02. WHAT IS WHOLYFIT? ...and What It's Not

02. WHAT IS WHOLYFIT? ...and What It's Not

WholyFit is Devotional Exercise, a fun and meaningful fitness system incorporating Scripture memorization into each exercise routine for Biblical stress management and cutting edge fitness for body, soul and spirit.  WholyFit is designed to be done as worship and prayer as well as physical training.  With just 2-3 practices per week, you will get into the best shape of your life - body, soul and spirit.  WholyFit is biblically based.

1 Corinthians 10:31  

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

This book will also give you a heads up on what it means to do spiritual warfare and to live in the Kingdom of God. We will meditate on and practice Scriptural concepts from the Bible through exercise.   I will also share with you why I started WholyFit after finding that joining in with Yoga was not the best way to reach Yogis or to grow in my relationship with Christ.  

WholyFit is not about Yoga. WholyFit is an exercise system that is better than Yoga.  It is safer, more efficient and based on professional fitness the safety recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine.  (Yoga is not.)  WholyFit is based on biomechanics to provide therapeutic and corrective exercise strategies to the general population and is especially helpful to those who are dealing with clinical depression, chronic illness and fatigue.  

So why do we need WholyFit?  Well lots of us don't want to run or do weights or other intense exercise systems. We need to focus more on stress management, health and wellness.  Where can Christians go to find this comfort?  Yoga?  Pilates?  Tai Chi?  No, yoga actually is counterproductive for Christians who want holiness, wholeness and fitness because yoga promotes anti-christ religious ideals.  In fact all yoga poses are based on reaching Hindu and other deities.  Obviously, any exercise system based on that foundation is sinking sand.  WholyFit provides all the benefits of Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi and all from a Biblical Worldview and Christ centered foundation. 

So many Christians I talk to don't know anything about yoga, or even what it is.  Here are some definitions.

First we will need three equitable definitions of "yoga" which also reflect common usage:  

1.  Classical Yoga:  

Any time I refer to "yoga" I am talking about Classical yoga, which is yoga in the traditional sense, practiced on the basis of philosophies that are “religious” by common definition.  WholyFit is not associated with yoga culture, philosophies, religions or practices.  Do not be misinformed about the basis of yoga, what yoga is and teaches.  For example, yoga promotes the following false religious philosophical concepts:  

A.  Reincarnation:  Yoga teaching that is contrary to what Jesus taught about the fact that we all die only once.

B.  Kundalini:  Yoga seeks to awaken the "snake" power that is said to be dormant at the base of the spine. Yoga teaches that spiritual awakening happens when the snake travels up the spine through all of the chakras.

C.  Samahdi:  Yogic concept of enlightenment pursued through transcendental meditation with the goal of becoming one with the "universe". 

Don't believe me?  I'll prove it.  Classical yoga certification registration requires the supervised study and PRACTICE of a Yogic lifestyle including Kryas, mantras and chanting in a traditional yoga environment.  Yoga meditation and chanting is Transcendental Meditation where out of body experiences are highly sought after.  TM is very different from Biblical meditation as taught and practiced by King David in the Psalms.  (Ps. 1:2, 27:4)

Yoga philosophy embraces the  teachings of Patanjali, the Bahgavahdgita, and is pantheistic in nature, acknowledging all religions and paths to God such as Buddhism and Taoism.  Classical Yoga teachings deny that Jesus is the only way to heaven.

2.  Christian Yoga:  

Christians who do Yoga practice Christian Yoga.  I used to do what I considered "Christian Yoga" until I realized that it was leading me away from God.  WholyFit is not Christian Yoga. If someone wants to do yoga and is also a Christian, that person is a "Christian Yogi".  Christian Yogis identify themselves as a part of the classical yoga community, but claim to be a member of a Christian subculture.  Training to teach christian yoga is done from within the yoga community, or in alliance with the yoga community.  There are three types of christian yoga within this christian yoga subculture.  

A.  Christians doing yoga who do not embrace classical yoga philosophies and practices 

B.  Christians doing yoga  who "mix" the philosophies and practices of yoga in with those of Christianity

C.  Christians or Non-Christians doing yoga who market to Christians

All types of christian yoga benefit from the marketing power and intrigue of the classical yoga culture. In exchange for a christian's use of yoga's marketing power, all christian yogis place themselves in alliance with and under the supervision/ authority of the traditional yoga culture. 

If the goal of the yoga culture as a whole is to bring people under the influence of yoga religious philosophies, should Christians contribute their time, money and energy to yoga?  If yoga is called "christian" does not make it holy?  No.  In fact it is impossible to call yoga a christian pursuit because it is against the Words of Jesus and the teachings of the Bible.  A better idea?  Devotional Exercise.

If you don't want to do intense, stressful exercise Devotional Exercise is the answer: Christian fitness classes provide an alternative to Yoga and is practiced within the community of the local church, under the supervision of eldership and in alliance with Christian lifestyle practices of prayer, Scripture memorization and worship. Teacher training in Devoitonal exercise is necessarily done outside the yoga community and outside the supervision and authority structures of yoga.

Why does WholyFit look like yoga?  

All stretching looks like yoga.  When you back out of your driveway I hope you look over your shoulder first.  If you did, you did a movement that looks like yoga:  a spinal twist. Ballet, Karate, Fencing, Gymastics look like yoga.  Even golf sometimes looks like yoga.  Any look alike exercises cannot be helped and in fact, an alternative to yoga must bring all the same benefits as yoga or it is not a viable alternative.   An alternative to yoga must be just as effective as yoga or it is not viable.  It must appeal to the same people that yoga appeals to.   

Here is the defining point:  A christian replacement of yoga, by definition, requires the complete abstinence from yoga, even so-called "christian yoga".   If it's a replacement then it can't be yoga.  WholyFit replaces the need to do yoga of any kind.  Devotional Exercise does not rely on the marketing power of the yoga culture, but instead each alternative to yoga has their own unique appeal, utilize  Christian Biblical stress management and are based on Christian lifestyle practices alone.   

Some viable Devotional Exercise systems I would endorse are:

WholyFit

Praise Moves

Doxisoma

WholyFit is an artistically expressive,  fitness-oriented,  multi-level exercise system focused on worship and Scripture memorization which offers professional fitness certification with such high quality that it rivals any yoga certification.  Fusion Classes like those offered through Fitness Pros for Christ, a WholyFit sister company, offer the following exercise classes and trainings:

Fitness Pros for Christ

A.R.T. 

Aerobic Resistance Training 

Body Sculpting - because you are a work of art!

...Fearfully and wonderfully made.

K700

Kick Stress!

Kickboxing burns up to 700 calories!

SlowFlo

Christian alternative to Tai Chi 

Martial arts with worship phrases performed in American Sign Language

Body Weight Boot Camp

Basic training -  Shut up and work out!

There are lots of alternatives.  Christians just don't have to do yoga any more.  There are better systems available now to christians everywhere.