Review of the Past Week: During the past week, we explored the fifth, sixth, and seventh limbs of ashtanga yoga, which are pratyhara, dharana, dyhana (withdrawal of senses, concentration, meditation). These limbs invite us to move from the outer self to the inner self. By practicing these limbs, we increase our capacity to focus our awareness and deepen our…
Review of the past week: Last week we explored the 4th limb of yoga – pranayama. Yoga Sutra 2.49 describes pranayama as “the conscious, deliberate regulation of the breath replacing unconscious patterns of breathing.” (translation and interpretation by TKV Desikachar). The physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits of pranayama breathing practices are many, and include: increasing the…
Review of the past week: Last week we offered illustrations to connect yoga asana (the Sanskrit word for seat or posture) with components of Ignatian spirituality. Practicing yoga asana invites use into greater awareness and aliveness in our bodies, especially when we consciously seek the middle point between effort and ease. Outside of yoga asana practice, tuning into our bodies in…
Review of the past week: Over the past couple weeks Ignatian Yoga has put out daily intentions relating Lent with the yamas and niyamas – the restraints and observances that lay a moral groundwork for the rest of the 8 limbs. Which of the yamas and niyamas speak most to you? Which are most challenging? How can you adapt them to your…
Review of the past week: During the past week, we posted an illustration of each of the five yamas, the first limb of the 8 limbs of yoga. The yamas are the five ethical practices for relating to others. They call for kindness, truthfulness, generosity, sexual responsibility, and freedom from material things. The yamas and this time of Lent is…
Review of the past week: During the first four days of Lent, we shared Yoga Sutra I.1 and I.2. These first two sutras begin the spiritual journey and define the goal of yoga — the restraint of movements in the mind. In our fast-paced, high tech society our minds face constant stimulation and are pulled in many directions. Therefore, we…
During the season of Lent, Christians around the world engage in a renewed practice of prayer, fasting, and service in preparation for Holy Week when we remember the self-giving and transformative love of Jesus. Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection are not merely historical events, but something we live today personally and communally through the various…
The same day as the release of the Grand Jury report in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, August 14, I moved to Berkeley, California, for the final three years of Jesuit formation to become a Catholic priest. On August 15, I began a five-day training with Off the Mat, Into the World, an organization bridging yoga, self-inquiry,…
I attended my first yoga class in 2009 while serving as Campus Minister at UofD High in Detroit. I had recently returned from two years as a Jesuit Volunteer in Belize and was on the fence about entering the Jesuits. I was immediately intrigued by the way this new “American fad” transported me into a…
We live in an uncertain and unstable time. With the increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters, mass shootings, and political polarization there is growing anxiety, fear, and disconnect — a disconnect between groups of people and disconnect within ourselves. Seeking a way forward, I keep coming back to Ignatian spirituality and yoga. For the past eight years,…