16.5 million Americans, an increase of 43% since 2002, now practice yoga. This is more people than
any protestant denomination. Remarkable!!!

http://www.yogajournal.com/about_press020705.cfm

Although I have had a few classes of a new combination of yoga and tai-chi, I haven't kept up the practice. Any teachers out there? Practitioners?

Yes, in fact I am going to my Yoga class in about an hour. I love it! I am learning. I started in January and have a Christian Yoga teacher. I love her format. Prayerful yoga. We start with silence, centering prayer for 5 minutes. Then practice some poses and then she has put those poses to music. One piece she had done was to Michael W. Smith's "Breathe". It was pure worship. Beautiful. It also feels wonderful and as I am getting older, I choose to do things that will help me to stay energized, stretched, and moving. This does. I am constantly amazed at what this body can do!

Hi MM!

Yes, I have been practicing yoga since the late 60's when it first beame popular in the U.S. I still do it, but not as much as I used to. Lately I have been more interested in Kum Nye, which is Tibetan style yoga. It seems to be what my body/mind needs at this point in my life. Many of the poses are the same as "regular" yoga, but they are done very, very slowly, gently, and mindfully.

DianeA, the yoga class you attend sounds really nice. I have a book that I bought years ago called "Christian Yoga", by a monk! Your class sounds like his way of doing yoga.

Katy

Hey, were there any Christian forms of moving prayer? It seems somewhat sad that everything gets all mixed. Not that I'm a purist or anything. Just that it's nice to preserve some of the practices of the past. Probably there are exercises of this sort in the Philokalia. I know that Karlfried Graf Durkheim and his people have presevered some of these moving forms of prayer.

That's one of things that's interesting about Islam; is the unique movement is presevered. When I was in Amritsar, I noticed that the Sikh form of prayer is similar to Moslem prayer.

Yoga has it's own energies. They are situated more on the perphiery of the body-mind, in my experience. My first teacher discouraged hatha yoga and encouraged, instead, running.

Hi Asher, my favorite moving prayer is walking. Two friends and I walk 3 x's a week for 2 and a half miles. We live in the country and always take the same paths as we commune with our Lord, mostly in silence. There is something new to see and praise within nature on every walk and to be so thankful about; wild life, the seasons,etc. and to feel the coolness walking through the forest. It is also a great opportunity to share the love of the Lord with them, and to find answers in God's Word as individual trials and problems come up. I also enjoy gardening which I find to be another great movement in prayer. My roses and lilies are outstanding this year.

There is something new to see and praise within nature on every walk and to be so thankful about; wild life, the seasons,etc. and to feel the coolness walking through the forest.

Freebird, yes observing nature with calm mind is a very nice experience and very good meditation.