By Cari Pattison Riley
Blame it on the church. I became a yoga-lover, and it’s all your fault. Newly married and seminary-educated, I moved to New York four years ago, started in full-time ministry, and a year into it, I barely knew which end was up. Dawn Ravella said to the staff, “I know what we need—yoga!” The only yoga I’d ever done was with the relatively uninspiring “chair yoga” DVD that we used with nursing home residents. So when Dawn called up Yoga Haven and asked them to send us a teacher in June 2008, I thought, “Why not?”
Instructor Kate Vantucci arrived on the 4th floor, wandering the halls with her yoga mat and props, looking every bit the part—lithe, limber, and laughing. It was a time of transitions in our church, to put it mildly, and when her hour-long class was over, my colleagues and I looked at each other with a sigh of relief we hadn’t exhaled in months. It was the first hour I could remember in a while, that felt burden-free. I was hooked. I started taking regular classes at Yoga Haven, and had the unmistakable sense that I’d stumbled upon something brilliant and life-altering. Something that made me wonder, “Where has this been all my life?!” It felt a little like magic, a bit like prayer, and a lot like child’s play. I twisted and rolled and jumped and stood on my head, and entered a mysterious realm where wonderful new words were spoken, while new space in my body and mind opened up. Every class unfolded like a surprise package: I sometimes cried, sometimes cheered, often grimaced, occasionally had a revelation. All I knew was that when I floated out of class I. felt. better.
Somehow I’d missed the memo, that this was what yoga was all about! As a Christian, I’d been skeptical about the implications of eastern spirituality. As a dancer and aerobics instructor, I’d been certain it would be boring. Hmm, getting into difficult poses, and then… holding them? And I knew I couldn’t get through any attempt at chanting without chuckling. Singing ancient Sanskrit hymns with my legs crossed? No thanks. I was pretty sure yoga wasn’t my gig.
But what I’ve encountered of God and myself and others in yoga has been nothing short of transforming. For many Christians, yoga serves to expand our practice of prayer, meditation, and centering. I’ve become more aware of my posture, body language, and ways I unconsciously hold tension. Yes, I feel stronger and more flexible physically, but even more—yoga has given me resources of breathing, calming and confidence that have served me well in airplanes, doctor’s offices, dicey conversations, public speaking, and falling asleep.
For someone who struggled with the matter-vs.-spirit dichotomy in her 20s, assuming that “real” Christians paid attention to the Bible, not their bodies—yoga has brought me back to God’s original design for creation: that we, bodies included, were lovingly fashioned in the image of God, and declared good! That we honor God when we care for our bodies as beautiful and functional instruments. A favorite instructor of mine always ends class by saying, “Gently bow your chin to your chest, gaze into your heart, and see the goodness that’s there.” The Calvinist in me initially resisted and thought, “Wait—I’m a sinner in need of forgiveness, right?” Yes, but in yoga, I’m reminded that at the very core of my being, God’s Spirit breathes life in me, and that is abundantly good. I’ve learned to accept myself more fully, my strengths and limitations, and to trust the intuition that yoga cultivates. The Reformed tradition so often emphasizes the word—written and spoken, and centers most of its worship on cognitive processing. The danger is we can forget the fact that God put us in bodies! We need to balance the word with meaningful ways of moving in our skin and muscles and bones. Paul says the Holy Spirit “prays for us with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8).
As I’ve moved through yoga “asanas,” or poses, I’ve found the exhilaration of doing things I didn’t think I could do, things I was afraid of: being upside down, balancing in precarious postures, and working at things that at first seemed impossible. Kate asked us, in one of the first classes I had with her, “What great things would you attempt, if you knew you could not fail?” The fearlessness that yoga fosters carries over into other parts of my life and vocation as a minister.
