Welcome to Day 6 of 31 Days of Battling Anxiety with Biblical Truth!
Breath. Life. Value. This is where we have begun our series on battling anxiety. The Bible tells us that our life has value. And the very thing that affirms your life, your breath, also helps calm your anxiety. We can compare notes all day on the scientific benefits of the breath, and as a yoga teacher, I’m certainly prone to do that. But I think the real reason that the breath is such a powerful tool for battling anxiety is because it’s driven by the very presence of God.
Here are ten Bible verses that prove the air you breathe is from God Himself. Because our goal for this series is to marry tangible tools for battling anxiety with Biblical truth, I encourage you to read them while practicing our calming breath technique we learned yesterday. Enjoy!
Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. -Genesis 2:7
As long as I live, while I have breath from God, my lips will speak no evil, and my tongue will speak no lies. -Job 27:3-4
But there is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent. – Job 32:8
For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. – Job 33:4
If God were to take back his spirit and withdraw his breath, all life would cease, and humanity would turn again to dust. – Job 34:14-15
But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth. – Psalm 104:29-30
God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. – Isaiah 42:5
This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD. – Ezekiel 37:5-6
Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. – John 20:21-22
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. – Acts 17:24-25
Curious about this 31 Days thing? There are hundreds of other writers joining the challenge to write every day for the month of October. The topics range from faith and inspiration to home and family to everything under the sun. Every few days during our anxiety series, I’ll be introducing you to some of these amazing writers.
Today, I’d like you to meet my friend, Denise. Denise and I met at She Speaks 2016 and we had the privilege of praying for each other leading up to the conference. She’s writing about reinventing our hope in God. Denise also happens to be a very talented musician and worship leader so go check her out!
Heads up for tomorrow….it’s a giveaway and you don’t want to miss it!
Thank you, Heather! we will have to meet up for a spa day at the end of 31 days. 🙂 Actually, I have done this before on my own, but never as part of a group. It has been a blessing. Hope to catch up with you sometime soon!
All for Jesus,
Denise
Oh my gosh. You had me at spa day. So glad you are being blessed by this challenge. It’s a fun one! Let’s definitely catch up soon!
Yoga is demonic, it is of Satan, so pleeease be careful dear child of God. God bless you abundantly!
Hi Julie! Thanks so much for reaching out here. I really appreciate your concern for me and as a believer I understand where it is coming from. I’m a Bible teacher who was once a yoga teacher, so I have a lot of thoughts on this issue. Perhaps I’ll turn them into a longer post someday, but for now, here’s the two-cent version. I don’t disagree that for the Christian, the practice of yoga requires great discernment. Not because the physical practice of yoga is harmful, but because its origins are rooted in cultures where the major belief systems promote ideas contradictory to God’s Word. I taught yoga because it has value in helping you understand how to holistically take care of yourself and because it offered a healthy alternative to more high-impact fitness options that were never a good fit for my body. Yoga isn’t a religion, but Hindu and Buddhist beliefs are often present in the yoga community. A survey of all that yoga encompasses should raise concern for those in the Christian faith. Are there pieces under the yoga umbrella that I was never comfortable with practicing as a believer (so I didn’t)? Absolutely. Do I think there are ways to practice some pieces of it safely as a believer? Yeah, I do.
Ironically, one of the things I heard most from my doctors after my vEDS diagnosis was: “you’ll have to learn how to listen to your body to know its limitations.” Why? Because there is no cure or treatment for vEDS and the only thing my doctors can do is try to repair the damage (or save my life) when major medical events occur. With vEDS, you have to understand your body to live well. Yoga taught me how to do that, so I like to think that God used it as a tool to prepare me for how to handle such a scary diagnosis with limited support available from the medical community.
All believers are called to be in the world, but not of it, and I think there is a way to apply that command to the practice of yoga while still honoring God and His Word. I know some disagree and that’s okay. Thanks again for reaching out here. Fist bumps, hugs, and blessings to you in all that you are doing!
Hiya, I’m a different julie than the first but I wld say the same thing. So after reading ur thing after that, I understand where u r coming from, however as u r a bible teacher should the word (yoga)be used in your teaching where some may see it as Oh it is alright let’s go do a yoga class and considering all new age stuff incorporates the word of God they may be deceived. It is one thing for the boat to be in the water it is another for the water to be in the boat, ie we are in the world but not of it, and while u don’t throw throw the baby out with the bath water, example breathing and moving has been around since Adam, is the baby. Don’t touch unclean things. If you are going to bait a dog u wld put the poison in a nice piece of meat.
