Yoga Church Sunday Sermons

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons One of our constant questions these past few months has been: How can we move through the world from the energy of love? This week's sermon is a deeply personal reflection on the Source of Love and the intersection of vulnerability, grief, and gratitude. Opening the Heart REFLECTION QUESTIONS When you ponder the idea of opening your heart to love and moving through the world from the energy of love, where do you feel vulnerable or scared? As you work to move through ... (Continue Reading)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons After a beautiful conversation about the source of love at last week's Yoga Church Gathering, I set out to write a sermon on the topic. But, as often happens in the practice of writing, I went in a completely different direction than I expected. I ended up writing a sermon that begins with a personal confession and ends with an exploration of mental and emotional spaciousness. Instead of writing about the source of love, I ended up writing about what keeps us disconnected from that source. In this meditative sermon I invite ... (Continue Reading)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons The Daily Practice of Love REFLECTION QUESTIONS Have you ever paid attention to how much energy you spend moving between feelings of like and dislike all day long? What experiences and habits have shaped your reactions of "like" and "dislike?" How do your automatic reactions and habitual patterns of attachment and aversion impact your ability to respond to the situations of daily life from the energy of love? Supporting = Loving! Do the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons bring you ... (Continue Reading)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons In this sermon we return to the question: What do I want to remember? But we turn our focus toward how we remember the most important things. We turn our attention toward the practice of Kriya Yoga (yoga in action). Kriya Yoga includes three aspects that need to be in balance with one another. It's not all about effort and discipline. It's not all about self-reflection. And it's not all about handing it over to Divine Mystery. It's about all three. It's my prayer that this practical sermon will help you (and ... (Continue Reading)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons A few weeks ago, as we celebrated the arrival of spring, I asked you to contemplate your sense of intention. To craft a simple phrase that captured something about the Truth of your Being, something about the energy you try to move from as you move through the world. Spring is a lovely time (a potent time) to work toward goals. But in order to move toward our goals with integrity, we need clarity on where we're coming from. So today, I have a new sermon to support your efforts to ... (Continue Reading)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Niyama: The Foundation of Personal Practice We’re coming to the end of our study of the niyamas (for now…) and I’m excited to share a guest sermon written by my friend and colleague Marci Becker. She offers deep reflection (that I know so many people in this community will relate to) and her hope for what’s possible when we're able to do the hard work of personal practice within the container of supportive community. Doing My Work & Minding My Business: A Recap of the Niyamas by Marci ... (Continue Reading)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Niyama: The Foundation of Personal Practice Today's sermon dives into the final niyama, which asks us to explore our relationship with the Mystery we most often call God. I know this topic can be tricky. It can be difficult and loaded with painful baggage. And so I offer you this sermon, which I hope will arrive in your heart as an open invitation. Yoga Sutra 2.45 Ishvara Pranidhana (& Mystery) REFLECTION QUESTIONS How do you understand your place in the vastness of the ... (Continue Reading)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Niyama: The Foundation of Personal Practice In this week's sermon we turn our attention toward the 4th niyama (remember, the 5 niyamas form the foundation of our personal practice). The 4th niyama is svadhyaya, which means "to move toward one's self." There’s an understanding in spiritual traditions that as we move toward the Self we move toward Divine Mystery and as we move toward Divine Mystery, we move toward the Self. It's an ever deepening spiral. The teachings of svadhyaya are rich and I'm excited to explore them with you. ... (Continue Reading)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Niyama: The Foundation of Personal Practice Tapas is such an integral part of practice that my teacher says: “There can be no Yoga without tapas.” This sermon is about inner fire. It's about what it takes to build, contain, harness, and direct energy. It's about what it takes to create sustainable, transformative change in your life. It'll offer you a dose of realness ('cause we have to be real with ourselves) and a boost of inspiration ('cause sometimes we just get stuck). Yoga Sutra 2.43 Tapas (& Commitment) ... (Continue Reading)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Niyama: The Foundation of Personal Practice Yoga Sutra 2.42 Santosha (& Gratitude) REFLECTION QUESTIONS How often does your thinking take the shape of an if/then statement? If this happens, then I’ll be happy... When that happens, everything will fall into place... How much of your life energy do you spend on wanting things to be different than they are? What are the cravings, attachments, and aversions that cause you the most distress? Robin Wall Kimmerer reminds us that “contentment is a radical proposition” ... (Continue Reading)