The following blog post’s begin in 2007-2013 and are the first series of explorations. I offer two sutras to consider and then reflect on the impact to a Christian – by Antiqua Lisha E-RYT 500
Patanjali’s yoga sutra’s, taken from BKS Iyengar’s Light on Yoga book Part 2 and bits of part 1.
2:1 Sutra: Burning zeal is practice, self-study, and study of scriptures and surrender to God are the acts for yoga.
2:2 Sutra: The practice of yoga reduces afflictions and leads to Samadhi.
Questions to contemplate and look up in the Bible.
2:1 How does God tell Christians to cleanse oneself, body, mind (speech) and spirit?
What does God teach about self-study (self-discipline) reflecting on one’s understanding of self, body innards and outer shell as well as conscious and unconscious self?
Does God say to surrender totally to him?
2:2 How does the Bible instruct us to overcome our afflictions?
Does God want us to live with our human pain, sorrow and gri, f?
You are welcome to join in on our study at any time. There is no sign-up sheet. I have been lead to study these sutras and scriptures online with all of you, for reasons I do not yet know. I am in constant prayer that my decision to make this a community study rather than a small group will be to God’s glory. As we read and study each sutra, I have come up with a few questions to contemplate and meditate on in relation to Christian faith. This part of our study we will be practicing Raja yoga, feel free to quiet yourself and let spirit teach through you. As we seek knowledge from both the Bible and the wisdom of Patanjali we will be practicing both Bhakti and Jnana yoga. I hope that God leads your Hatha practice as you dive into his word and that your commitment to him grows stronger as each session passes.
My mission is to find out where Christianity and yoga differ. Where someone who is learning about yoga and teaching yoga to others has to listen to the Bible and not the Hindu influences that stream through Patanjali’s wisdom. Also, I want to build upon the facets of yoga knowledge that we can and should embrace to live our lives closer to Jesus. I know that there is much that Patanjali teaches that can open Christians hearts and help us truly trust God with our lives and learn to better let go of our physical desires. I also know that Patanjali was Hindu and his religion is much different from Christianity. However, I also truly trust that there is one supreme being, one God, not many, and that the 3000 years of yoga history before Jesus walked the face of the earth, taught the Eastern cultures much about our bodies, our energy, and minds that we here in the west have been turned away from for too long. I believe Jesus taught a great deal about these physical facts and without looking we may not have our eyes open to his true teachings on health, energy and the powers God gave us when He made man. I hope with God’s guidance and your help that I can marry this knowledge and help us all live as God created us in his image. This study is my first step and I am so humbled and honored to invite you to study these great books for this purpose and for your own.
