This project offers data documenting the decline of church membership and the rise of yoga practitioners. It explores aspects of the eight limbs of yoga that have parallels in the theology and practice in the church. Given that yoga and Christianity may have many similar emphases and teachings, this project theorizes why the church may have failed at delivering on its promise of union with God where yoga appears to be delivering on that promise.

Working primarily within the Episcopal Church (but including data from other Christian denominations) this project examines four congregations who offer yoga classes as part of their menu of ministries. It interviews leaders to learn what barriers there may have been to bringing a Hindu spiritual practice into a Christian church. It interviews participants to discern what it is about yoga in the church that appeals to them, and whether or not yoga provided a doorway into church that other ministries did not.

This project does not seek to Yoga-ize Christianity, nor to Christianize Yoga, but rather to notice and explore those places where the two traditions offer similar teachings. It asks the question: Does yoga in the church offer a way for those who have felt wounded or rejected by the church to try again?

For those churches who may wish to start their own yoga ministry, this project offers at least twelve lesson plans on topics where the Yoga Sutras and Christian Scripture and theology convey the same message. Each lesson plan includes short teachings and illustrations from each of the two traditions, interspersed with a Vinyasa flow (a series of yoga poses), breathing exercises, and guided meditation.