The Practice of Sustainability
Scripture
Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. Psalm 54:4
Spiritual Focus
“Change leads to disappointment if it is not sustained. Transformation is sustained change, and it is achieved through practice.” B. K. S. Iyengar
Devotion
The word “sustainability” has in recent times been tied to conversations about the environment, but the concept of sustainability informs our lives in many other ways too. Once a good idea has come to fruition or an eye-opening experience changes our perspective, the real work begins: that of sustaining that idea or change.
To sustain something is to develop strategies to ensure that it will endure, to plan for the long term success of that which we wish to maintain. A sustained faith is a faith that endures through joy and sorrow, always trusting God’s Spirit to support us, and a sustained yoga lifestyle is one that doesn’t fluctuate with the latest trends or most popular classes but is informed by the historic yoga philosophies of peace, no harm, discipline, and contentment. A sustained faith life and enduring yoga lifestyle can both be transformative, but each takes practice. What this practice looks like may be different for each of us, but we need to choose those practices that are life affirming rather than life draining. In order for them to be transformative the practices we choose need to benefit not only our personal lives but our relationship with God and with each other.
The simple beauty of a sustained faith is that we need only trust God, who promises to nourish and sustain our faith. When we practice trusting God the discipline transforms our life. The simple beauty of an enduring yoga practice is that it creates space for us to connect with God. Practice and be transformed.
Breath Prayer
Inhale I Am Exhale Transformed
Focus Pose: Extended Side Angle, utthita parsvakonasana, is one of my favorite poses to practice in the morning: the side stretch feels so good! There are many ways to modify the pose to support the torso: front arm or hand on a chair, on your thigh, on a block, or on the floor. When I learned to anchor my back foot into the earth and draw up energy from the ground through my side body and out through my fingertips, I thought “Wow! I’ve got this pose.” Recently however, I have come to discover the heart-opening aspect of the pose as well; I now check my alignment to make sure my front body is lifted and open while I keep my neck in a comfortable position, not straining. Opening my heart-center in Extended Side Angle transformed the pose for me. Keeping your heart open through changing situations is transformative off the mat as well.
