by Rev. Cindy Senarighi R.N.
The Scripture ~ “It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make
sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and
destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s
how freedom grows.” Galatians 5:13 The Message
The Spiritual Focus ~ You can either be a host to God or a hostage to your ego. It’s
your call. ~ Wayne Dyer
Breath Prayer ~ Inhale ~ Thy will, Exhale ~ Not my will
The Devotion ~ The ego is an interesting study. The ego is where we draw ideas about
our self- esteem and worth. We need a healthy ego for testing reality and a
sense of personal identity. On the other hand, an unhealthy ego can ruin relationships.
In relationships an unhealthy ego does not realize the needs of the “other” to be equal
to or greater than its own. An unhealthy ego might also fail to create
healthy boundaries around its own needs.
A healthy ego in both our faith and yoga practice frees us for relationship. In any
journey there comes a point where we may need to surrender and allow ourselves to
be guided. Surrendering can help us avoid ditches along the journey and lead us to
grow in love for one another. In our faith life we are often in a tug of war with
God for control. We pray, “Thy will be done” but we struggle to accept and
understand God’s will when it doesn’t go our way. In our yoga practice, our ego may
tell us we can do a particular pose to the fullest expression when our body may say
otherwise. This is an example of the ego overriding reality that can become
dangerous and misses the freedom the pose offers.
The energy center or chakra that is associated with our ego is located in the solar
plexus or the belly. In Sanskrit or the language of yoga, and in the yoga community
it is called the manipura which means “Jeweled City.” The color of this chakra is
yellow. It is this chakra that is associated with “having a gut feeling.”
A spiritual practice that blends yoga and faith, both in a healthy ego and our need
to surrender to God’s will, is to practice half 1/2 sun salutations with the following words;
Raised arms Tadasana ~ I raise up to you
Forward fold ~ God’s will not mine
Half lift, 1/2 look up ~ My will
Forward fold ~ I surrender to God
Sweep hands high, Tadasana ~ I exalt you …
Hands at heart in prayer pose
