Category: Yoga

Spirituality, Yoga

Karma Yoga

Jivani Lisa

“When you hold a lunch or dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.”
– Luke 14:12-13

Commentary on this Scripture passage from Contemplative Outreach: “Jesus’ concluding remarks in this parable point to an even deeper invitation: Let go of all self-focus and move into agape, the unconditional love that seeks the well-being of others. He tells the holder of the banquet to host a meal for the neediest people with no thought of what might be received in return. In other words, we are to offer our ‘banquet’ of talents, service, and love magnanimously and without attachment to the outcome of our efforts.”

This selfless service – giving without thought about results or being repaid – is also known as Karma Yoga. Lord Krishna in chapter 3 of The Bhagavad-Gita, tells the warrior, Arjuna:

Man does not reach actionlessness by not performing actions; nor does he attain perfection by mere renunciation. (3.4)

Perform your bounden duty, for action is superior to inaction, and even the maintenance of the body would not be possible for you through inaction. (3.8)

The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice; do thou, therefore, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), perform actions for that sake alone, free from attachment. (3.9)

Therefore, without attachment, always perform the actions that should be done; for by performing actions without attachment, one reaches the Supreme. (3.19)

As the ignorant act out of attachment to action, . . . so should the wise act without attachment, wishing for the welfare of the world. (3.25)

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Do all things for the betterment of the world, in selfless service! Share a smile, pick up a piece of trash, hold a door open for someone.

May we think of the welfare of the world with each of our actions. Karma Yoga can be practiced every moment of every day.

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Spirituality, Yoga

The Foundation of the Yoga Life

Jivani Lisa

From the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (2.1) as translated by Rev. Jaganath Carrera….

“Kriya yoga, the three elements that form the foundation of the yoga life, are:

Tapas — self-discipline and accepting hardship and pain as a help for purification

Svadhyaya — repeated, deep study of sacred wisdom and the introspective search into the nature of the self; mantra repetition

Ishwara pranidhanam — wholehearted devotion and dedication to Ishwara [God, Divinity].”

Practice these and reap the deepest benefits of Yoga!

Here’s a related teaching from the Christian Bible:

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12: 7, 11)

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Spirituality, Yoga

Love is Already There

Jivani Lisa

This is Yoga! From Chaplain Charles Lattimore Howard:

Being still has been a necessary part of my walk. Stillness, I should add, is not for me the same as emptiness. While the waters of the pond might be still on the surface, there is much life moving within. Life is within. Love is within! 

When I am still I do not empty myself. I would rather be filled with love than have nothing within. And being still allows for this to happen, or rather being still allows for you and I to notice that this has happened already. The love is there within us, even now. Yet sometimes the waves of life rage so incessantly that it is difficult to see or feel that love.  

Pausing and being still enough to notice love within and around is a deeply powerful and countercultural act…. In the case of most of contemporary society, stillness is a prophetic act, defying that which demands that we move quickly and move upward. It challenges the notion that it is better to be busy and occupied. It refuses the call to be constantly distracted and perpetually plugged in.

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com
Yoga

Consider the Iceberg

Jivani Lisa

The following graphic (source unknown) is a good reminder that there is far more to Yoga than just asana practice (yoga poses). While the poses keep our physical bodies strong, flexible, and balanced, other aspects of Yoga train the mind, help us work with our inner strengths and weaknesses, control energy levels, and connect us to our own inner peace – which then carries into the rest of our lives and decisions. This is why Yoga can have such a powerful effect over every aspect of our lives, including the way we approach our work and our relationships.