Yoga Church Sunday Sermons

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 personal 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 ... (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)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Niyama: The Foundation of Personal Practice Yoga Sutra 2.40-41 Śauca (& clarity) REFLECTION QUESTIONS What are the habits that hinder your ability to think clearly, choose happiness, maintain focus, and remember your True Self? What are the "opposites" that you can focus on in order to begin shifting these habits (pratipaksa bhavanam)? What are the habits that support your ability to think clearly, choose happiness, maintain focus, and remember your True Self? How can you strengthen these habits? What gunks up your clarity? ... (Continue Reading)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Niyama: The Foundation of Personal Practice Yoga is a state of being AND the practices that help us reach that state of being. The practices of yoga are laid out in an 8-limbed path that includes everything you would suspect: movement, breath, meditation. But the path of yoga begins with what it means to live in right relationship. As we explored in our study of YAMA, yoga begins with ethics. With living in right relationship with others. It continues with NIYAMA, which are the daily rituals we enact in order to care for ... (Continue Reading)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Late Fall 2020 As we make our way toward the end of 2020 and into the heart of winter, I've got a really important sermon for you. It's meditative. It's practical. It's filled with both ancient and modern wisdom. It will help you find the ground beneath you. It will help you listen inward for guidance. Get yourself in a cozy posture and listen now. Trust me, your heart will thank you. What Grounds and Guides You? REFLECTION QUESTIONS As we move into ... (Continue Reading)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Late Fall 2020 The 2nd limb of yoga practice is called the niyama-s, which is a 5-part teaching about how to live in right relationship with yourself. It's a potent set of teachings that includes the practice of contentment. Contentment is not the passive acceptance of life no matter what's happening... It's the active practice of showing up to what is from a place of awareness and grounded ease. It's a way of being in the world. A core aspect of contentment is gratitude, not as some consumer based cliché, but as a way of understanding ... (Continue Reading)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Late Fall 2020 Svadhyaya: Exploring the stories that shape us. REFLECTION QUESTIONS These are big questions and I encourage you to explore them on your own and with the people you love. You were born into a family and a country that gave you holidays. What are the holidays you were taught to celebrate? What’s the traditional story and history of these holidays? And what’s the story of the holiday in your family? Do these two stories have anything to do with each ... (Continue Reading)