3 Tips for Christ-Centered Yoga
3 Tips for Christ-Centered Yoga
by Camille Smith
As Latter-day saint women, we are called to lead, influence, and take action to serve our communities, church, and home. During the October 2018 Women’s Conference, President Nelson called on us directly saying, “My Dear Sisters, we need you!”
Since the founding of the Relief Society in 1842 by Emma Smith, women play a central role in our church. We help lead our family. We are active members in our wards and communities. We are given the responsibility to support other families that need our help. Sometimes we are so busy dutifully serving everyone else that we forget to take care of our own needs. Relief Society’s motto, “Charity Never Faileth” extends to ourselves as well as to others!
In order to best serve and live up to our full potential, we need to be well prepared by taking care of our body, mind and spirit. Yoga has helped me focus on three core principles to fulfill my mission: Spirituality, Self-care, and Service.
Here is how these principles are found in a yoga practice and what they can do for you:
Spirituality : Slow Down
Are you used to moving at breakneck speed throughout your day? Throughout your life? As church members we are anxiously engaged in many things. But sometimes when we do too many things, especially in a hurry, we get into auto-pilot mode and we aren’t aware of what we’re doing. Slowing down can help you focus.
Practicing yoga can help you practice stillness. Our prophets and the scriptures have always emphasized the need to be quiet and listen to the Spirit. “Be still and know that I am God,” (Psalms 46:10). Communication with the Holy Ghost is paramount.
In the most recent general conference, President Nelson said, “the Holy Ghost will be your personal tutor as you seek to understand what the Lord would have you know and do.” Yoga has a built in place for that tutoring! You are working in your own space, on a mat, by yourself, to be purposefully aware of what you are doing: moving your body through stretching and strengthening poses.
As you focus on what your body is doing, your mind and spirit are uplifted. When you examine the meaning of the word yoga, which comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, it means “to yoke, to bring together, to join.” When you practice yoga, you are yoking body, mind, and spirit.
Selfcare: Pour from a Full Cup
Women wear a lot of hats! And as members of the church, there is much to do. There’s ministering to your own family, neighbors, and those you are assigned to. Take care of your family, those who you love and care about, and don’t forget to care for yourself. Even Emma Smith was instructed by the Lord to “lay aside the things of the world and seek for the things of a better.”
You take time out of your day to focus on your needs by eating right, getting enough rest and going to the doctor when necessary, right? When you practice yoga regularly you are caring for your spirit, your mind, and your body. The issues on your mind can bubble to the surface when you are quiet on your mat. Then you can decide if there’s some action for you to take or if it’s just trivial mind chatter. Anxious thoughts and feelings quiet down once you pay attention to what is in your mind and heart, but you can’t change something you’re not aware of.
Don’t forget there is no pouring from an empty cup. Remember that little safety speech they give when you fly on an airplane? If oxygen becomes necessary, please place the mask first on YOUR face and then assist your children with theirs. Self-care is part of your mission because it fills your cup and allows you to fill the cup of those you serve.
Service: Move Your Body
If you want to be able to thrust in your sickle and help build the kingdom, having the physical and mental strength to do it can come from regular yoga practice.
God has given us the gift of a physical body and it is up to us to care for it. Your body is a sacred space, it is your temple. Taking care of your body is a sacred responsibility that God put in your trust. Every yoga pose has a benefit and the sequence of poses have specific strengthening benefits to strengthen your body. Other benefits from yoga include weight-bearing exercises to build and maintain bone density, balancing poses to improve coordination and stability, and core strengthening movements to align and keep good posture.
Strengthening your body is showing God your gratitude for the body he gifted you. Having a strong body helps you honor your commitment to service and God.
In your quest to build Zion, consider your actions and whether they are strengthening you or slowly wearing you down. Weigh your responsibility to take care of others and ask yourself if you are practicing the three principles above: Spirituality, Self-care, and Service.
As you become intentional about practicing these, you will feel a shift in your ability to handle stress and pressure and you will be reminded of your precious self-worth.
I hope you are inspired by these principles and consider a Christ-centered yoga practice to help practice them and enjoy the extra layer of connection to our Savior that it adds!
Camille Smith is the owner and creator of Restoration Yoga: Christ-centered Yoga with LDS Values.