Do you subscribe to the UCC's StillSpeaking Daily Devotional? (You can by going to the United Church of Christ website.) Sometimes I am overwhelmed by emails and skip reading it as, I imagine, sometimes you might skip reading the Library blog. But I do try to read the Daily Devotionals first thing every morning, just as I try not to miss my ten-minute yoga with some friends over Zoom - even if we all arrive before our computers and laptops in our bathrobes. "Stretching" by Rachel Hackenberg was the Daily Devotional for February 3, 2022, and I reprint it here with the kind permission of the author:
"I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything. On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul. - Psalm 138:2-3 (NRSV)
I’ve started stretching in the mornings.
Sort of. Occasionally. If I’m not making a beeline for caffeine.
Easy, manageable, yoga-ish positions without the mats and cute outfits. Just me in sweats, gazing down at the dirt in my living room rug and up at the cobwebs along the crown molding. Then an inelegant roll and now my bum’s against the couch, legs propped up against the arm rest, and I’m making pathetic grunts as my hamstrings stretch.
On my better days, I try to pray through my stretches more than I groan. Most days I just groan.
But after my headrush clears from returning upright, I notice the miracle: Looseness. Deepened breathing. Shoulders dropped from my ears to their rightful resting place. Increased energy in the moment and throughout the day.
Bowing is good for my body and spirit. Stretching to the ground is healthy for my cranky spine. Inhaling slowly is sweetness for my anxious mind. Each pull against my body’s stiffness is a reminder that I am wonderfully finite—I am not trying to compete with, not even striving to impress, the One who is exalted above everything.
I am simply calling.
Waiting.
Trusting.
Welcoming the Strength that I know comes when I am patient, when I bow low and stretch wide.
Prayer:
You are a miracle, O God, breathing strength into our limited bodies, stretching our stiff spirits until they increase in humility and love. Over and over again, I will gaze at the dirt in the carpet to experience that miracle."
Reading that reminded me, yet again, that yoga is one of the best things I can do for myself. As Rachel Hackenberg wrote about bowing, yoga is good for my body and spirit; inhaling slowly is sweetness for my anxious mind.
This is the first Monday of the month, and so I will share some insight from How to be content by Dr Arlene Unger. She writes about meditative breathing. I often seem to forget to breathe entirely so breathing practices are something I try to do regularly, but I often forget them, too. First, I sit in a comfortable position. Dr Unger suggests circling your torso to center your body and then relaxing into an upright position - no slouching. Observe your breath without trying to make it deeper or longer. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your even, regular breath. Do this for a few minutes a day, and after a while you can get fancy with special breathing practices that you can find in a book or YouTube yoga sessions (I like Kassandra and Adrienne). Aaah. Are you relaxed? Energized? Both?
The sacred art of bowing : preparing to practice / Young, Andi, 204.46 YOU
Liturgy of the ordinary : sacred practices in everyday life / Harrison Warren, Tish, 248.3 WAR
American Veda : from Emerson and the Beatles to yoga and meditation--how Indian spirituality changed the West / Goldberg, Philip, 294.50973 GOL
Turn stress into bliss: the proven 8-week program for health, relaxation, and stress relief /Lee, Michael 613.7 LEE
Yoga for all /Thakur, Bharat 613.7 THA
Songs from the divine: Spiritual flute music for yoga and meditation /Devi, Kala CD DEV