When I say the magical factor in Yoga is YOU, it is your connection with the divine spirit within you. I learned the song “This Little Light of Mine” as a child. We sang it in Sunday school, and we even had movements using our fingers as a candle burning in our hearts. As a child, I didn’t realize that was the divine spirit inside of me. The Christian Bible tells us to be a vessel for God and to let Jesus live in our hearts. These ideas are part of our creative imagination that helps us see the divine within us. We imagine the light shining brightly, sending love to the world.
Tibetan Yoga has a practice called Guru or Deity Yoga, where the light from the Guru shines into your body and then out to the world. In Deity Yoga, one uses creative imagination to see oneself as the Deity, sending light out to the beings in the universe. The light is the power within us that helps us heal, connect our mind and body, and connect to others. In the post, Here, Right Now, I wrote, “The Ancient Yoga text, the Sutras, gives specific instructions for stopping the distractions that cause us suffering. Yoga Sutra Chapter 1, verses 32 to 34, tells us to lengthen the exhale and hold out the breath. Yoga Sutra, Chapter 1, verse 36, tells us we could also focus on that light free from sorrow. This sounds like the light I learned about in Sunday school. Let’s try connecting with the light. While sitting in a comfortable position, feel your breath coming into your nose and filling your lungs. Let the breath go out of your nose, and notice the pause between breaths. Try that a few times until your focus is on you. I like to use at least five breaths, but you can practice that simple breathing for as long as you want. Let the attention move to your heart. You can put your hands over your heart in the middle of your chest or just think about a warm, glowing white light coming from your heart. Imagine the light reaching your arms, legs, fingers, and toes. Fill your back, belly, shoulders, and head with the light, imagining your entire body filled with the warm, white light from your heart. As your body shines with that light, ask your divine self what you need to know about your body. I like to write down what comes to mind. If you want, you can ask again: what else must you know about your body? You may be wondering how you know the thoughts are from the divine inside of you or just your mind. One hint is that the divine power works in a positive nature. In other words, if the thoughts are negative, they aren’t from the divine. Next, imagine the light healing your joints, organs, and tissues. You may notice a temperature difference in parts of your body, tingling, or a sense of energy moving. If you feel tightness or pain, take a focused breath in and out through your nose and shine the light brighter in that area. Use your creative imagination to let the light work the healing power in your body. When you are ready, let the light return to your heart; place your hands over your heart if you want. Thank you for spending time paying attention to the divine inside of you. After meditating like that, I think about what happened and how I felt. Writing about your experiences in a journal can help you become familiar with the practice and allow you to reflect. I like looking back on journal entries to see similarities and differences in my experiences. You can also let us know how it went on our Facebook page. Check out other meditations on our website: https://www.drlisaclow.com/
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AuthorDr. Lisa Clow Archives
January 2025
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