Yoga in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark
Making it Our Own
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33356/temenos.160791Keywords:
yoga, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, ‘bodyfication’, adaptation, appropriation, appreciationAbstract
Yoga has become increasingly popular in Denmark, much as in other European countries. However, its integration into Danish society often involves secularization or recontextualization to fit local cultural and religious frameworks. This article examines yoga’s increasing incorporation within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark (ELCD), known in Danish as Folkekirken – the Danish National Church. It explores how priests and church-affiliated groups navigate the balance between cultural appropriation and appreciation, redefining yoga within a Christian framework. By delinking yoga from its traditional Hindu roots and relinking it to Christianity in a broad sense, practitioners aim to create a form of yoga that is aligned with their faith while benefiting from its meditative and physical practices. The study highlights the complex interplay between religion, cultural adaptation, and globalization, demonstrating how yoga is reshaped to fit new contexts while retaining aspects of its original emphasis on the cultivation of the body as part of a religious or spiritual practice.
References
Aagaard, Johannes, and Anders Blichfeldt. 1997. ”Yoga og meditation.” Den nye dialog 70: 12–5.
Borup, Jørn. 2023. Decolonising the Study of Religion: Who owns Buddhism? Routledge.
Carrette, Jeremy R. 2000. Foucault and Religion: Spiritual Corporality and Political Spirituality. Routledge.
Christensen, Line Søgaard. 2023. ”Yoga i kirken: hedensk import eller meningsfuldt fællesskab? Hvorfor i alverden skal vi dog lave yoga i en kirke?” Lyng 1: 5–9. https://ribestift.dk/fileadmin/Hjemmeside_2020/PDF/Lyng-1_jun_2023__FINAL.pdf.
Cruz, Angela Gracia B., Yuri Seo, and Daiane Scaraboto. 2024. “Between Cultural Appreciation and Cultural Appropriation: Self-Authorizing the Consumption of Cultural Difference.” Journal of Consumer Research 50 (5): 962–84.
Dammeyer, Jens. 2023. ”Sognepræst: Yoga i kirken gør folk til hinduer.” Kristeligt Dagblad, January 23. https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/debat/sognepraest-yoga-i-kirken-goer-folk-til-hinduer.
Fibiger, Marianne Q. 2020. “Floating Hindu Tropes in European Culture and Languages.” In Handbook of Hinduism in Europe, edited by Knut A. Jacobsen and Ferdinando Sardella. Brill.
Fibiger, Marianne Q. 2023. “Modern Yoga and the Nordic Body: Between Authenticity and Cultural Appropriation.” In Eastern Practices and Nordic Bodies: Lived Religion, Spirituality and Healing in the Nordic Countries, edited by Daniel Enstedt and Katarina Plank. Palgrave Macmillan.
Fibiger, Marianne Q., and Jørn Borup. 2024. “Yoga and Mindfulness as a Fluctuating Field.” In The Sociology of Yoga, Meditation, and Asian Asceticism, edited by Lionel Obadia and Enzo Pace. Brill.
Folkekirkens videns- og udviklingscenter. n.d. “Folkekirkens medlemstal”. Accessed January 16, 2025. https://www.fkuv.dk/folkekirken-i-tal/medlemstal.
Foxen, Anya, and Christa Kuberry. 2021. Is this Yoga? Concepts, Histories, and the Complexities of Modern Practice. Routledge.
Hauser, Beatrix. 2014. Yoga Traveling: Bodily Practice in Transcultural Perspective. Springer International Publishing.
Heelas, Paul, and Linda Woodhead. 2005. The Spiritual Revolution: Why Religion is Giving Way to Spirituality. Blackwell.
Jain, Andrea R. 2015. Selling Yoga: From Counterculture to Pop Culture. Oxford University Press.
Kennedy, Ann-Marie, and Marian Makkar. 2020. “Cultural Appropriation.” In The Sage Handbook of Marketing Ethics, edited by Lynne Eagle, Stephen Dahl, Patrick De Pelsmacker, and Charles R. Taylor. Sage.
Kirkerne i Ishøj. n.d. Himmelske kroppe. Accessed February 11, 2025.
https://www.ishoejkirker.dk/aktiviteter/samvaer/himmelske-kroppe.
Kumar, Anusuya. 2011. Yoga in Twentieth Century Denmark: A Review of Teachings from 1917–1972. Københavns University Press.
