“I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.”
– Psalm 4:8
Our friends over at RuahSpace are offering a cool free prayer and Christian Yoga series aimed at improving your sleep.
Pastor Phil Vestal is a regular guest on our PODcast and in our weekly sessions. His Christ-Centered yoga and spiritual practices ministry have been an inspiration to me and PraXis project. Basically, Pastor Phil convinced me that it’s OK for Christians to do yoga (or at least, it’s OK for THIS Christian.) Now I’m even taking a yoga instructor training.
This new program he is offering is free on YouTube, but it also has a component on his membership-based website. The challenge runs Sept 13-19. It only takes a few minutes before bed. (It ends just as our own wellness change begins, conveniently 🙂
Jamie and I get pretty rough sleep. I recently even went to a Pulmonologist to see if I had sleep apnea. He gave me a very uncomfortable wiggly mask to wear on my forehead and over my nose all night. We just an a Zoom conference this week. “The good news is,” he said. “You don’t have sleep apnea. The bad news is, if you don’t have sleep apnea, there isn’t much I can do for you.”
We are now looking at isolating more subtle elements, such a MORE exercise, regular sleep times, lowering caffeine. The usual. We all know that exercise can be critical for better sleep.
Phil sites a US Department of Health survey that indicates that people who practice yoga get better sleep. If you follow this blog that’s not going to be a big surprise. What will be interesting to see if Christ-centered yoga and prayer practice specifically designed for sleep can help even more.
Consider signing up. Jamie and I will be doing it. We’ll certainly let you know how it goes.
PraXis 
Great post here. However, I want to call your attention to Yoga. Yoga truly does have pagan roots, and it is made to serve other gods (that are not Jesus). I do not believe that Christians should take something like Yoga and Christianize it. I doubt that Christianizing it would make it right. We are called to be reformed apart from the world, not to conform to it. I am open to a discussion on this, what are your thoughts?
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Hi there. Thanks for engaging on this issue. I’m sorry it took so long to publish your comments. I have to switch my notification settings. Yoga is a massively broad term. If you volunteer at a homeless shelter, or study the bible daily, this could also be seen as practicing yoga. That is because the term covers many techniques for developing intimacy or union with God. Obviously I think Christians can do yoga-style calisthenics. Asana yoga, or fitness-centered yoga is actually the safest and easiest fitness modality out there. It’s been developed over hundreds of years and unlike many western fitness modes it’s not based on athletic competition, so it tends to be very gentle on the body. Having said that, most people think of yoga as a form of mysticism. And this is also true. So, if you are hesitant about this modality, I would stay away from yoga mysticism, anything involving chakras, energy work, sophisticated meditation and tantra. Having said all that, Christ’s name is a weapon against all evils. So, you are covered, if you sincerely are concerned about protecting yourself from some influences that might lead your astray 🙂 But, yes, fitness based yoga classes and the like, or yoga within a Christian context is, in my experience, ok. There are many more thoughts and an interview with Pastor Phil Vestal, a Christian “yogi” (I don’t really like that terms.. but, people use it.) on this post we did. https://praxiswellness.center/2021/02/07/former-new-age-guy-talks-yoga-dos-and-donts-for-christians/ – Maranatha
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