Scripture ~ “Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” Jude 1:2
Spiritual Focus ~ “When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.” Jimi Hendrix
Breath Prayer ~ Power of Love, know peace
Devotion Peace…. love… pause on these words, see them as beautiful promises we remember this time of year…. just saying the words engages the imagination, dreaming what it might be truly like. If everybody loved each other, loved themselves as God loves them, we would live in a different world. We would live in peace. Part of our Christmas narrative is scripture that proclaims the Christ child as the Prince of Peace. When Jesus reappears to his disciples after the resurrection, his first words are “peace be with you” and he breathes the Holy Spirit on them. Peace is a beautiful promise
because of God’s love. On a daily basis we are called to practice peace and love, it can simply begin with the words, peace be with you, or I love you.
These words are more meaningful when a practice of peace and love accompany them. We have the power of the Incarnated One, who loves us, to manifest peace and love in our everyday lives through actions. This is our call as people of faith, it is one of the beautiful connections seen between a faithful yoga practice and an embodied faith practice.
Yoga teachings are often in contrast to the very idea of loving power. Yoga at it’s essence is about giving love away, to all people and creating an environment where peace can be experienced. It is these two side effects of an asana practice that has people returning to their mats day after day, week after week…. we crave the peace and love of community gathered around such virtues. We as faith practicing yogis rest in the beautiful promise of God’s presence, Emmanuel.
Experiencing the power of God’s love and mercy, that surrounds us in peace is celebrated this time of year with the beautiful promise of the Christ child. Love and peace grow incarnationally within us as people of faith by the power of the Holy Breath, that was the very conception of the Christ child. The power of love, brings peace, joy and hope to a hurting soul; that is what we anticipate, and long for, during advent and can practice every day in our lives by the way we live and breathe.
