Yoga & Morning Prayers

(Thursday.) Today was my third day in a row getting back into my practice of yoga and prayer each morning, only I realized as I drove down Water Street on my way to the church that I’d forgotten to do the prayer part. (Yes, I pray – just about every morning, evening, and throughout the day – but for this prayer time I use a book from Iona I picked up at Sarum College last summer and include psalm and gospel readings.)

I’ve been learning that I do better in most facets of my life when I have routine. I can veer from it without problem, but if I don’t have the practice in place, I tend to wander – I’m less effective at work, my house goes into CHAOS, I lose connection with people close to me. People use A.D.D., O,C,D., and the like too often to describe “inappropriate” or "goofy" behaviors, which is a shame and is actually disrespectful of those who truly have the disorder or disease. That said, my A.D.D. – yes, I have the diagnosis. – shows up more when I’m stressed or disorganized.

An aside: My daughter looked over my shoulder at my computer screen one day last month and asked, “Does it help you to keep your calendar this full?” I was taken aback at first. My first thought was, “Doesn’t it help everyone?” (I laugh now as I write this. Of course it doesn’t, but it helps me.)

Anyway, when I got to church, I pulled The Inclusive Psalms off the shelf and went into the sanctuary. I love our sanctuary. On Sunday morning, it's full of people and music, hopes and longings. Yet even on a Thursday morning it's wonderful – silent and spacious, filled still with God's present-ness. I slid onto a pew. I would rest in that presence and read the next psalm.

Remembering that yesterday's was psalm 118. I opened to 119.

Oh... yes. Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem: the first word of each stanza begins with a subsequent letter of the Hebrew alphabet. (aleph, beth, ghimel... taw) The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters.

I was in that space soaking up the peace for a good while as I read aloud one stanza, then another, pausing between each pair. Yet it felt good. By the 18th stanza or so, I was tripping over my words a bit, but since this wasn't a performance I continued. It'd been a long time since I'd read this aloud. It's not something I'd want to do each day, still, as I said, it felt good.

When it comes to our discipleship, having practices in place – both personal and communal – help us follow Christ more fully. Whether it’s serving at Loaves & Fishes, intentionally listening to others, participating in worship each week, or yoga & morning prayers, we’re going to be better for using whatever spiritual disciplines. And by allowing ourselves to be stretched with practices in all four quadrants of the cross diagram, we become more rounded in our following.