Be Free - Adult Liturgical Yoga Sequence
Scripture Reading Galatians 1:3-5
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Theme: Freedom
As we meditate on the freedom which is God’s will for our lives and Christ’s reason for coming to Earth, we will bring freedom to our hands, wrists, chest, shoulders, spine, hips, ankles, and feet through yoga postures which open and release. The liberation we bring to our bodies will enhance the quality of our normal breathing. And it is healthy breathing which allows us to most quickly, easily, and substantially experience true freedom, which is God's freedom.
Moving Meditation
Begin with a few minutes of massage on the hands, wrists, feet, and ankles as you reconnect to your long, slow, deep breath.
Warm Up...
Cat & Cow Pose - Freedom in the spine and chest
Thread the Needle Pose - Freedom in the shoulders
Extended Puppy Pose - Freedom in the spine
Sphinx - Freedom in the chest
Downward Facing Dog - Freedom in the entire back body
Upward Facing Dog - Freedom in the chest
Standing Sequence...
Standing Swinging Twist side to side - Freedom in the side body and some fun!
Standing Side Stretch with arms overhead - Freedom in the side body
Triangle - Freedom in the side body
Side Angle - Freedom in the side body
Wide Leg Forward Fold with hands interlaced behind back and arms reaching toward sky - Freedom in hips and shoulders
Tree with slight backbend - Freedom in the chest
Warrior I with Eagle arms - Freedom in the shoulders
Sky Warrior - Freedom in the side body
Floor Sequence...
*Do first four poses on one side and then repeat on the other side.
Pigeon - Freedom in the hips
Twist - Freedom in the side body and spine
Firelog - Freedom in the hips
Up Table - Freedom in the chest
Bridge - Freedom in the chest
Fish - Freedom in the chest
Reclined Twist - Freedom in the hips and sides
Figure 4 - Freedom in the hips
Reclined Bound Angle - Freedom in the hips
Prayer
God, thank you for setting me free. Help me to remember and live according to that freedom.
Contemplation
Recline onto your back. Let your feet fall out to the sides. Extend your arms down along your sides with your palms facing up. Let go of your deep breathing. Let go of the word or phrase from the scripture. Simply let go and rest in the silence and stillness of a loving God.
Afterwards: Share the word/phrase that you recited during your Moving Meditation or an insight you had during the practice in the comment section below!
Note: The contents of this post are a portion of Ombrella's Liturgical Yoga session for the date specified above. Liturgical Yoga is designed for adults to resurrect the ancient teachings of the Christian tradition through body movement and in doing so experience their bodies as sacred places for dialogue with God. This weekly practice uses scripture from the Lectionary text as it follows the seasons of the church year. The format is inspired by Lectio-Divina, a way of reading the scriptures. Interested in bringing Liturgical Yoga to your congregation? Connect with Michel!
