As we make our way toward the end of 2020 and into the heart of winter, I've got a really important sermon for you. It's meditative. It's practical. It's filled with both ancient and modern wisdom. It will help you find the ground beneath you. It will help you listen inward for guidance. Get yourself in a cozy posture and listen now. Trust me, your heart will thank you. https://www.summercushman.com/what-grounds-and-guides-you/

Contentment (a core yoga practice) is not the passive acceptance of life no matter what's happening... It's the active practice of showing up to what is from a place of awareness and grounded ease. It's a way of being in the world. A core aspect of contentment is gratitude, not as some consumer based cliché, but as a way of understanding the fundamentally gifted nature of life. https://www.summercushman.com/gratitude-as-a-quality-of-being/

No one would choose the interruption of a global pandemic. But here we are, living through a moment where the habitual patterns of our holiday traditions are being deeply interrupted. How are you gonna handle it? I have a sermon (and some really juicy reflection questions) to support your efforts to approach this holiday season with intention. It explores the ancient practice of Svadhyaya (or self-knowing) and the practice of ritual. It explores the important stories that shape us and gives us a way forward in this moment of unwanted "habit interruption." https://www.summercushman.com/svadhyaya-exploring-the-stories-that-shape-us/

Let’s return to the most basic teaching of yoga… We are not our thoughts, we are not our stress, we are not our ever changing world. Let’s remember who we are. Let’s take refuge in the cave of the heart. Let’s root our identity in the True Self. Let’s remember that separation is a myth. Let’s nourish and resource ourselves. https://www.summercushman.com/finding-refuge/

Sometimes strong emotions—like anger or despair—make us feel uncomfortable or guilty. Sometimes we’re tempted to push strong emotions away. But our emotions keep us rooted in our humanity. And our world needs our humanity right now. We’ve got to build the capacity to stay with (and learn from) our strong emotions. This sermon draws on the wisdom of Valarie Kaur, Donna Farhi, and the Upanishads to help us remember the importance of feeling our feelings. https://www.summercushman.com/the-beauty-of-feeling/

I wrote a sermon that is half sermon, half meditation. It's my deepest hope that it will give you comfort and help you spiritually resource yourself. Think of this sermon as a personal letter to your heart... Get yourself a cup of hot tea, snuggle up in a cozy blanket, and listen. https://www.summercushman.com/an-invitation-to-grieve-together/

We're coming to the end of our study of the yama-s (for now...) and I'm excited to share a guest sermon written by my friend and colleague Marci Becker. She offers deep personal reflection (that I know so many people in this community will relate to) and her hope for what's possible in this life through practice. https://www.summercushman.com/yama-recap/

This sermon dives deep into the final yama, which is non-grasping or non-attachment. How does our need to acquire and possess keep us from living in right relationship with the world? This question is important. In fact, it's so important that the yoga sutra-s link it to the meaning of life. https://www.summercushman.com/yoga-sutra-2-39-aparigraha/

This week we're exploring brahmacarya—which is quite possibly the most confusing yama. This sermon explores the many facets of brahmacarya and asks good questions about how we build, contain, and harness our energy so that we can move toward Divine Mystery and practice loving better. https://www.summercushman.com/yoga-sutra-2-38-brahmacarya/

In this week's sermon we're focusing on the yama of asteya, or non-stealing. It might seem really easy to say: "I don't steal. Check!" But just like everything, stealing is a much more complicated issue than that. Stealing is related to greed. And not just on the material level. Stealing can happen energetically, spiritually, and on and on. The yama of asteya is about equal exchange. It's about cultivating an internal sense of abundance. Thinking about asteya this week has been fascinating and I'm excited for you to hear the sermon. https://www.summercushman.com/yoga-sutra-2-37-asteya/