Spirituality

Spiritual Practices for Samhain

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Spiritual Practices for Samhain As October turns into November we reach the peak of autumn. In the Celtic Wheel of the Year we celebrate the cross quarter festival of Samhain (pronounced sow {like a female pig} en (like the beginning of end). Samhain is understood as the end and beginning of the year. It's a moment of transition where autumn gives way to winter. The harvest is complete. The beautiful autumn leaves are now composting into the earth. The days are becoming darker. The frosts have started to come. And much of the ... (Continue Reading)

By |2023-11-03T13:47:29-07:00November 3rd, 2019|Nature, Practice, Samhain, Spirituality, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments

May all beings be happy and free

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. June 30th, 2019 The Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu Mantra Watch: or Listen: or Read: Prayer offers us a way to respond when awful things happen. Telling someone you’ll pray for them can be a way of offering comfort and support. In the public sphere we often hear our leaders say that their thoughts and prayers are with people in their communities dealing with traumatic events. But not too long ago there was a backlash against this sentiment. And while I love the practice of prayer, I understand why. ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-06-28T08:20:48-07:00June 30th, 2019|Creativity, Embodiment, Mantra, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Prayer, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|2 Comments

The Purnamadah Mantra

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. June 23rd, 2019 The Purnamadah Mantra Watch: or Listen: or Read: At the center of the Isha Upanishad, which is an ancient Hindu scripture, are 6 verses that describe two aspects of reality—Unity and Multiplicity. In a commentary on this Upanishad Sri Aurobindo wrote: Unity is the eternal and fundamental fact. … Multiplicity is the…varied self-expression of the One. … Without [multiplicity] the Unity would be … a void of non-existence. But the consciousness of multiplicity separated from the true knowledge…of their own essential oneness … is a ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-06-22T22:21:36-07:00June 23rd, 2019|Books, Embodiment, Mantra, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Prayer, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments

The Gayatri Mantra

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. June 16th, 2019 The Gayatri Mantra Watch: or Listen: or Read: I’ve spent the better part of my adult life searching for a spiritual home that could feel completely and authentically mine. But I’m coming to accept the fact that I’m not going to find one. I’m coming to realize that I’m destined to be a wanderer. And I want to encourage those of you who find yourself feeling spiritually homeless to take heart. Spiritual depth can be found in a multitude of ways. But there’s a catch. ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-06-15T21:34:31-07:00June 16th, 2019|Embodiment, Mantra, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Prayer, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments

the Asatoma Sadgamaya Mantra

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. June 9th, 2019 I don't know if you saw my instagram post earlier this week... I shared about a hard moment transformed by mantra. I was reacting to something difficult and about to spiral into a negative story. But I remembered the hrdayam mantra from last Sunday's sermon and instead of spiraling, I started chanting! Mantra is simple. It's the practice of repeating something (chosen with intention) over and over and over again. Like I said last week, it's the practice of giving our mind the thought we want to think. It allows us to focus ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-06-08T19:10:58-07:00June 9th, 2019|Mantra, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|1 Comment

The Hrdayam Mayi Mantra

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. June 2nd, 2019 This week we're beginning a new sermon series all about mantra and prayer (two of my very favorite things!). And we're starting with a beautiful heart centered mantra. Most of us spend so much time lost in our over thinking minds. But good things can happen when we decide to spend some time with the truth of our hearts... The teaching this week will help you use your thoughts to shift your attention down into your heart and connect more deeply with the highest truths within you. You can transform ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-06-01T13:31:09-07:00June 2nd, 2019|Art, Mantra, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Prayer, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|3 Comments

Spiritual Practice: The Art of Uncovering & Remembering

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons May 12, 2019 Life is hard. And then it isn't. And then it is. And then it isn't. Right? Sometimes it just feels like the emotional roller coaster will never stop. Or at least that's how if felt for me the last few days. But then I reread this week's sermon and remembered that the ever changing emotions passing through me (often rooted in ego, attachment, and fear) have nothing to do with the Light of God Always, Already present within. I know this is true. But I forget. And I ... (Continue Reading)

By |2022-07-18T14:58:52-07:00May 12th, 2019|Books, Embodiment, Practice, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments

A Beltane Celebration of Fertility and Union

When I was a little girl my grandmother would take me and my sister to the Peaceful Valley Community Center on May Day to make flower crowns and dance around the maypole. It's one of my favorite childhood memories! I've come to learn that another name for May Day is Beltane, which is the Celtic festival of fertility and union celebrated in mid-spring. I've been celebrating the changing seasons for a long time now, but I'm just beginning to deepen my study of the Celtic Wheel of the Year and its mid-season festivals. This week—which marks the moment ... (Continue Reading)

By |2022-04-29T15:36:12-07:00May 5th, 2019|Art, Beltane, Books, Creativity, Embodiment, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Pranayama, Relationships, Religion, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments

Easter in two parts: Jesus and Salvation

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Easter (originally posted in 2019) Happy Easter! Easter is a holiday that helps us welcome spring and renew our sense of hope in the world. This Easter I decided to dedicate my sermon to my beloved niece Julianna. (photo credit: Holland Rhodes Photography) She recently asked her mama: "Who's Jesus?" What a good question little one! But a question without a simple answer. Here's one answer. The answer of an auntie, wanting her niece to learn about this important figure from the perspective of love. Part 1: ... (Continue Reading)

By |2022-04-15T15:53:58-07:00April 21st, 2019|Books, Embodiment, Holidays, Practice, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|5 Comments

Cultivate, Bring About, Dwell Upon

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. April 7, 2019 Can I offer you a bit of love this morning? I know that all the love we need already exists. It's real. It's in each of us. But sometimes it feels far away. Or hard to gather up, tap into, and send in the right direction. A long-time beloved student, in a one-on-one support session this week, shared the idea that we're all just stumbling through the dark looking for light... I don't have the quote quite right and I don't remember the original source. But I deeply understand ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T13:19:05-07:00April 7th, 2019|About this Blog, Art, Books, Creativity, Embodiment, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Pranayama, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Spring, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments
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