Flow: Growing a Spiritual Yoga Practice in Church

A guide that shows that yoga and Christian faith can be harmonious.

As church membership nationwide continues to decline, the number of yoga practitioners continues to steadily increase. What’s at the meeting place where the trajectories cross? What can the church learn from the popular success of yoga, and is it problematic to offer yoga in the church? How can churches offer yoga in a way that observes, appreciates, and builds upon the commonalities but which does not conflate the two traditions, each of which has its own integrity? Making the decision to offer yoga in the church requires humility: a confession that Christians do not hold the exclusive pathway to communion with the divine.

THE REV. SUSAN W. SPRINGER is an Episcopal priest and rector of St. John’s in Boulder, Colorado. Susan was ordained to the priesthood in December 2009 after a varied career in the Alaskan oilfield and as a small businesswoman. She is the author of four children's books and an adult nonfiction. She served on the board of the Episcopal Preaching Foundation and lectures in various clergy formation programs. She lives in Longmont, Colorado.

SIRENA DUDGEON is a long-time student of asana and meditation practice with Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher Trainings as an E-RYT 200, RYT 500, and YACEP Trainer.. She teaches and offers monthly workshops; her classes and workshops emphasize a spiritual connection with the body, mind, and spirit. Honoring her Roman Catholic background and spirituality, she joined forces with Susan W. Springer to develop and implement Yoga in the Church. She lives in Longmont, Colorado.