Christian Blogger Says Yoga 'Pagan Ritual' To Be Avoided

A blogger cautioned devout Christians to veer away from practicing the 'pagan ritual' of yoga Thursday due to its apparent link to Hindu worship.

Matt Walsh, a writer and author, shared his thoughts on exercise method in a column featured Thursday on The Daily Wire. Walsh decided to write an essay in response to harsh feedback he received Thursday regarding a tweet about the matter, which read: "It's kind of amazing to see all of the Christians who think nothing of going to a yoga class. There are many excellent ways to get in shape that do not involve participating in Hindu worship."

Walsh's Twitter rant even caught the attention of actor Kumail Nanjiani, who tweeted: "I know a Christian family that once did yoga. They all spontaneously combusted & their relatives got charred letters that said: 'We are in hell now; don't yoga.'"

Walsh, therefore, decidedly addressed his concerns with Christians practicing yoga in an extended blog post.

"You can find the word yoga and the basic concept in Hindu texts dating back thousands of years," Walsh wrote on The Daily Wire. "It's true that the modern western version is not entirely the same as its traditional form, but I do not see that as a mark in its favor."

"Hindus had their spiritual purposes for yoga, we have ours. Neither purpose seems at all compatible with Christianity," Walsh added.

Walsh even deemed yoga comparable to an Ouija board or a horoscope, which appear to be "relatively" innocent forms of entertainment.

"I don't think you'll automatically be possessed if you do yoga. I don't think all yoga practitioners go to Hell," Walsh wrote. "But neither do I see how a pagan ritual could ever help someone get to Heaven, and maybe that's reason enough to leave it alone."

Nearly 37 million Americans practice yoga today, according to a study conducted by Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance. Yoga's popularity has spawned many unique variants of the practice nationwide, including drunk yoga and goat yoga courses.