. You do not have to be flexible, I myself am not very flexible and do not come from a gymnastics or dancer background. I just love how my body and soul feel after a class. Yoga is for everybody, and every type of body.
Do I need to have done yoga before?
Yoga is for every body and everybody whether you’ve dabbled in yoga or never tried it or have been doing it for years. the class content will always offer modification for beginners and advanced variations of the postures as well if you fancy challenging yourself and trying something new.
What if I have an injury?
If you’re thinking of coming to a live in person class, please know I always make sure there is an opportunity for everyone who’s attending to let me know before we begin the class if there are any injuries I need to be aware of in order to modify the class or different postures for you.
If you are practising online with me please make sure to above all listen to your body and as follow yoga teacher Adrienne (from Yoga with Adrienne), would say: find what feels good and only do what’s best for you and your body irregardless of what is happening or being instructed in the video.
In all situations we here at ImagoDei Wellbeing & Yoga recommend that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any yoga posture recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. Please be aware that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury; and know if you engage in any exercise or exercise program with ImagoDei Wellbeing & Yoga, you agree that you do so at your own risk, and are voluntarily participating in these activities. Assume all risk of injury to yourself.
Isn’t yoga an eastern religion?
My husband always says this phrase which I find really helpful when framing these kinds of dialogues about different lifestyle choices: "Every good thing finds its fullest and best expression in Jesus”.
I think exercise and the way yoga infuses mindfulness and spirituality into the physical act of working out your body is a good thing. I also think the mindfulness and the well being industry are a good thing, but without Jesus all it is devoid of any true meaning or ability to add to someone’s overall sense of well being. John O’Donoghue in his book ‘To bless the space between us’ says “much modern spirituality and psychology is full of loneliness… it has a hunger at its core that inevitably breeds narcissism and the mechanics of relentless self observation.” It is important as well to note that much misunderstanding is associated with Yoga. It is not a religion but a spiritual practice. However ’spirituality’ devoid of Jesus is empty and does not lead to salvation. The misunderstanding occurs because the few texts that exist which talk about yoga are texts that both the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism use as their ‘bible’ for lack of a better word.
Classical yoga was centred on devotional practices, presented in ancient Sanskrit, the language at the time and still in use today in modern day India. This modern use of Sanskrit in describing yoga poses unfortunately seems to have created the misunderstanding that yoga is derived from Hinduism. In fact the opposite is true: yoga predates Hinduism by many centuries. It is because of this common misunderstanding and a general lack of public knowledge about the roots of yoga that cause people to fear it and label it as an eastern religion, which as we’ve established it is not. I’m excited to show people how to incorporate their christian faith traditions into their yoga practice. The slow contemplative nature of the movements makes it easy to meditate on the word of God and to focus on the presence of the Holy Spirit. (Interestingly sacred movement was largely lost as a contemplative practice in Christianity during the Reformation whilst obviously mediation practices continued with the likes of St Francis of de Sales and Saint Theresa of Avila etc. who I’m sure we can agree are female titans of the Christian faith.) Anyway the point is: meditation is not an exclusively eastern practise that channels demons. It finds its best and fullest expression in Jesus and for me I would define yoga as moving meditation, a means to engage with God whilst exercising and looking after your body.
If after reading what I’ve shared you still don’t agree with or understand what I’m doing that’s totally ok. Thank you for taking the time to read it and check out my business — i am genuinely so grateful and I believe there is enough grace and room in this world for both of our difference of opinions to exist. My desire is not to try and sway your opinion just more to share my vision and heart about something I’m really excited and passionate about.
Does yoga encourage the demonic?
My husband always says this phrase which I find really helpful when framing these kinds of dialogues about different lifestyle choices: "Every good thing finds its fullest and best expression in Jesus”.
I think exercise and the way yoga infuses mindfulness and spirituality into the physical act of working out your body is a good thing. I also think the mindfulness and the well being industry are a good thing, but without Jesus all it is devoid of any true meaning or ability to add to someone’s overall sense of well being. John O’Donoghue in his book ‘To bless the space between us’ says “much modern spirituality and psychology is full of loneliness… it has a hunger at its core that inevitably breeds narcissism and the mechanics of relentless self observation.” It is important as well to note that much misunderstanding is associated with Yoga. It is not a religion but a spiritual practice. However ’spirituality’ devoid of Jesus is empty and does not lead to salvation. The misunderstanding occurs because the few texts that exist which talk about yoga are texts that both the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism use as their ‘bible’ for lack of a better word.
Classical yoga was centred on devotional practices, presented in ancient Sanskrit, the language at the time and still in use today in modern day India. This modern use of Sanskrit in describing yoga poses unfortunately seems to have created the misunderstanding that yoga is derived from Hinduism. In fact the opposite is true: yoga predates Hinduism by many centuries. It is because of this common misunderstanding and a general lack of public knowledge about the roots of yoga that cause people to fear it and label it as an eastern religion, which as we’ve established it is not. I’m excited to show people how to incorporate their christian faith traditions into their yoga practice. The slow contemplative nature of the movements makes it easy to meditate on the word of God and to focus on the presence of the Holy Spirit. (Interestingly sacred movement was largely lost as a contemplative practice in Christianity during the Reformation whilst obviously mediation practices continued with the likes of St Francis of de Sales and Saint Theresa of Avila etc. who I’m sure we can agree are female titans of the Christian faith.) Anyway the point is: meditation is not an exclusively eastern practise that channels demons. It finds its best and fullest expression in Jesus and for me I would define yoga as moving meditation, a means to engage with God whilst exercising and looking after your body.
