Books

The Purnamadah Mantra

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. June 23rd, 2019 The Purnamadah Mantra Watch: or Listen: or Read: At the center of the Isha Upanishad, which is an ancient Hindu scripture, are 6 verses that describe two aspects of reality—Unity and Multiplicity. In a commentary on this Upanishad Sri Aurobindo wrote: Unity is the eternal and fundamental fact. … Multiplicity is the…varied self-expression of the One. … Without [multiplicity] the Unity would be … a void of non-existence. But the consciousness of multiplicity separated from the true knowledge…of their own essential oneness … is a ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-06-22T22:21:36-07:00June 23rd, 2019|Books, Embodiment, Mantra, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Prayer, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments

Spiritual Practice: The Art of Uncovering & Remembering

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons May 12, 2019 Life is hard. And then it isn't. And then it is. And then it isn't. Right? Sometimes it just feels like the emotional roller coaster will never stop. Or at least that's how if felt for me the last few days. But then I reread this week's sermon and remembered that the ever changing emotions passing through me (often rooted in ego, attachment, and fear) have nothing to do with the Light of God Always, Already present within. I know this is true. But I forget. And I ... (Continue Reading)

By |2022-07-18T14:58:52-07:00May 12th, 2019|Books, Embodiment, Practice, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments

A Beltane Celebration of Fertility and Union

When I was a little girl my grandmother would take me and my sister to the Peaceful Valley Community Center on May Day to make flower crowns and dance around the maypole. It's one of my favorite childhood memories! I've come to learn that another name for May Day is Beltane, which is the Celtic festival of fertility and union celebrated in mid-spring. I've been celebrating the changing seasons for a long time now, but I'm just beginning to deepen my study of the Celtic Wheel of the Year and its mid-season festivals. This week—which marks the moment ... (Continue Reading)

By |2022-04-29T15:36:12-07:00May 5th, 2019|Art, Beltane, Books, Creativity, Embodiment, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Pranayama, Relationships, Religion, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments

Easter in two parts: Jesus and Salvation

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons Easter (originally posted in 2019) Happy Easter! Easter is a holiday that helps us welcome spring and renew our sense of hope in the world. This Easter I decided to dedicate my sermon to my beloved niece Julianna. (photo credit: Holland Rhodes Photography) She recently asked her mama: "Who's Jesus?" What a good question little one! But a question without a simple answer. Here's one answer. The answer of an auntie, wanting her niece to learn about this important figure from the perspective of love. Part 1: ... (Continue Reading)

By |2022-04-15T15:53:58-07:00April 21st, 2019|Books, Embodiment, Holidays, Practice, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|5 Comments

Cultivate, Bring About, Dwell Upon

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. April 7, 2019 Can I offer you a bit of love this morning? I know that all the love we need already exists. It's real. It's in each of us. But sometimes it feels far away. Or hard to gather up, tap into, and send in the right direction. A long-time beloved student, in a one-on-one support session this week, shared the idea that we're all just stumbling through the dark looking for light... I don't have the quote quite right and I don't remember the original source. But I deeply understand ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T13:19:05-07:00April 7th, 2019|About this Blog, Art, Books, Creativity, Embodiment, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Pranayama, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Spring, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments

A Ritual of Ash and Dust

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons March 3rd, 2019 How often do you pause to remember how short life is? I've been taught that yoga practice prepares us for the moment of death. In some ways, I think all philosophical and religious traditions are trying to do this. Because death is a difficult reality. Taking a moment to remember our finitude helps us to stay connected with the reality that every moment we're able to experience Being is utter gift. In this morning's sermon I wrote: "We were made of dust. And we’ll return to dust. But ... (Continue Reading)

By |2022-07-18T14:59:38-07:00March 3rd, 2019|Art, Books, Creativity, Embodiment, Holidays, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|3 Comments

Wrestling with Mystery

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. February 17, 2019 Have you ever fought with someone all night long?? Have you ever fought with yourself all night long? Yeah, me too. Which is why I'm excited to share this week's sermon with you. It tells the story of an epic, night long fight. It's a story that changed my life. I hope it will change yours too. It's a story I've been reading for about 12-years now and it's deeply informed my understanding of the spiritual quest. It's permeated my heart and it shows up underneath, within, and around ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-02-17T11:25:05-08:00February 15th, 2019|Art, Books, Creativity, Embodiment, Nature, Practice, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|7 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

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
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