I Can't Do Yoga: Meeting up with an Old Friend

As we get older, we must create opportunities to get together with friends from the past. Maybe it’s a friend from high school or college you haven’t seen in decades. You might be excited but hesitant because it’s been a long time, and you’ve changed. Once you meet up with that old friend, it’s like no time has passed, and you’re both laughing, enjoying the moments of reminiscing and catching up. If you haven’t met up with God lately, you might feel like that.
Communion with the Divine is a sacred moment we should strive to add to our Spiritual Wellness plan. When I was younger, I found that communion with God came easier. Maybe I let life get in the way or was distracted from the holiness due to modern technology. Before 1996, most of us didn’t have cell phones, laptops, desktops, or the internet. I can remember a time when I had more time. Now, we need to make the time and consciously shut off the influx, so to speak. Maybe that’s why the original Yogis went to the wilderness, mountains, and caves.
Yoga can help us prepare for meeting the Sacred. Daily quiet time spent in mediation, reflection, reading sacred texts, and awareness of our body and breath can help us welcome the connection to the Divine. Sacred Geography can help us create those moments.
Sacred Geography is the study of how people create spaces to meet with the Divine. Think about the places where you’ve felt connected to God. Maybe it’s a church, a shrine, or a place in your home where you do your spiritual work. Spots in nature, like mountain tops or where ancient trees still live, can also be Sacred Geography. Years ago, I visited a wellness spa where the owner had created her Sacred Geography in front of a window, looking out at the mountains where the sun would set each evening. As I stepped up to the spot, I felt the tingling of the Divine presence like never before. That was the first time I knew I could create a Sacred space of my own. 
My husband and I recently traveled to Germany and visited St. Peter's Cathedral in Regensburg. The cathedral’s first records date back to 788 AD. I stood before the Altar of Our Lady (picture below), with all the candles burning like prayers ignited by the other visitors. As I lit my prayer candle, I asked the Divine if my life was on the right track.  As I started to walk away, I was filled with tremendous joy and love. I got my answer there in that Sacred space!
The Cathedral’s website says that those who believe are never alone. I would extend that grace to non-believers, too, because in an instant, you can awaken your connection to the Divine like meeting an old friend. If you’ve ever said you can’t talk to God, the Divine, the Universal Energy, or the Holy Spirit, think again. Then, create your Sacred Geography and make it happen.