Yoga – Holistic Yoga & Spiritual Guidance

“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.

For about twelve years, I’ve been enjoying the Daily Meditations offered by the Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr, and the Center for Action and Contemplation. This week, the theme for the meditations is “The Way of Jesus.” As I read today’s message, I found myself reflecting on its similarity to the teachings of Yoga….

Here’s a quote:

I believe that we rather totally missed Jesus’ major point when we made a religion out of him instead of realizing he was giving us a message of simple humanity, vulnerability, and nonviolence that was necessary for the reform of all religions—and for the survival of humanity….

“Jesus is a person and, at the same time, a process. Jesus is the Son of God, but at the same time he is ‘the Way.’ Jesus is the goal, but he’s also the means, and the means is always the way of the cross.”

There’s so much here that meshes with the ancient teachings and practices of Yoga. For example, Yoga is built upon the foundation of simplicity, nonviolence, and compassion. We need these practices more than ever if humanity expects to survive – and if we hope to save this planet from exploitation and destruction.

And, as Jesus is described as both the goal and the means to the goal, Yoga (which ultimately means union with God), is both the goal and the means to that goal. The “way of the cross” refers to the ability to hold all the opposites of life in balance: The vertical and the horizontal aspects of life must be joined. For example, the ways of spirit and the ways of community/fellowship must be united.

I love how the deeper spiritual teachings from every religion always offer the same lessons for humanity. In this case, there’s agreement between Yoga and Christianity. These teachings have survived for thousands of years because they still offer useful information and practices. I pray that we learn the value of these teachings rather than always assuming that modern guidelines are somehow more relevant for our times. On the contrary, certain lessons are timeless and can be trusted.