The month of May, 2016, was a month of spirited, whirlwind activity here on the Yogadevotion front. As a full time pastor of congregational care I never really had time to explore the many opportunities to bring Yogadevotion to a wider audience. This spring I hit the road with Yogadevotion manager Lisa Ender and with co-author of a soon to be published book, Heidi Green. Our goal was to introduce more folks to Yogadevotion.
Lisa and I attended the Minneapolis Area Synod Assembly and met many lovely people, as young as 3 and in all stages of life, that practice yoga. They truly understood the benefits of yoga but had never heard of Yogadevotion. Folks were excited to learn more about us as a resource for bringing Yogadevotion to their churches. We met pastors who were training or wanting to train to teach yoga, who were interested in teaching for Yogadevotion on the “other side of the river.” The Spirit was moving and excitement was in the air!
Heidi and I presented Yogadevotion at the Festival of Homiletics in Atlanta, a gathering of pastors and lay leaders from all over the US and Canada who have come together to be encouraged in preaching. This was Heidi’s first trip to the festival and she was amazed at the joy, peace and love shared by people of the many denominational traditions. I was humbled by the number of people who took advantage of our classes (3 classes a day; chair, yin and mat class). Last year at the festival, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of pastors practicing yoga as part of their spiritual journey. This year I was pleasantly surprised at the number of pastors that asked how they could bring this healing ministry to their congregations. The Spirit was moving and there was excitement in the air!
Back to Minnesota and the St. Paul Area Synod Assembly! It was good to be home and, to be encouraged yet again that people had heard of this ministry and we’re excited for a face to face connection. I taught a free class at the assembly on the Saturday morning. I was humbled by the fact that ALL who participated in the class came back to share with me how much they enjoyed the class and how they actually felt…better! The Spirit is moving and excitement is in the air!
According to the Liturgical Calendar of the church, May 15th was the day we celebrated the Holy Spirit being loose in the world, also known as Pentecost. After May 15th we begin something in the church world called ordinary time. Ordinary time is the longest period of time on the church calendar, beginning on the first Sunday after Pentecost extending to the last Saturday before Advent. Some church folks jokingly call this “boring time” because things seem to settle into a rhythm of routine, with no church festivals. Ordinary time did not however, derive its name from the idea of being boring or commonplace, but from the idea of order. Ordinary time is a time set aside to practice our faith, to grow into a mature faith in our daily life with less distraction. This is a time to practice what we have learned about God’s activity in the world, guided by the Holy Spirit. There is nothing commonplace, ordinary or boring where the Spirit is involved, you can trust that!
I don’t know about you but I like the “mountain top” experiences that come with Holy Spirit activity. I shun those experience of being in the “valley” even though I have felt God’s presence most intently when I have been there. Most of life however is lived in the ordinary, “in between” time and I am grateful for that. The “in between” time gives us time to catch our breath, explore our faith through our yoga practice at a slower pace. During the “in between” time I find I am more creative in my yoga practice, in how I pray, worship and discern through asana and meditation. The most important thing I have learned and would like to share is, the practice of ordinary, “in between” time comes with far less distractions. With more time to truly celebrate the joy of God’s presence we are renewed and healed.
In Yogadevotion we remind folks that using modifications in our practice doesn’t make the practice better or worse, just different and all modifications have value according to what our body needs. The same can be said about ordinary time. Mountaintop, valley or the time “in between” experiences are part of God’s created order. They all hold unique value for how we live together. Taking time to BE ordinary is a practice at the crossroad of yoga and faith that informs encourage us in the abundant life Jesus promised.
