Customer Reviews

Invitation to Christian Yoga

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An Invitation To Christian Yoga provides an informed and "user friendly" introduction to the practice of hatha yoga as a source of spiritual well-being in a format compatible to a Christian discipline of prayer and exercises. The text is wonderfully enhanced with helpful illustrations in simple line drawings with Nancy Roth (an Episcopal priest) providing a short biblical text, often drawn from the Psalms, accompany each exercise as a basis for Christian mediation. Whether a novice beginner or an experienced yoga practitioner, An Invitation To Christian Yoga will prove invaluable, practical, inspiring reading, and is especially recommended for anyone who is recovering from an illness or insure, or is less limber than they once were due to the aging process.

I began taking a yoga class at my gym as a form of relaxation and stress-relief. I began to have a nagging feeling about the whole new-age association of yoga that as a Christian, I didn't want to be involved with. I was worried that I was opening myself up spiritually to something I didn't want to be opening myself up to. I quit going to yoga class, despite the way I loved feeling so stretched out and relaxed.
I rejoiced to find this book. It gives you simple yoga poses to practice at home as you worship God privately with your mind, soul, and body. Listening to Gregorian chants or quiet praise music brings my focus more to my Creator and less on myself or my technique.

I would have rated this book 5 stars except for the phrase in the publisher's description that said it was ideal for "advanced practitioners." I'm not exactly advanced since I still can't do lotus, but I have practiced for a few years and so all of the postures were very introductory to me.

That being said, the book greatly enhanced my practice because of the encouragement and direction from the author for incorporating Christian faith and nearness to God in one's practice. The thoughts for meditation offered during the relaxation phase were deep and beautiful and worth the cost of the book. So, it is "ideal for advanced practioners" if what you're looking for is direction for Christ-centering your practice.

The text portions offer lots of options for doing the stretches/poses, which makes this an especially good book for anyone with physical limitations (or beginners). It's also an excellent book for anyone desiring to develop a Christ-centered yoga practice.

When I found this book & CD on Amazon I was excited because I attend yoga classes at my gym, but I was really seeking to have some "quiet time" with God in the process of all that wonderful stretching. I read through the book & was excited to put in the cd. When I did, I was dissapointed. I was expecting nice music or the narrator reading some of the scripture mentioned in the book, etc. Instead there was NO music, No scripture, and not an adequate amount of time to let you get a complete stretch or concentrate on something other than moving your arm to the next position. Bottom line, if you're looking for a good audio yoga CD that focuses on God & streching with some nice relaxing music - this is not for you. BUT if all you are looking for is a Christian yoga book with very basic stretches & a couple of scripture references - this book/CD is for you.

Yoga has greatly my arthritis, and I believe has contributed to my weight loss. As a Christian, I've felt troubled by the "spiritual" aspects--so many writers on yoga say they've "gone beyond" their Christian or Jewish upbringing and found yoga something cool and groovy and much better.

I found Roth's book very helpful in showing we use our bodymind (her word) in our Christian walk.

This is a great getting started book. It walks you through the Son-Salute as a morning prayer- until you do it you can't imagine how good it feels to begin your day with such simple stretches that help you present your day to God.

As a Christian yogini, I was intrigued by this book. It makes perfect sense that the inner quiet brought on by an asana practice could be fused with Christian worship. However, I have to say that I found the exercises very basic and a little...well, cheesy. Also, the CD left much to be desired. There could at least be some nice music. In my opinion, you are much better off just to choose your own prayers and scriptures to use in conjunction with your personal practice. However, for a beginner who does not mind the cheese factor, it might be ok. I do appreciate the fact that Nancy Roth has created a work that helps to destroy the myth that yoga and Christianity can not coexist.

I've almost completed the book. It highlighted some things that I had thought about some years ago, but it was nice to have had someone else who shared a similar view. It's helped my study in my personal worship of Yahweh

Why learn yoga from an Episcopal priest? Rev. Roth may not be Hindu guru, but she manages to explain 25 Hatha Yoga postures (asanas), helped with clear line drawings by Susan John Mangam, in a way that even complete beginners will understand. Plus, as a lapsed Episcopalian, I was amused by the idea of learning yoga from an Episcopal priest. Rev. Roth offers many ideas about incorporating God and worship into the postures, which may be helpful to practicing Christians. As a practicing Scientologist, however, I am waiting for the day that someone writes a Scientologist yoga book incorporating the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard. As our great founder and leader taught us, we can only reach enlightenment through auditing, so I don't know how to reconcile the truth of Scientology with the practices of yoga, although in "The Hymn of Asia", L. Ron Hubbard did imply he was the Maitreya, or future Buddha, so I'm sure a reconciliation is possible. I certainly hope so, because I have benefited enormously from yoga, almost as much as I have benefited from Scientology. Only 10 more Intensives and $53,200 to go to Clear!

It is a very powerful book, and help us to realise that Christ was Himself a Yogi. I believe that Jesus Christ and Lord Krishna are the same person. We call Him Christ, and Hindus call Him Krista (Krishna is another name of Krista). Hindus consider Krista as the One who introduced Yoga through His teaching in Bhagawat Gita.