Part of why I enlisted in Yoga Haven’s 9-month teacher-training, was so that I could integrate the joy I’d found in yoga—what Erich Schiffman calls “the art and practice of moving into stillness”—into Christian community. There are specific ways to incorporate The Lord’s Prayer into sun salutations, and I like to weave Bible verses and themes through my teaching. But sometimes the contentment I feel during yoga is beyond any overt mention of Christian words. Practicing the asanas together with others creates connection among the people doing it, and I have made true friends both at Yoga Haven and in the church classes.
The movement keeps spreading: over twenty-five people, church members and otherwise, are regularly involved in our two weekly yoga classes. So don’t take my word for it—here’s what some of them have to say:
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“Having three kids under the age of two-and-a-half, I have found a sense of calm, peacefulness and community that has been a true blessing for me, in the Friday yoga classes. It gives me the opportunity to stop and find balance and steadiness in my very busy world.” - Lisa Bond
“The two yoga classes I attend here provide an oasis of calm in a busy week. I love the combination of physical exercise and spiritual reflection.”
- Jean Yankus
“Yoga stretches my mind and body and gives me a sense of peace.” – Cheryne McBride
“Yoga has given me a new way to connect to God in the stillness and center of my being. Now I find myself automatically going into yogic breathing when I become anxious or stressed about something. Physically, I feel stronger and more flexible. When I am able to do a pose well or with new strength, it gives me confidence and a feeling of accomplishment!” – Alexis Mastromarino
“I go twice a week here, and it's getting better and better! So relaxing and stimulating—mentally and emotionally—and of course, learning the positions for a flexible body. You may proceed at your own pace, within your comfort zone, in a wonderful non-judgmental atmosphere, with expert leadership.” - Louise Scribner
“I'm not a part of your parish, but when I was lamenting to a friend about how hard it is to find a Yoga class that also has childcare, she told me about your program. Not only is the class wonderful, but it is so comforting to know that my baby girl is a door away and being cared for by a lovely woman. From a more practical standpoint, the cost of a class + childcare cannot be beat!” – Kelly Dwyer
“I have been studying yoga for many years. With the recent addition of yoga classes, the church has become a more complete ‘hub’ for the things that are most precious to me. I can find what I really care about, all under one roof!” – Gretchen Pingel
“After a class of Yoga, my body feels more limber and stretched. When you commit to something, you try to come every week and you make new friends. Come and try it, and don't give up right away, because sometimes it takes awhile before your body gets used to this type of exercise. - Christine Schimmeck
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1 John 4:16 says “God is love, and those who abide in love, abide in God, and God abides in them.” When I come to the yoga mat, it becomes a sacred space to abide in this love. In my classes I often end with a quote by Schiffman: “Love is what’s left, when you let go of everything you don’t need.”
So there it is, Church. You introduced me to yoga, and now I want to give it back to more of you. No matter what your age, physical fitness level, or experience with yoga, we welcome you to join us on Mondays and Fridays, for a time of embodied prayer—a chance to let go of everything you don’t need, and simply abide in love.
Cari Pattison Riley is an Associate Pastor (Minister of Education) at The Reformed Church of Bronxville, where she enjoys teaching classes, training lay leaders, and sharing in the pastoral ministries of preaching, sacraments, visitation, and worship. Originally from Kansas City, Cari went to college in Michigan, taught 8th grade public school for a couple years in Kansas and Missouri, and sensed a call toward ministry when she studied and worked in Kenya for two years. While always a dancer and now a Jazzercise aerobics instructor, she was initially skeptical of yoga, until Kate Vantucci (who taught a class at her church) and the Yoga Haven crew introduced her to the wonders of yoga, starting in 2008. An unabashed enthusiast now, though still finding her way into a steady practice, Cari (mostly) completed the Yoga Haven Teacher Training program last year, and loved it. Her joy is to share yoga with people of all ages, shapes, backgrounds, and faiths, inviting others to enrich their lives through the yogic benefits of breathing, balance, flexibility, strength, and kindness.
