Yoga with a Christian twist

Growing up in the conservative South, Dawn Jones was warned against dabbling in things such as yoga, which she was told was not a Christian practice.

However, the practice appealed to her and she didn’t see why she couldn’t be a Christian and do yoga.

Jones bought tapes and began mimicking the moves on the screen, but with the sound turned down, to keep out as much hedonistic influence as possible.

“I found myself praising God while I did it,” she said.

Today, Jones is among the few, but growing number of instructors certified in Christian Yoga by the Yoga Alliance and travels the world helping others experience the benefit of combining Christian worship and a love for yoga. 

“Christian yoga is no different from other yoga except I worship while doing it,” she explained. “The exercise of yoga puts me in such a relaxed state that it stills my mind. I then concentrate on the mind of Christ.”

Jones returned to her former stomping grounds on June 26 to lead a Christian Yoga class at Hibiscus House in Grayton. It was a donation-only hour-long session benefiting Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge.

The 12-15 participants met at the flagpole at Grayton Beach for prayer before the session and then walked to Hibiscus House.

“We began with a prayer for healing for the Gulf and prayers for the safety of those in the class,” said Jones.

The scripture she read was Psalms 89:9. 

Jones said that even though her future trips include stops in Israel, the Caribbean, and Europe, she will always return to Grayton.

“I will always come back to Grayton,” she said of the place she grew up coming to and the place she called home for a decade.

“My husband built and owned Grayton Corners Café, we were members of Point Washington United Methodist Church, and my son was baptized there. My relatives are buried in the church’s cemetery,” she said.

And it was while living here that she began incorporating yoga into her life.

“I felt led to do this due to the spill and asked to be able to do it at Hibiscus House,” she said. “It’s not preaching or regimented, it’s yoga and Christian yoga in that we always honor God while doing it. It’s a spiritual and mental practice.”

Jones said she also sometimes reads scripture and prints it out for participants.

“We begin by relaxing our bodies and breathing deep. I tell them to be still and clear their minds and give them to Christ,” said Jones.

This was Jones’ second trip to our area in the past few months. She led a retreat in Blue Mountain in May, and since the oil spill debacle, has led three events along the coast, from Indian Pass to Orange Beach.