Jesus in the Lotus

Jesus in the Lotus: The Mystical Doorway Between Christianity and Yogic Spirituality, by Russill Paul. New World Library; newworldlibrary.com

This short book is aimed at Christians who are looking to incorporate their religion into their yoga practice.

By Neal Pollack

Russill Paul, a former Benedictine monk and current yogi, ambitiously sets out to delineate how contemporary Christianity can open itself up to the divine union that is the ultimate goal of yoga practice. Paul provides a philosophical and, to some extent, practical basis for doing so, along with clear explanations of basic yogic philosophic concepts such as samadhi (union) and the difference between the Self and the ego. He expands the definition of what it means to practice yoga, arguing that true Christianity, free of the "institutional superstructure" of the modern church that preaches estrangement from the body, has much in common with yogic spirituality.

"Yoga can help Christians realize that the body is an essential vehicle for spiritual realization," he writes, adding that this can be done without worshiping the massive Hindu pantheon. Instead, when a person practices asana, Paul writes, the body opens up, as does the mind, leaving the practitioner to ponder some of Christianity's grander mysteries.The book's discussions of yogic philosophy are sprinkled with humorous and relevant anecdotes about Paul's personal journey from a naive, confused kid wandering around a mountain ashram to a serious, studious yogi and monk.

Highlights include Paul's mystical visions in India and a funny account of the evolution of his asana practice. Most surprising is how Paul examines Christianity's roots, which he says are based largely in the core principles of ahimsa (nonharming) and other yogic values discussed in the Yoga Sutra.

In some ways, the Christianity that Paul describes more closely resembles Hinduism than it does Judaism, the religion from which Christianity is supposed to have sprung. Paul's passion for the topic and his deep scholarly knowledge definitely help build a bridge to understanding the still-nascent and ever-evolving spiritual life of Western yoga culture.