Lauritsen, Thorsten Asbjørn. 2014. "Yoga finder vej til kirken.” Kristeligt Dagblad, June 21. https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/kirke-tro/2014-06-21/yoga-finder-vej-til-kirken.
Newcombe, Susanne. 2020. Yoga in Europe. In Handbook of Hinduism in Europe. Vol I, edited by Knut A. Jacobsen and Ferdinand Sardella. Brill.
Ravn, Tue. 2023. “Hvis de unge vil dyrke yoga i kirken skal vi lade dem.” Kristeligt Dagblad, January 15. https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/debat/sognepraest-hvis-de-unge-vil-dyrke-yoga-i-kirken-skal-vi-lade-dem.
Ribe stift, stiftsblad. 2023. https://ribestift.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Lyng-1_jun_2023__FINAL.pdf.
Rogers, Richard A. 2006. “From Cultural Exchange to Transculturation: A Review and Reconceptualization of Cultural Appropriation.” Communication Theory 16 (4): 474–503.
Rosengren, Ingrid Sofie, and Karen Marie Bøggild. 2017. “Sognepræster bag yoga: Formålet er ikke en dyrkelse af os selv.” Kristeligt Dagblad, 27 July. https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/debat/sognepraester-bag-yoga-formaalet-er-ikke-en-dyrkelse-af-os-selv.
Schneider, Arnd. 2003. “On ‘Appropriation’: A Critical Reappraisal of the Concept and Its Application in Global Art Practices.” Social Anthropology 11 (2): 215–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8676.2003.tb00169.x
Singleton, Mark. 2010. Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice. Oxford University Press.
Sonne, Katrine Irminger. 2016. “Til yoga I guds hus.” Berlingske Tidende, March 27. https://www.berlingske.dk/det-sunde-liv/til-yoga-i-guds-hus.
Strauss, Sarah. 2005. Positioning Yoga: Balancing Acts across Cultures. Routledge.
UngK. n.d. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.ungk.dk/.
Westergaard, Elof. 2023. ”Kan vi have yoga I kirken.” Lyng 1: 14–15. https://ribestift.dk/fileadmin/Hjemmeside_2020/PDF/Lyng-1_jun_2023__FINAL.pdf.
White, David Gordon, ed. 2012. Yoga in Practice. Princeton University Press.
YogaFaith. 2025. "Yogafaith, Who We Are." YogaFaith in Denmark: #yogafaith #yogafaithfamily #ThisIsUs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBQqqSrTgcE.
Young, James O., and Conrad G. Brunk. 2009. The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation. Wiley-Blackwell.
Ziethen, Sarah, and Rie Frilund Skårhøj. 2019. ”Yoga I Folkekirken. En rapport som oplyser, diskuterer og perspektiverer brugen af yoga i folkekirken.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f173af9b09cb0410a2be06a/t/60c0ac34473fcf624c24b19e/1623239739944/Yoga+I+Folkekirken_Rapport_2019.
Ziff, Bruce H., and Pratima V. Rao. 1997. “Introduction to Cultural Appropriation: A Framework for Analysis.” In Borrowed Power: Essays on Cultural Appropriation, edited by Bruce H. Ziff and Pratima V. Rao. Rutgers University Press.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Marianne Qvortrup Fibiger
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author's Guarantee
- The Author acknowledges that the Work will be publicly accessible on the Internet and that such access will be free of charge for the readers.
- The Author guarantees that the Work is her/his original work that has not been published before and cannot be construed as copying or plagiarism. Furthermore, the Author confirms that the Work contains no statement that is unlawful, defamatory or abusive or in any way infringes the rights of others.
- The Author confirms that she/he has secured all written permissions needed for the reproduction in the Publication of any material created by a third party.
User Rights
Under the CC BY 4.0 license, the Author/s and users are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format,
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially,
- However, the Work must be attributed to the original Author and source of publication.
The license of the published metadata is Creative Commons CCO 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)
Author Rights
The Authors maintain the right to:
- copyright, and other proprietary rights relating to the Work,
- the right to use the substance of the Work in future own works,
- the right to self-archiving/parallel publishing (publisher's PDF allowed).
Rights of Publisher
- The Publisher reserves the right to make such editorial changes as may be necessary to make the Work suitable for publication in the publication, e.g. style of punctuation, spelling, headings and the like.
- The Publisher will publish the Work if the editorial process is successfully completed and reserves the right not to proceed with publication for whatever reason.
- The publication entitles the author to no royalties or other fees. This agreement will be governed by the laws of Finland.
