Yoga Theology: Waiting In a Small Space
Most mornings, between a walk and breakfast, I make my way to a small space and practice waiting. The small space is my yoga mat, and the practice of waiting begins with breathing. When I first started practicing yoga in college, I was self-conscious. I felt like others in the class were watching and judging my abilities. I was so focused on trying to get the poses right and on watching what others did that I missed out on one of yoga’s main purposes of relaxation.
My feelings were very common among other first-time students, too. I am grateful to have had a teacher early on who addressed those fears directly. She said throughout the classes, “Focus on your body and your mat. All that matters is your body on your mat.” Her words took root in my soul, and with time I associated yoga not with the big room full of people but with the small world of my individual mat. Then I extended the space to me, my mat, and God. It became a place of prayer where with every exhale I let go of the person or circumstance weighing me down, for there was not room for distraction on the mat. There is only room for the Lord. Yoga became not only a way to stretch my body but also a way to wait on Him.
I am looking forward to offering a Yahweh Yoga class with a theme of prayer during the Lenten season where we will wait together. We will meet on Thursday evenings at 6PM, beginning on February 27 and concluding on April 2. I invite you to sign up before then. The only physical requirement is that you have to be able to get up and down off the mat. While we’ll have a limited number of mats available, we encourage you to bring your own if you want to participate. Every week will we have a specific prayer focus to keep us centered on the mat. I hope you will consider participating. If you are not physically comfortable with mat yoga, don’t worry. We’ll be offering a chair yoga series later this year.
May we all seek out those small spaces where there is only room for God, and in preparing the space, encounter him in a mighty way!
all good things to each of you,
Dr. Darian
Dr. Darian
Lectionary Texts for Sunday, February 16, 2020
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Psalm 119:1-8
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Matthew 5:21-37
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Psalm 119:1-8
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Matthew 5:21-37