Yoga – Holistic Yoga & Spiritual Guidance

Living in the Kingdom of God

June 27, 2026 Jivani Lisa

I feel deeply captivated by the similarities between Advaita Vedanta (in the Hindu tradition) and mystical Christianity – basically the teachings of non-dualism in these two great religious traditions (which also exist in other religions and spiritualities). For example, Yoga means union with Divinity. The practices and ultimate goal of both Yoga and Christianity is union with God.

This morning as I was praying the Office of Readings in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours for today, I encountered a beautiful reading from a homily by St. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 – 394). Here is an excerpt:

“.. . [F]rom the Lord’s saying: Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God, we are to learn that blessedness does not lie in knowing something about God, but rather in possessing God within oneself.

“I do not think these words mean that God will be seen face to face by the man who purifies the eye of his soul. Their sublime import is brought out more clearly perhaps in that other saying of the Lord’s: The kingdom of God is within you. This teaches us that the man who cleanses his heart of every created thing and every evil desire will see the image of the divine nature in the beauty of his own soul. I believe the lesson summed up by the Word in that short sentence was this: You have within you a desire to behold the supreme good. Now when you are told that the majesty of God is exalted above the heavens, that his glory is inexpressible, his beauty indescribable, and his nature transcendent, do not despair because you cannot behold the object of your desire. If by a diligent life of virtue you wash away the film of dirt that covers your heart, then the divine beauty will shine forth in you.

“Take a piece of iron as an illustration. Although it might have been black before, once the rust has been scraped off with a whetstone, it will begin to shine brilliantly and to reflect the rays of the sun. So it is with the interior man, which is what the Lord means by ‘the heart.’ Once a man removes from his soul the coating of filth that has formed on it through his sinful neglect, he will regain his likeness to his Archetype, and be good. For what resembles the supreme Good is itself good. If he then looks into himself, he will see the vision he has longed for. This is the blessedness of the pure in heart: in seeing their own purity they see the divine Archetype mirrored in themselves.

“Those who look at the sun in a mirror, even if they do not look directly at the sky, see its radiance in the reflection just as truly as do those who look directly at the sun’s orb. It is the same, says the Lord, with you. Even though you are unable to contemplate and see the inaccessible light, you will find what you seek within yourself, provided you return to the beauty and grace of that image which was originally placed in you. For God is purity; . . . . Once purified, you see things that others cannot see. When the mists of sin no longer cloud the eye of your soul, you see that blessed vision clearly in the peace and purity of your own heart. That vision is nothing else than the holiness, the purity, the simplicity and all the other glorious reflections of God’s nature, through which God himself is seen.”

Christians sometimes argue whether the ultimate goal of union with God is attained through human effort or through the grace of God. The answer, as Advaita Vedanta also agrees, is BOTH. Union doesn’t happen by magic. Our various spiritual practices and disciplines are necessary to predispose us to the work of God’s grace within us. May we all attain the goal of life in this world, and share our peace and joy with the world!

Spirituality, Yoga

Karma Yoga

August 31, 2025 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.

Spirituality, Yoga

Yoga and Christianity

February 19, 2023 Jivani Lisa

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.