tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5987922844338553917.post4021631767200013198..comments2023-10-05T07:48:37.131-07:00Comments on Garden Street Journal: Anusara and ChristianityKaren Sprute Francovichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12440609567887249834noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5987922844338553917.post-45519912677377896062008-06-18T10:58:00.000-07:002008-06-18T10:58:00.000-07:00Thank you Karen for your thoughts on this subject....Thank you Karen for your thoughts on this subject. Having worked with children in a preschool environment for 11 years, I know and have seen first hand the intrinsic goodness and divinity in children. I remember quite vividly even feeling that within myself when I was very young and having a wonderful relationship with God. Unfortunately, my journey with Christianity actually separated me from God and added to my intrinsic goodness a heck of a lot of shame and guilt and fear, which I can say from experience, did not motivate me to be a bright light and help others and be positive and work towards the kingdom of heaven. It was yoga that brought me back to my relationship with God and even some of the wonderful things about Christianity that I had blocked out as a whole because of some people' ideas and perceptions and beliefs that were drilled into me at such a young age. <BR/><BR/>I'm so thankful for yoga.I'm also glad that I can now even respect anothers opinion as their own without feeling like I need to take it personal as an affront to my own. I went to a retreat back in December,with a very good friend of mine,that was at a Convent on the South Hill in Spokane. It was a great retreat led by an amazing priest with a lot of compassion and non-judgement. There was a point where we could go to him in confession if we liked, and I hadn't been to confession in 25 years and really wanted to have some closure with some of my early established resentments towards the church so that I could be free to honor and respect anyones faith without the residue of my own upbringing. I stood at the back of the line next to a man who was very nice and asked me a lot of questions about myself, what I did for a living. When I told him I was a yoga teacher, he asked me if I chanted any mantras, and I told him yes....and instantly he became very dark and judgemental towards me telling me I was chanting to Hindu Gods which were the Devil and yada yada yada. For a split second, I felt that grip of fear in my stomach, so familiar to when I was a child, so open hearted with God and then BLAM...guilt shame fear due to another person's viewpoint of me. Then I remembered something the Priest had been teaching us that weekend. "What other people think of you is really none of your business". Suddenly I released my grip of fear on his perspective and said to him calmly with a sincere smile, "I respect your opinion, but my direct experience with chanting has truly deepened my relationship with God and does not feel dark or evil whatsoever. So I guess we will just have to agree to disagree." I resisted the temptation to tell him that what he thinks of me is really none of my business, but that thought really help me in that moment to not let fear block the light of my heart. Then, when it was my turn, I sat right in front of that Priest and had a wonderful conversation with him and confessed mostly to my regret of allowing what other people think of me block my relationship with God for so long. I felt like that little girl I was so long ago sitting in front of Father Joe for my first confession, asking a lot of questions and receiving a lot of compassion from his eyes just like Father Joe would do. I felt very free when I walked out of that room. I was ok with me and with God. Anybody elses relationships with God are really none of my business. No wars need be started over that. No arguements or violence. Just me and God. And I'm so thankful to have cultivated the courage to find that and maintain it right on my yoga mat!Terrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16319724186223812044noreply@blogger.com