Summer

About Summer

artist, minister, yoga therapist

What we say & What we do

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. February 3rd, 2019 Does the creative process ever surprise you? It definitely surprised me this week... I'm in the process of drafting a new series for us (it will be coming your way all month!), but when I sat down to write the first sermon this week, my plans fell away and something all together different poured out of me. I kind of love it when that happens! So even though it wasn't my original intention, this week we're exploring the idea of blind spots. 'Cause you know what? We all have ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-02-02T10:54:21-08:00February 3rd, 2019|Practice, Relationships, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|2 Comments

To Weaken the Causes of Suffering (Kriya Yoga)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. January 27, 2019 This week we're exploring the practice of Three Essential Things. So obviously, I decided to cover 3 rocks in gold leaf. Last week's sermon was heavy AND optimistic. It reminded us that suffering is real, but we're not stuck in our suffering. We can take steps to move our lives and our world in a different direction. This week we explore those steps. We're diving into the practice of Kriya Yoga (yoga in action), which is a practice to help us weaken the causes of suffering (to weaken our ignorance, ego, ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-01-31T09:07:39-08:00January 27th, 2019|Art, Books, Creativity, Embodiment, Nature, Practice, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|2 Comments

Future Suffering is to be Avoided (Yoga Sutra 2.16)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. January 20, 2019 I've got a new sermon for you today! But I have to warn you... It poses some big questions. I hope you'll take some time with this one because our world needs us to ask big questions right now. Are you willing? Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Jr Day and while the civil rights movement made great strides, we still live in a world where it's not obvious to everyone that Black Lives Matter. We're currently in the longest government shutdown of our country's history and my best friend ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-01-19T18:15:52-08:00January 20th, 2019|Meditation, Practice, Relationships, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|7 Comments

Transformation Begins with an Inkling

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. January 13, 2019 Have you noticed that we’re often in a hurry in January? I don't mean the kind of rushing-from-thing-to-thing that can happen in December. I'm talking about an internal sense of hurriedness. It’s the beginning of a New Year and we want to feel a sense of newness within ourselves. We want change in our lives and we want it quickly. But transformation is a slow process. A slow becoming. As writer Christine Valters Paintner says: "Transformation is a slow journey; in fact, conversion teaches us that it's the journey of a lifetime. ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T14:49:48-07:00January 13th, 2019|Books, Meditation, Practice, Relationships, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments

Intention, Goals, & Identity | Free Journal Pages! (New Year 2019)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. January 6, 2019 Intention, Goals, & Identity - A Journal! We're officially living in 2019. How's it feeling so far? It's already been somewhat of a roller coaster for me... I had to make a difficult choice this week, which came with all the feelings. But I've been reflecting on what I said in last week's sermon about the importance of language (remember my example of saying "anxiety is strong right now" instead of "I AM anxious") and I've been putting it into practice. I have to tell you, it works! Naming ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T14:46:23-07:00January 6th, 2019|Books, Creativity, Embodiment, Holidays, Meditation, Practice, Pranayama, Scripture, Spirituality, Training, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|1 Comment

Who Sets Your Goals? | The New Year (2019)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. December 30th, 2018 | Happy New Year! With a New Year comes new goals, new commitments, and new dreams. And I want to hear all about yours! But first, I want to invite you into a conversation about identity. This week's sermon is designed to support you before you dive into the hard work of making changes in your life. It's designed to help you think about the strange question of "Who sets your goals?" (It's a good one, based on the first teachings of the Yoga Sutras.) And once you've had a chance to watch ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T14:50:10-07:00December 30th, 2018|Art, Books, Embodiment, Holidays, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|8 Comments

The Wild Willingness of God | Christmas 2019

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. December 23rd, 2018 This week I've got a short sermon to help inspire your Christmas celebrations. However you're spending the holidays this year, I wish you joy and ease. The Wild Willingness of God Watch: or Listen: or Read: I’ve had a ever shifting relationship with the holiday of Christmas throughout my life—maybe we all have to some degree. But last year, just after Christmas was over actually, something strange happened for me. As I was decompressing from the activities of the holiday I was struck with wonder ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T14:50:25-07:00December 23rd, 2018|Art, Books, Creativity, Embodiment, Holidays, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|1 Comment

External Darkness Internal Light | Winter Solstice (2018)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. December 16th, 2018 Is the sun up for you yet? Where I live the sun rises about 8am and sets around 4pm. And in between it never really gets that high. It sort of hugs the southern horizon all day. Earlier this week I painted a little triptych of its journey... External Darkness Internal Light (Winter Solstice) Watch: or Listen: or Read: As we explored last week we’re currently in the season of Advent—which is a season of waiting. Living in the Northern Hemisphere, I understand the timing ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T13:23:55-07:00December 16th, 2018|Art, Embodiment, Nature, Practice, Relationships, Spirituality, Winter, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|5 Comments

Waiting in the Cave of the Heart | Advent 2019

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. December 9th, 2018 As promised this week begins our exploration of the stories we tell this time of year. And we begin with the season of Advent. It's not a story I personally grew up with, but one I've loved bringing into my practice. We'll explore the cave of the heart (a topic we'll examine in more depth at the Yoga Church Annual Retreat next summer) and the spiritual practice of waiting. What's the call of your heart this season? Can you hear it? Waiting in the Cave of the Heart (Advent) ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T14:50:45-07:00December 9th, 2018|Art, Holidays, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|8 Comments

What’s the Story I’m Telling? (Welcome to the holidays!)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. December 2nd, 2018 I've experienced a heavy dose of personal transformation in my life (maybe that's why I ended up teaching transformation for a living?) And it turns out (why am I surprised?) that this practice of writing sermons for you every week has its own transforming power. Remember the Thanksgiving Sermon a couple weeks ago? The one about gratitude as a quality of being? Well in that sermon I said I didn't like holidays. But I'm not sure that's true... Because this past week I've been plotting out an entire month ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T14:50:58-07:00December 2nd, 2018|Art, Books, Cooking, Holidays, Meditation, Nature, Recipes, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|8 Comments
Copyright © 2018 Summer Cushman | yoga-in-depth
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