Connected with Truth — The Body
Rooted by the River Yoga aims to connect mind, body, heart, and soul with the truth of Jesus through the tools of yoga and meditation. This is the framework, the basis from which I teach.
The culture we live in as well as our own internal dialogue create an understanding of how we see the physical body — our own and those around us. We need to align that understanding with the Truth of Scripture. We are valuable because God says we are valuable, we are His beloved children.
Connect the BODY with Truth
What does it mean to connect the body with Truth?
Our perception of our body. With cultural norms about how the body should look, it is easy to get wrapped up in some phantom ideal. When we don’t or can’t attain that figure or muscle tone or ideal weight, we get discouraged and critical of our bodies. Instead of looking at our body through a cultural lens, it is important to bring truth into our perception of the body. What does God think of us? What does God say is beautiful? As a starting place, we read in Genesis 2 that God created us in His image. God spoke and all the rest of creation came to be, but God took special care creating humans. He formed Adam from dust and breathed in him His own breath of life (2:7). Therefore, we are intrinsically valuable; it is not dependent on our measurements, weight, size, or shape. It is not dependent on skin, hair, or eye color. We are human, therefore, we bear the image of God, thus, we are valuable. You are valuable.
Furthermore, in Psalm 139, we find that we are intimately and individually known by God (139:1-4); we were formed by Him, fearfully and wonderfully made by Him (139:13-14). These are truths that we need to be reminded of regularly, because the world would rather put labels and limitations on who and what is deemed valuable or beautiful.
We were created for a purpose: to work and serve God. In the garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve a task: “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Genesis 1:28).” God gave Adam and Eve work. Even before sin entered the world, they had work to do. Meaning we are designed to work. Work is not a consequence of sin; it is part of our purpose as humans. Therefore, we should find joy in work, in laboring for good. Work requires us to have the correct perspective of our purpose and the purpose of our physical body. To gain this perspective, we need to remind ourselves of the truth of Scripture.
We discipline our bodies; we are not a slave to sin. The Bible often talks about the “flesh.” This is a reference, not to the physical body, but to our sinful nature. In Galatians 5:16-17, Paul writes, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” Here Paul is referring to our sin nature as is evidenced as he continues to distinguish the difference between desires of the flesh and the Spirit: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these…But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (5:19-21a, 22-23).” We sin with our actions (body), our thoughts (mind), our attitude (emotions), and our stubborn refusal of obedience (soul). The sinful nature, or “flesh,” is not just the body but the collective whole of human nature. It permeates the body, mind, heart, and soul.
Self-control is a fruit of the spirit, but also a discipline. That is, I must as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” Yet as we seek to be disciplined and self-controlled in our bodies, we know that even this is done in God’s power not my own. We must keep in mind these truths, that my sinful nature requires my self-control and discipline, but that I do this in the power of the Spirit, not my own.
We live for the glory of God. Paul mentions this in Colossians 3:17, 23-24, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him…Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord.” Our goal is to glorify God as Paul says again in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Our focus is to love, serve, and honor Jesus. If we are not tending to our physical health and well-being, then are we able to serve to the best of our ability? We need to keep these things in mind, to connect truth with our understanding of the physical body.
And sometimes this even means knowing our limitations. Whether there are health issues that drain your energy or you are an extreme introvert (hand raised for both over here), we need to recognize our own limits. Sometimes, in some seasons, we need to push beyond our physical limitations, trusting that God will supply our needs. In other seasons, God asks us to slow down and step back, to steward our energy and time so that we can maximize the quality instead of the quantity when we give of these. These are things we learn to balance as we stay surrendered to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and continue to hide God’s Word in our hearts.
There will be a bodily resurrection. In the time of the early church, there was a philosophy known as Gnosticism. This was the idea that the body is just a container that housed the soul. This idea is also often present in the early concepts of yoga, and even some today - that the body is merely a vessel, and not sacred. But God created and values the human body as well as the soul within. And one of the ways we know this is from the recordings of Jesus appearing to the disciples after His resurrection. He appeared to the two on the road to Emmaus – He walked and talked and broke bread with them (Luke 24:13-35). He appeared to the disciples – He showed them the scars on His hands and His side and He ate with them, indicating He had a physical body, He was not just a spirit (John 20:19-29).
Paul speaks to this triumphant, bodily resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:51-57: “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And the verse following is why I think that remembering the bodily resurrection is important: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (1 Cor. 58).” In this body, we will stuffer; we will feel pain and sorrow and anguish – physically and emotionally. But “in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” He is our inheritance and we will be raised with a new and glorified body when Christ returns. We are not just souls housed in flesh and blood. God values the physical body He created and this too will be redeemed and made new.
How do we use the tools of yoga to connect the body with Truth?
Yoga teaches us to pay attention.
Yoga is a practice that teaches awareness. Often a yoga teacher will not just tell you how a pose should look, but give you an opportunity to notice how your body feels in the pose, how to make adjustments for your unique physiology, and how you can make space or build strength from within those adjusted parameters. Yoga is not about contorting your body into the “right” shape. It is an exploration, a discovery of your own body.
We begin this journey on the mat as we move in and out of poses and shapes. We discover what tension feels like and where we carry stress and emotions in our body. We notice how deeply we can stretch and over time we discover how our bodies can release and stretch deeper. We notice the trembling of muscles as we grow in strength and we notice what stillness feels like in our bodies. But as your yoga practice develops, often, this physical awareness transfers off the mat and into the rest of your life.
For example, I found that I was often hungry late at night, especially if it had been a long day at work and after school activities were just overwhelming for my nervous system. I simultaneously needed to go to bed because I was exhausted but also couldn’t sleep because I was overstimulated and needed to calm my nervous system. On those evenings, I felt hungry, and worse, I wanted something sweet. (To be fair I have a horrible sweet tooth and almost always want something sweet.) But as you could probably guess, when I would indulge that hunger craving, it made me feel bloated and gross. Because I have developed this self-awareness, I was able to connect the “hunger” with feeling tired and overstimulated so I could strategize a solution: I exchanged eating with a calming cup of tea - I often chose a lemon chamomile tea that is both restful and naturally sweet.
It is through the practice of noticing and being internally aware that helps us to be aware of and decipher things, see patterns and circle back to understand why these patterns might be happening. But we start small, this is how a yoga practice is helpful. We begin small, within the boundaries of our yoga mat, within the confines of a 15, 30, or 60 minute yoga practice. Then we can slowly stretch our awareness muscles to moments beyond these limits. But starting on the yoga mat is a good way to begin slowly.
Yoga teaches us to be present.
A yoga practice teaches awareness, but with a consistent practice comes awareness of the present moment. Each day when you arrive on your mat, you bring that day’s emotions, burdens, joys, responsibilities, physical stiffness or aches, and you learn to take each day as it comes. One day your body could feel limber and flexible and then next you feel stiffness and strain. Yoga is about learning to pay attention and be present. When you step onto your yoga mat, you begin training your mind to stay and not wander off with your to do list or rehearse conversations. You learn to focus on the movement, the feelings and sensations, the shapes your body makes – what feels right in your body in the present moment, and the way each transition affects us.
When we are able to transfer this skill of being present, of noticing each moment, we find the moments off the mat to be more full and rich. We can pay attention to how we are feeling throughout the day. Noticing how our body feels, but also, paying attention to the world around us. We notice the blessings of family and friends. We see the many tiny gifts that God offers us throughout the day. We can pay attention more fully and be present with the people around us.
This self-awareness for a Christian should not lead to a preoccupation with Self. Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made. The design of human anatomy is beyond even the most intricate of technological advancements. I am often in awe of God’s ingenuity and creativity; His attention to the smallest details that comprise the whole of our humanity. And the more self-aware we become, the more in awe of our Creator and Savior we will be. Paying attention to our body should lead us back to Jesus, not away from Him. Join me tomorrow as we explore why it is important to connect the heart with Truth.
