Yoga

Yoga Sutra 2.36 Satya

We continue our exploration of the five yama-s (the ethical underpinning of yoga) with satya, or truthfulness. This sermon leads us back into our study of the klesha-s (the things that keep us stuck. You know, attachment, fear, things like that...) and asks important questions about our identity. In order to establish ourselves in truthfulness, we have to see ourselves and our world with clear vision. This is an important sermon that touches on the heart of yoga. Yoga Sutra 2.36 Satya (& Identity) HOW TO APPROACH THE YAMA-S ... (Continue Reading)

By |2023-08-19T11:14:21-07:00July 17th, 2020|Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|1 Comment

Late Autumn Part 4: Turn, Turn, Turn

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Late Autumn 2019 | Exploring Darkness My dear friend has a little sticky note on her bathroom mirror. It reads: "What you pay attention to grows." I can't remember if there's an author's name or not... But I always remember the quote. It's such a simple sentiment. And a deeply powerful truth. What you pay attention to grows. Life is a series of small moments. And if we allow our attention to get lost on the wrong things we run the risk of creating an identity that isn't connected to the truth ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-12-13T11:58:34-08:00December 1st, 2019|Samhain, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|2 Comments

Late Autumn Part 2: Prayerfully Awake

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Late Autumn 2019 | Exploring Darkness What do you want? I'm not talking about Christmas list desires here. I'm talking about the call of your heart. What do you want deep in your bones? This question takes discernment. It takes deep listening. Luckily, as British author Jilly Shipway says: "In the same way that the darkness of the night gives us rest and dream time, so too the dark half of the year gives us an opportunity to pause, rest, and rejuvenate." In other words, this is a great time of year to ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-12-13T11:50:01-08:00November 17th, 2019|Samhain, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|3 Comments

Transformation Begins with Deep Noticing

This week, we turn our attention toward the idea of transformation. All sermons include something of the preacher in them, but this one asked a bit more of me than usual. In my personal practice the last few years I've been working to become more comfortable with the reality of vulnerability (I call it a reality because even though many of us do our best to be invulnerable, we will always fail). So this week I share some of my own transformation with you. I share it because transformation isn't always easy or pretty. But, like vulnerability, it's ... (Continue Reading)

Internal Spring Cleaning – Prana, Apana, and Agni

A Practice for Internal Spring Cleaning: You've probably heard the term prana before. But have you heard of apana? Or udana? There are actually 5 pranas. They're called the vayus or the "forces of the air." They are: Prana vayu, which governs reception (eating, drinking, inhaling). Apana vayu, which governs elimination (going to the bathroom, giving birth, exhaling). Udana Vayu, which governs growth and transformation. Samana Vayu, which governs digestion (of anything... food, thoughts, etc.). Vyana Vayu, which governs circulation. Much could be said about the vayus, but for today, I want to focus on the forces of prana and ... (Continue Reading)

By |2020-05-18T14:31:09-07:00May 7th, 2015|Asana, Embodiment, Meditation, Practice, Pranayama, Spirituality, Spring, Yoga|1 Comment

Inhale or Exhale?

“I think I’m more of the exhale type. I’m just going to stick with exhaling.” I can’t remember the context (or exact phrasing) of this statement, but the sentiment has stuck with me. I heard it on a recent episode of the podcast “On Being.” It was a conversation that included Parker Palmer, who is a well known author in Quaker circles. Palmer often writes about our innate wholeness, and I love that he used the breath to illustrate his point. The statement, as Palmer well knows, is absurd. Which side of the breath we will utilize isn’t something we ... (Continue Reading)

By |2015-02-10T07:05:51-08:00February 9th, 2015|Nature, Practice, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga|3 Comments
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