Believe me when I tell you that I'm all too aware that it's been almost a month since my last post. I'm sorry :-( To be honest with you, I haven't felt truly moved or inspired in such a way that I've wanted to write something. I really only want to share my words with you when I feel a true inspiration to do so. Otherwise, I feel like it's all just forced and fake. I don't want to force anything that doesn't feel quite right. So, alas, that did result in my disappearance. I actually considered doing a 40 blog posts in 40 days for Lent (just as an exercise) but again, I feel like something would have been forced. Also, I'm going to be in Miami for eight days and I know that my phone will not be in the forefront of my mind while I'm getting a tan and enjoying the escape from the New Jersey winter (just being honest, my friends).
Anyway, you know those moments when you're driving or in the shower or wandering alone and you start to have those conversations with yourself? Maybe it's in those moments you ponder the meaning of life or how long the tree you're looking at has been there or maybe how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop (it's not 3, Owl!). Whatever you're pondering, I had one of those moments of deep thought and semi-clarity the other day.
I was on my way to yoga and I started thinking about how quickly we notice the differences versus the similarities. We're so quick to judge another person or place or belief system when we compare it to our own but we rarely, if ever, can see the similarities. I may be able to sit here and tell you thirty differences between myself and a teen drug addict but I can almost guarantee that she/he and I are both hurting for some reasons and have just utilized different tools for dealing with pain.
(DISCLAIMER: the following portion of this post does discuss religion. I do not, in my opinion, say anything offensive. However, if you feel that you might be offended, I would recommend switching to a different page or bracing yourself before continuing. If I do offend anyone, I apologize.)
My thought process ultimately shifted to how many Christians I've met who basically bash the idea of Yoga. I've heard everything from, "I don't do yoga, I'm a Christian" to "I don't worship those gods" to "That's idolatry". I find that so many Christians I've encountered have been so quick to dismiss Yoga or anything associated with it because of how disparate they feel Christianity is from Yogic beliefs. They often view Yoga as synonymous with Hinduism or Buddhism and therefore feel the two can't coexist (side note: there's a great book called Jesus in the Lotus that I've been working on reading and it discusses the union that can exist between Christianity and Yogic spirituality.)
Now, for anyone who only knows yoga as an exercise, there really are a great many similarities between Christianity and Yoga. For instance, one part of the 8 Limbs of Yoga is something called the Yamas. The five Yamas are as follows:
1. Ahimsa: non-harm of the self or others, including living creatures
2. Satya: truth
3. Asteya: non-stealing
4. Brahmachara: essentially, this is treating intimacy as a sacred act between two people in a meaningful way
5. Aparigraha: non-coveting
I didn't get too into the Yamas, but you see the essential overview. See any similarities? I surely do.
I also had the verse Matthew 5:16 come to mind out of nowhere as I drove: "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (New International Version). I see so much Yoga in that. Letting your light shine? Other seeing your good deeds? Glorifying God? So much Yoga! In many classes and in teacher training, we hear things about letting your heart shine or yourself shine and that others will see the good things that you do and the goodness in you. I remember being in Christian school and learning about how when you're a true Christian others will notice that you're different. Well, when you practice Yoga fully and truly people tend to notice a difference in you as well. And really, no one in a Yoga class or program would ever shun you for believing in God versus Ganesha or Shiva. Everything you do is to connect you and bring you closer to the present moment and ultimately closer to whatever or whomever you connect to on a spiritual level. Regardless, you are amazing enough to mange to exist as a beautiful spirit in a troubled world by shining that goodness forth.
I don't want to offend anyone. I don't want to make it seem like if you practice Yoga you're a Christian or if you're a Christian you have zero excuse to shy away from Yoga. Coming from a Christian household and identifying as a Christian for much of my life, I truly understand it all. My point is this: be open to the similarities in things before condemning. Try to seek understanding and Satya (truth) before running away from something because you deem it to be evil or wrong or impure. Understanding and openness are beautiful things that I think the world could use more of. We're all far more similar than we like to think and it's a great thing to be willing to seek out where those puzzle pieces connect instead of walking away from the puzzle because it's too damn hard.
I leave you with this quote from the commentary in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: "But the truth can never be changed because truth is always the same. The rites are just the skeletal structures that uphold the outside building, but the foundation of all the rites should be the same. That is why, whatever be the scripture, whether from the East, West, South or North, the basic truth should be in agreement."
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