“If a stray thought comes to you, acknowledge it and let it go.” As the opening meditation begins, the soothing voice of our instructor directs the class with these words. Such reassurance brings us deeper into the present moment. Welcome to Hatha yoga at St. Joan’s.

The participants come in all shapes and sizes, ages and levels of ability. They bring a shared eagerness to learn and willingness to be open to the experience. Our teacher, Cindy Murphy, a parishioner since 1990 and a student of yoga for 8 years, practices and teaches Ashtonga yoga. She explained that yoga means “to yoke.” “The purpose of the physical postures is to open up the heart, body and calm the mind,” she said. “When you do that, you can more easily connect with God.”

Each class begins with a calming meditation in the savasana pose - or “corpse pose.” As we gently lay on our backs, the class is instructed to observe each breath we take. This allows each of us to breathe fully and deeply and focus our attention in the present moment. We prepare for our poses by gently stretching our hips and low back.

As the class progresses to its standing poses, “triangle pose” and “tree pose” to name a few, we are offered an opportunity to learn how our bodies move and are challenged to develop our balance. The beauty of yoga is that no matter what level of fitness or flexibility a person has, the poses can be adapted to offer the benefits of the stretch while minimizing discomfort. In other words, yoga students are “welcomed wherever they are on their journey.”

A student of yoga for four years, Wendy Hennessy was glad to attend class at St. Joan’s. For her, it seemed a natural atmosphere to practice. “St. Joan’s is a big part of my life,” she said, “I’ve done a lot in these rooms.”

Necessary ingredients on a hot evening!

For Wendy, yoga enables her to reconnect spiritually. For that hour and 15 minutes, she loses the distractions that abound. Wendy finds that yoga gives her the opportunity to become more prayerful, mindful and open. She also enjoys the sense of community it creates. Wendy enjoys the opportunity to be with others who are practicing as well. The class has offered her a good place to return to her practice with a convenient time and a supportive atmosphere. But above all that, Wendy believes that yoga is the one activity in her life that truly teaches her to surrender. The poses provide challenges to both our physical bodies and our minds. Surrendering to the poses enables us to go deeper into our practice and learn what each pose has to teach us about ourselves.

Instructor Cindy Murphy

As the weeks went by, the class was treated to a change of venue, which added a new dimension to our practice. For those who practice regularly, the spirituality of yoga is integral to their work. But the opportunity to practice in the church awakened the spirit in all who were present that evening. The light streamed gently and colorfully through the beautiful stained glass windows. The calming presence in the room brought serenity to our practice and opened us to the divinity within each of us. As the class ended we closed by saying the traditional blessing “Namaste.” - a blessing that calls us to acknowledge the divinity in ourselves and others. It was a most appropriate ending to a most wonderful class. Thank you Cindy Murphy and all who participated in this yoga class. We look forward to continuing on our yoga journey.

Janice LaMere is a self-professed (and sometimes publicly acknowledged) girl-geek. She does computer technical support and training, and is a writer, college student, mother of three and grandmother of two. She likes to read, learn, listen to music, walk with her dog (Lady Isabella Augusta, AKA Auggie Doggie) and watch old movies. She can be found on the Internet atwww.janissima.com, or email to lamere@janissima.com.

Mary Sue Hannan participated in the yoga classes. This is her first article for stjoan.com. Welcome, Mary Sue!!

Mary Sue Hannan
www.stjoan.com
July 2001

Yoga Classes continue on Tuesday evenings from 7-8:30 pm in Hospitality Hall. To register or FFI, please call Chris Oppegard at 612.866.4731.