If you have read, and understood, the whole Bible, you would know that God specifically tells us over and over to not have anything to do with those things. It makes me sad that you are leading people astray. I pray you will reconsider.
I’ve thought about yoga, biblically. God created us as beautiful. He created our body with lots of rhythms; heart beats,breathing, etc.
Yoga for me teaches how to use breathing with the body. Satan has taken some things away from God. We can redeem those things that are Godly, and not allow Satan’s grip to entangle us. Thank you Holy Spirit!!
If you do not feel comfortable doing Yoga, Like myself, then do Pilates instead. I enjoy grate benefits from Pilates.
Personally I believe God can redeem anything.
Jesus rules over everything.
Daniel.
I completely agree with the author here, Heather! I am a Christian yoga teacher and I’ve had the privilege of always practicing yoga from the beginning from a Christian ✝️ foundation. Heather’s answer about practicing discernment is so true and pragmatic. I was blessed to see the direction towards our ever present, Lord and Savior from the beginning of my introduction to yoga. The name of my practice is called Faith in Motion, and it’s a beautiful way to silence our mind, connect with our God given bodies, settle our attention on our breath, and open our hearts to God with patience, humility and gratitude! Heather I’m so glad I found you and your page. It gives me so much inspiration and motivation to continue to teach people a way to put their faith in motion on the mat. God bless you all! – Sarah Rives
I also think that we should not say that yoga is all evil. I was first very categoric with that as a christian. But I practiced it an noticed that yoga really helped me out during the toughest times of pandemic. Children also get such a nice body awareness through yoga. All good things come from God. And if it brings fruits, then it is from GOD.
It all depends on the spirit that we are invoking. If we counsciously call upon the holy spirit to guide our lessons, and if we praise GOD and Jesus christ only, then it can be only a celebration of GOD’s creation: the human body. I appreciate my body, I feel grounded and super light when I do Yoga. It can only come from god if we submit all the exercises and practices to JESUS.
Great stuff here Heather. 🙂 I really value your contribution to something as important as a simple breath, that admittedly has been a place of continual improvement in practice and understanding for my life. Your description has given me an improved frame work that is instant in its effectiveness. God bless you and His blessings be over, in and through you always!
David
Thank you, David!
what a terrific post..
I believe there are no coincidences or luck in spiritual life..
So it was predestined by God to find this post to support this chapter in my life which I try to rebuild from the ash { i wonder if you have any posts about the Phoenix ability to rise from ash but sure in Biblical way }
God bless you
Daniel
I agree about the spiritual life stuff it’s not about luck it’s all about obedience. Obedience is better than sacrifice. From experience in obeying the word now I’m in progression of what my blessing are there not there yet but I have proof. God is saying look what I have for you but look who is trying to destroy my plans. So I’ll just see what happens. That had nothing to do with heathers message but I was just adding to your comment.
Yoga is about the pose, each posture is a salutation to gods/demons, it doesn’t matter what you think of when doings the poses as the poses are praises to deities. Hinduism can’t be merged into Jesus. Pray and fast about this yoga practice and anything else unacceptable to God. God bless you and keep you.
I hear it has benefits And if doubts ; just Dont
My spirit has a flag I even went to a Christian yoga class n had a flag. I took 90 yr old Father David from India . He said class covered all the parts in yoga xsizes
Teacher ; She layed hands on heads of everyone and prayed after . Im not going to say it was wrong but I hav doubts so I wont go. But I agree breathing is healing Deep breath Fresh air . Esp the days we live in We ate in *The last minute !!! We need to heed the word and warning . Many will be deceived There will b Much deception n lawlessness We want to be free in His truth and not be bound by law but be kind and caring for souls. Always ready to give a answere Tell good news Thats what is more important .
Recently had stress overload after covid and I have prayed about guidance and also I do a routine designed for me so none of the chanting as I do 1-1
I have witnessed to the teacher about my faith and they have taken that on board and talk about my faith I am really learning diaphragmatic breathing and some exercises to activate the vagus nerve for relaxation
Anything in the current world that we all take part in could be considered as enemies territory including medicine so we have to discern and be guided by the Holy Spirit when I practice which I need to do I offered myself to Jesus and bow down to him only
Thank you Brian for sharing your experience. I appreciate your thoughts!