In February, we began our study of the original yoga knowledge, and building a bridge to our JudeoChristian traditions. The 196 yoga sutras, or little lessons, were compiled some 500-800 years before Christ. You can find many translations and interpretations on the Internet for free if you'd like to follow along. Sanskrit is hard to translate into English. However, I enjoy these two translations as the commentators often set the lessons in a Christian context. Here are my picks for the best two:

 

This is the last of the "OM" lessons and I've already expressed my opinion on that. Isherwood/Prabhavananda (see book, left) have some interesting things to say about repeating the name of God. "Try saying 'war,' or 'cancer,' or 'money,' ten thousand times, and you will find that your whole mood has been changed and colored by the associations connected with that word. Similarly, the name of God will change the climate of your mind. Some people have difficulty with saying a mantra--a repeated word or phrase meant to draw you closer to God. Again, from the Isherwood commentary, "Many so-called enlightened people regard this frequent offering of one and the same prayer as useless and even trifling, calling it mechanical and a thoughtless occupation of simple people. But unfortunately they do not know the secret which is revealed as a result of this mechanical exercise, they do not know how this frequent service of the lips imperceptibly becomes a genuine appeal of the heart, sinks down into the inward life, becomes a delight, becomes as it were, natural to the soul, bringing it light and nourishment and leading it on to union with God."

 

 

 

Try reading the entire Psalm 136 using yoga breathing, inhale before saying the first half of each verse. Pause. Exhale, saying "His love endures forever." Pause, inhale and continue each verse in the same manner. I hope you find it calming, that you savor the words and tap into that "joyful peace" mentioned in the last yoga lesson that comes from invoking the name of the Lord. "Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever."

Ready for a challenge? Warrior III requires ferocious concentration, excellent balance, and advanced leg and back and abdominal strength. You can practice by hanging on to a counter and then let the hands go when you are well balanced. There are many ways to enter into Warrior III. I prefer to hold my hands overhead and then steadily tip the body forward, keeping the arms and legs in alignment. If your legs are not strong enough yet, practice in what I call "Baby Moon" where you keep your fingertips next to the supporting leg and extend one leg behind. This will get your ankles, calves and thighs into shape quickly! Unlike the photo below, I hold my hands straight out in front--most teachers teach it like that, not with hands behind as in the Yoga Journal photo below.

 

For instructions on this pose, click here (photo and instructions courtesy of Yoga Journal.)

 

If you'd like a more structured way to practice yoga, try the new Redeeming Yoga Workbook and Journal, now available for sale on-line. It contains an 8-week program of meditations, health tips, Bible study, plus room for journaling. Click here to order now!