Scripture
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
Psalm 19:7
NRSV
Spiritual Focus
“Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; unbelief, in denying them.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Devotion
One of our most powerful experiences as a yoga student comes when we learn to listen to our body. In listening to our body we learn what the body needs or doesn’t need, on and off the mat. In listening to our body we take responsibility for adjusting and adapting our breath and our asana, for the greatest benefit in our practice. Learning to listen to our body is a foundation for learning to listen to our soul, to the spirit of God within. When we listen deeply, deliberately attuning ourselves to incoming affirmations, we are taught and experience the healing power of God’s love.
The companion gospel story to today’s psalm is that of Jesus teaching and proclaiming that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, that he was indeed the anointed one. Although the priests and people in the synagogue did not believe his teaching, their skepticism did not stop him from proclaiming that he had come to bring healing to all people. As people of faith we too are anointed. When we practice listening to our body and our mind, the internal teacher, our faith is affirmed. In listening to the internal Teacher we are made whole: our soul is revived. When we take our revived souls off the mat into our everyday life, we bring healing to all of God’s children.
Breath prayer
Inhale I Am
Exhale Listening
Focus Pose: It is difficult to listen to our soul when we are stressed. Legs up the Wall, viparita karani, is a mild inversion that is celebrated for bringing serenity back to our spirit. There are many variations of Legs up the Wall, but no matter the variation a principle applies: less is more. Add your favorite version of Legs up the Wall into your practice this week. When in the pose ask yourself, of what can I let go? Make adjustments as needed. Then come into stillness and listen.
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