If after reading what I’ve shared you still don’t agree with or understand what I’m doing that’s totally ok. Thank you for taking the time to read it and check out my business — i am genuinely so grateful and I believe there is enough grace and room in this world for both of our difference of opinions to exist. My desire is not to try and sway your opinion just more to share my vision and heart about something I’m really excited and passionate about.
Is yoga New Age mysticism?
There are definitely some branches of yoga practice that lean towards worship of nature and emphasise language associated with New Age mysticism and also some styles of yoga that are just plain spiritual joo-joo (like Kundalini Yoga for example). However I trained with a Christian Yoga organisation (CrossYoga Europe) and haven’t actually encountered these things in my own teacher training or personal yoga practice over the years.
I like to think that in the same way: if as a christian you wanted to engage in online dating you wouldn’t go and download Tinder today would you? You would instead go and use Salt or Christian Connect; the same is true for yoga. If practising yoga is something you’ve always wanted to try but were a bit hesitant about its cultural associations, practising Christian yoga is the sure and safe way to try something new and see if you experience something beneficial and truly amazing that adds to your spiritual wellbeing as well as your physical. If you practise Christian yoga and find joy in the movement, deep peace and communion with the Holy Spirit whilst you do it; that is genuinely beautiful. If the opposite is true then Beloved, be released and be blessed; knowing that your conscious is clean before God. What good is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul? Or put another way: what good is it to feel part of the ‘cool new yoga crowd’ and engage in christian yoga but lose your peace of heart and sense of ease in the presence of God?
Wherever you find yourself reading these FAQs, whether for christian yoga or against, enjoy the gift of the God in your life moving and speaking and doing life so intimately with you. Above all, may we never forget the wonder of Christ in us, guarding our hearts where once we had been dead in sin. If you may allow me, some poetic license, I’ll just share some of the words of St. Paul* found in the bible in the book of Romans and 1 Corinthians.
“Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. I’m convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it. Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behaviour and your belief are coherent. But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong…
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking [doing yoga or not doing yoga], but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by [how he practices yoga]. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they [do practice yoga], because their [practice] is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.*
With that as a base to work from, common sense can take you the rest of the way. [Practice christian yoga if you want], for instance; you don’t have to run an “idolatry test” on every [pose and posture]. I’m not going to walk around on eggshells worrying about what small-minded people might say; I’m going to stride free and easy, knowing what our large-minded Master has already said. If I [practice yoga], grateful to God for what is on the table, how can I worry about what someone will say? So [practice yoga] heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you’re [doing it] to God’s glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God’s glory. At the same time, don’t be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren’t as free as you are. I try my best to be considerate of everyone’s feelings in all these matters; I hope you will be, too.*
Do you offer in person classes?
The answer is a resounding YES! If you live in Nottingham, live in person classes will be available from October. Classes will be held in a private studio space located at the Beeston Pudding Pantry location. Come along and practice with me, I would absolutely LOVE to see you there. Remember slots fill up quickly, so book now and avoid disappointment. I can’t wait to see you and do some yoga with you.
How do I get access to online classes?
Subscribe to a membership and get access to online weekly content right here on the website, whenever you want. Just login to the members area and choose what kind of class you feel like doing this week as well as access to the archive of previous weekly content. There are also weekly posture break down videos and (Christ)-mindful hints and tips to help you engage and integrate your faith into your home yoga practice restoring and replenishing not just your tired body but your soul as well.
Do I need to have a membership in order to go to an in person class?
Don’t worry friend, you definitely do not need an online membership in order to come along to a live in person class. However if you are a member, you get £5 off the cost of a live in person class, so depending on how often you want to come in person it might be worth getting that cheeky discount and investing your home yoga practice as well. Make yoga not just a weekly treat but a daily life long habit of wellness and self-care.
Remembering that as Christians we prioritise and practise self care because Jesus said to love our neighbours as our selves. How well are you loving yourself at the moment Beloved? If you could only love your friends and family according to the measure with which you’re currently loving yourself, would those friends and family feel valued, cared for, special, important? Or does the way you treat yourself not matter as much as the way you treat others?
My hope is that through Christian yoga and mindfulness, can live from a place of deep belovedness: Christ centred self love, from God to ourselves and have it overflow to those around us. Positively impacting our spheres of influence. Self love to Neighbour love. Hopefully it will become a weekly, daily life long habit that aids you in your journey into deeper and deeper well-be-ing.
How do I get involved?
Sold and want more christian yoga!? Amazing! There are two main ways to get involved and have more christian yoga your life.
Subscribe to a membership and get access to online weekly content right here on the website, whenever you want. Just login to the members area and choose what kind of class you feel like doing this week as well as access to the archive of previous weekly content. There are also weekly posture break down videos and (Christ)-mindful hints and tips to help you engage and integrate your faith into your home yoga practice restoring and replenishing not just your tired body but your soul as well.
Come along and join a live in person class! Classes are held every week at the beeston pudding pantry. Slots fill up quickly, so book now and avoid disappointment. I can’t wait to see you and do some yoga with you
What if I can’t afford an online membership?
Please know if you can’t afford the core £25 I would love for you to get in touch!! Here at ImagoDei we want to make yoga accessible for everyone! I believe that our wellbeing is important and should not be complicated, inaccessible or exclusive — regardless of what gender, race, religion, size or socio-economic background you may be from. Financial privilege or other should not be a limiting factor for something I truly believe to be the most beneficial thing you could do for your life, second only to loving Jesus.
Do you offer anything for free?
I love a freebie! So yes, there is a free Youtube video once a month on the IMAGODEI Wellbeing YouTube channel. As well as that there is a free 7 day experience you can have access to, use the link below: