How I Show Up in the World – Asana

Asana is the physical posture taken in yoga. So when “yoga” is mentioned, it is the postures that initially come to mind: How you move in your body. How you connect with it. How you intentionally hold poses in stillness and in strength. Praciting yoga as a Christian connects the physical expression with the heart intention. 

So many times, and in so many ways, I am living a more devoted Christian life outwardly than I am inwardly. And then other days, it is the opposite. I am more devoted and connected to God inwardly, but am living in a more selfish and self-centered way outwardly. A part of me, just like in yoga class, wonders if what I am living outwardly is good enough when compared to those around me. So I keep it closer to my chest. I keep it private and protected and cherished.

Practicing yoga in my daily life on and off the mat reminds me to create unity in the way I go through the world and the way I think about going through the world, regardless of whether or not people will judge it as “good enough.” In God’s eyes, the way I connect with Him, and through my mind and body, is good enough. I meditate on my heart with awareness while remaining gently anchored in the body.

Asana in the Bible

Asana often appears in how we support others and create community within the world and the Church. 

Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Galatians 6:2: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

We are called to a selfless service to Jesus’s teaching, and that includes treating others with love, acceptance, tolerance and care. Asana in faith assigns the task of carrying each other burdens, sharing of our gifts and resources, and actively working to make Jesus’s love a reality in the lives of those with whom we come into contact. Instead of living in a way that points out the errors in others, I can ask myself how I am aligned with Jesus’s calling and His will for my life. Reminder: when you get to heaven, God isn’t going to ask you one question about what you did about the sins of other people.

Even though the limbs of yoga that precede Asana devote our attention and care to our personal selves, Asana shifts the focus through the biblical lens to see how our physical influence can influence others. This is espeically importatnt in a world, or religious doctrine, that teaches us to focus on the lives and sins of others instead of on how we can love and influence others for His glory.

I am assured that when I get to Heaven, God will not ask me how many sins I called out in others, but rather, how I loved as Jesus loved. How I respected His teaching by serving others, even those who do not look like me or align with my faith. How I used my life to take care of His children, instead of pointing out ways in which they didn’t belong.

Asana in Relationship

Having personal space and autonomy is important for partners, children and parents. But how we give our attention to those we love is an excellent way to practice Asana.

When my husband or children are talking to me, I practice turning my body towards them, putting down my phone (this one is hard for me!) and showing them that they have the attention of my body and my mind. 

When I am worried about traffic, chores, or the dozens of other things that are hard in daily life, I bring myself back to the present – what do I see, hear, smell, taste and feel?

I make space in my busy life to process my thoughts and feelings through journaling. This doesn’t have to be a Pinterest-inspired nook. But rather, just a place where my family can see that I am dedicating some time to my inner thoughts and emotions so that I can show up for them the healthiest way.

I also model a healthy body image for my kids by not criticizing my physical shape. Healthy relationships with food and bodies is important as a woman and as a mother, especially one who grew up in toxic diet culture, tied to a number in a scale. So I listen to my body when I am hungry and when I am full. Asana means that I honor the shape and health of my body, on its good days when it feels strongs and on the harder days, when it is asking for rest and compassion.

 “The only basis for real fellowship with God and man is to live out in the open with both.”

—Roy Hession

Think About It

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves – James 1:22

• How do I use my personal power to make the world a safer and more loving place for others, even those who are different from myself?
• Do I often leave others with the impression that I am more spiritually mature and committed than is actually true?
• Am I covering up sins of my past rather than dealing with them biblically?
• When people see me in my life, does it bring attention to God’s love and acceptance? Or to judgment and condemnation?
• Are there truths in God’s Word that I know in my head or that I “preach” to others but am not practicing in my life?

So whether you are able to spend dedicated time on your mat moving your body in prescribed Asana shapes, or whether you are meditating on what it means to live a godly life through your actions and energy in the world, Asana is able to be lived in daily life. God doesn’t call us to be perfect in the way we show up. He just asks that we are intentional about how we show up, bringing the focus to His love, compassion and acceptance for all people.