The Practice ~ Community of Saints

The Scripture ~ “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

The Spiritual Focus ~ “If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!”
St. Catherine of Sienna

The Breath Prayer ~ Inhale ~ Holy, Holy, (Elongated) ~ Exhale Holy

The Devotion ~ This is a busy week in the “spirit” world! The origin of Halloween, translated from “Eve of All Hallows,” was a holy day, celebrated the day before All Saints Day. Halloween has become a day of tricks and treats, but historically it was a day when people dressed up in costumes and reenacted the communal struggle between good spirits and evil spirits. All Saints Day that follows on November 1st is a day that celebrates the saints we are called to be. All Souls Day, November 2nd, celebrates the saints that have gone before us; those whose shoulders we stand on and a great cloud of witnesses. These three celebrations are connected in the idea that spiritual growth is not a linear process but one that was, is now, and is yet to be; there is an infinite loop of continuous community that binds us together in One Holy Spirit.

Yoga philosophy suggests that in warrior poses we are centered or grounded through our feet/or seat in the present. The front leg is the future, the back leg is the past, and the breath is the spirit that binds it all together. If we hold our breath, the spirit leaves the practice. We lose the benefit of history, the hoped for future and the present becomes unstable. As we find balance in our pose during our practice, our lives are informed in what hinders or entangles us. Our breath, connected with God’s Holy breath, frees us to live both personally and communally, surrounded by the great cloud of witness. The infinite potential for spiritual growth becomes available and draws us into God’s spirit to be who we are created to be. And who we are will set the whole world ablaze!