Limb 7 Freedom in Christ: Sharing in Jesus' Light in Christian Yoga

Grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ to you. I am thrilled to congratulate you on having reached your peak pose in the Christian yoga Tree of Life.

 You have climbed beyond your fear of heights and the bondage of the past and have now arrived at the tipity top branch.  Here is where you pop your head out, high above the canopy and see that the sun is shining, without any shadows, and you can feel a sense of lightness.  You have come a long way to get here!  Using arms, legs, right and then left, along with breath, you reached beyond the binds that held you down, moved higher and higher, to now be in the elevated position to inherit pure light. You did it!  Welcome to the final limb #7, Sharing in Jesus’ Light.
How the multifaced practice of yoga differs from many other exercises is the way it incorporates a mindfulness component.  We approach the practice with the meek expectation that God will meet us right where we are at, in the safety and boundary of our rolled-out rubber mat, that we will let go and learn something new about mind, body and spirit.  It’s an integration of the head knowledge of God and the heart through moving meditation.  If we can incorporate what we’ve learned from each limb of the Tree of Life, we can bring our practice into a whole new dimension of awareness. Not only is there something to learn about each pose but within each pose, there’s even deeper meaning by knowing the 7 limbs.  For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6.

Each new year, rather than making a resolution, I come up with, or God leads me to, a word to live by, to be inspired by and to learn about.  Last year the word was “justice” and even though my calling to seek justice is still mysterious as to how it’s playing out, I did learn a great deal about God's desires to brings me out of shame and into honor, mishpot (heb).  This year the word is “light”.  And wouldn't you know, the word is popping out all over in my Bible and it encourages me like none other. (Funny that the word is here in this last written piece.)  Light chases darkness.  Jesus is the light of the world.  Light is pure.  Light kills germs.  We are light beings.  Life as we know it would not exist without light.  God’s first words were “Let there be light’ and so it was and is.
Use this moment, now, at the top of Christ’s Tree of Life, to relish in the sunlight.  Take it all in.  Feel it on your skin and let the brightness energize you.  From this place of position, let the Son shine!  I invite you to allow this inner glow flow out of you and into you community around you.  In this last step #7, imagine being a mirror, reflecting God’s light into the lives of those around you.  The whole reason for this practice of yoga is to learn and grow into the likeness and lightness of Christ.  Yes, holding challenging poses makes us want to give up, with quaking muscles and sweat on our brow, but just like hardships in life, we know that God lightens our load and carries us through.

We use what we learn on the mat and take it out into the world for the benefit of the Cross.  In the heat of the moment, do you feel like blowing up at your boss, spouse or friend?  Yes, but, your muscle memory from class kicks in and you know what to do.  You take a deep, elongated inhalation of fresh air, followed by a big exhale.  With the simplicity of the controlled breathing, you have bought yourself the time and space necessary to turn a potential verbal assault into a manageable situation.  And guess what?  This may have made all the difference for someone looking on to say “there’s something different about him/her and I want to know more”.  That’s how we let The Light shine among men.  

The future’s so bright, you’re gonna need shades!

This week, join us as we set our intentions in class on some Bible verses about Light.  If you haven’t tried the new location in Broomfield, I invite you to give it a try.  The grow walls are teaming with green vege and the walls shine bright with grow lights.  It’s a place that feels healing and fresh.
In person class this Wednesday at noon inside Harvest Today,  7905 W 120TH BROOMFIELD & FACEBOOK LIVE. 

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