| I am recent to the practice of yoga and meditation in | | | | other people in my life and without words, but with all |
| my own life. I grew up in a tradition where it wasn't | | | | my being pray for blessing on them. If you allow this to |
| really talked about much. Much more was made of the | | | | coincide with your breathing it can be even more |
| mind and belief, than the spirit and essence. Neither | | | | powerful. I try to bring friends, students, family, |
| emphasis is wrong; however, both are needed to have | | | | colleagues, and even "enemies" forward in my mind. At |
| a vibrant spiritual life. | | | | the end of doing such an exercise, the love of God is |
| Many in the Christian faith have also strayed from | | | | more apparent in you. After all, one of the ultimate |
| Yoga and meditation, because they assume that it can | | | | goals of prayer is to change us as individuals. When |
| only be used with faith traditions such as Buddhism or | | | | we do this, we are filled with more compassion and |
| Hinduism. However, all faiths practice of form this: | | | | actually become the blessing we are praying for. |
| whether it was the Sufis in Islam or the mystics in the | | | | 3. Meditation on Jesus- In my mind, I put myself into the |
| Christian faith. I want to give you just a couple of | | | | stories of Jesus from the gospels to let the power of |
| practical ways in which I use Yoga for spiritual strength | | | | them infiltrate my soul. Perhaps, I put myself at the |
| and to grow closer to the heart of Jesus. | | | | cross to just sit in the Savior's sacrifice for me. Or, I |
| 1. Pure Yoga- Sometimes the greatest benefit in our | | | | put myself in the arms of the father, who has just |
| spirituals lives is not doing anything, but rather letting go | | | | welcomed back the Prodigal Son. Perhaps, I see |
| of our thoughts, worries, stress, and doubts. Yoga and | | | | myself as a sick man who Jesus is touching with his |
| meditation are great tools for doing this. A simple focus | | | | presence and his physical touch. Through visualization, |
| on breathing can do wonders in quieting the mind. We | | | | we sometimes can comprehend and understand much |
| know that God is spirit and he speaks through a still | | | | more than we can merely through words. We don't |
| small voice. Sometimes, we simply have to be quiet | | | | just think of the stories of Jesus, we place ourselves in |
| enough in our minds to allow that voice to speak to us. | | | | them and experience them. |
| 2. Prayer Yoga- This is something that I have found to | | | | These are just a few of the practices which I have |
| be helpful. I have always been a person that hated | | | | found helpful. There are many more that are available. |
| praying down a list for everyone. It seemed like a | | | | Everyone has their own unique way of spiritual growth, |
| draining mental exercise, one which I soon got | | | | for me this has been one of the most helpful. I know |
| distracted and started thinking about other things. | | | | this will not be for everybody, but I think it could be a |
| Though the practice of yoga and meditation, I allow | | | | help for many-especially for people like me who tend |
| myself to pray for others but in a more "spiritual" way | | | | to be overly analytical-and find God in a unique way |
| than mental way. When I am doing yoga or meditation, | | | | when we learn to slow down our thinking and listen for |
| I allow my mind to just float to a mental picture of | | | | his voice and feel his presence. |