How will the world be changed by what we do? Our Vision Statement
We’ve spent the last few months redefining our organization and our place in the world, evolving to better answer our call to serve. We are excited to roll out a new site (welcome) and new logo, but what you might not know is we have clarified and focused our mission, vision and values, and are in the process of establishing our organization as a non-profit.
Through months of talking and debate with our leadership team, many of whom have been involved with CPY since the first teachers’ retreat in 2001, we developed a Vision Statement that articulates what we have experienced through practicing yoga as Christians. What is it that we would hope happens when we invite others into this practice?
We at Christians Practicing Yoga envision a time when, through the deep transformative power of Christ, the Christian practice of yoga and contemplative prayer make a significant contribution to healing the divides in our lives and in our world.
Our vision statement comes from several verses about Christ reconciling all things on heaven and earth to Godself: 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, Ephesians 2:16, Colossians 1:20-21. We chose to change the language from the idea of “reconciliation of all things” to “heal the divides” because “heal the divides” is more tangible.
The phrasing of divides in our lives and our world makes sense in terms of The Fall and what Christ heals. One way to frame The Fall in Genesis 3 is as a breaking of the harmonies between God and people, people and other people, people and the planet, and people and their own selves (and bodies). Christ, in His life, death, and resurrection, made it possible to heal these divides. The phrasing through the deep transformative power of Christ emphasizes that we recognize Christ as the agent of this transformation. This healing is attributed to Christ.
Yoga, then, is the vehicle of transformation. Modern research demonstrates the role of yoga in healing trauma (relationship with self and body); in raising one’s awareness of how one moves through life in relationships with others; in helping one feel the inter-related connections of all things on the planet. Yoga is also known as a deeply spiritual practice, regardless of one’s religion; in a Christian context, yoga is also a tool for healing one’s relationship with God.
The people behind this site have experienced healing in all of these areas. At almost every single one of our gatherings, someone will recount a horrible divide that she has experienced, only to follow the story up with this statement: “The thing that sustained me during this time was my yoga and meditation practice.”
We know that the deep transformative power of Christ combined with the practice of yoga and meditation can be life-changing. We see the gift of yoga being a map into the contemplative expression of Christianity. Through the Christian practice of yoga and contemplative prayer, we are working toward a healthier person and a healthier Church.
Come, join us!
