Some people view the practice of yoga as at odds with the world of Christian faith, however, with her new book, Maranatha Yoga, Christine Pickering wants to teach people her unique way of connecting Christian Meditation with traditional yoga flows to bring together both body and mind in prayer.
Combining the physical postures with the mindful, meditative qualities of the Christian reflections allows the participant to connect with their whole selves – physical, spiritual and emotional – and reconciles the misconceptions about yoga in a Christian context. The author hopes that “all who read this book will be convinced that yoga is perfectly compatible with Christianity and can be a means to help us connect more closely with our creator, God. It is as important for us to develop our ‘spiritual muscle’ as it is to exercise and discipline our physical make-up”.
Maranatha Yoga is designed to encourage a harmonious balance between ‘keeping fit and keeping faith,’ and is the culmination of the author’s experience teaching yoga for over 30 years, developing her own blend of physical exercise, mental calmness and prayer. The author named the practice Maranatha Yoga because of the Aramaic word meaning ‘Come, Lord’, a word in the native language of Jesus, that can be used to lead one into the stillness and silence of meditation.
Maranatha Yoga hopes to give the reader a form of prayer that offers their whole selves to God: “by virtue of engaging body, breath, senses, mind and spirit in a balanced and unified way, yoga helps us to pay more attention to the words of our prayers and biblical passages and to experience a deeper sense of their meaning and our commitment to them”.
The book is illustrated and easy to use, and the author provides variations to the postures dependent on ability or experience. This is the perfect guide for those new to yoga or those who are experienced in yoga but want to incorporate Christian spirituality into their routine practice.
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