What is Lent?
What is lent, and what does meeting Jesus in the wilderness through yoga mean? Lent is a liturgical season on the Christian Church calendar designed to prepare our hearts and minds to better appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. It is a 40-day period of fasting, self-examination, and preparation leading up to the observance of Christ’s death on Good Friday and resurrection during Holy Week. During this time, Christians are invited to take a sobering look at the darkness and the sins which nailed Jesus to the cross as we prepare to experience the fullness of the light and joy found in the empty tomb on Easter Sunday.
Lent: Meeting Jesus in the wilderness
The season of Lent was designed in honor of the 40-day period during which Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness.
It was through this time of fasting and testing that Christ was strengthened spiritually. When Jesus emerged from the wilderness, He was stronger than ever, ready and prepared to begin his earthly ministry.
During the season of Lent, Christians are invited to journey into the wilderness with Jesus. We study Jesus’ experience in the desert and take a closer look at our own desert places and our own temptations, and consider how we might follow Jesus through the wilderness.
Lent asks us to slow down, to draw inward, and to reflect in order to be strengthened spiritually. This is often done through self-examination, fasting, prayer, repentance, and self-denial.
These practices are meant to sharpen our spiritual awareness and reoriented towards God and his Kingdom. Simply put, Lent gives us the opportunity to go deeper with God. But how does Christ-centered yoga serve as a spiritual discipline during the season of Lent?
Christ-centered yoga for Lent
The practice of yoga teaches us how to observe and helps us to awaken to inner landscapes which so often go unnoticed. By listening to our breath and our body on our mats, we learn the skills of observation and self-reflection. By getting still and watching the thoughts as they move in our minds – we learn to hold each thought captive to Christ. These are the practices of Lent!
Exploring yoga as a Christian spiritual discipline – Yoga is a path to self-realization. A spiritual path to discover our True Nature. As we look inward, we acknowledge our human and spiritual vulnerabilities. As we self-reflect, we notice places and patterns of sin and work in our minds and hearts. All the while we are making the journey to the cross, where everything we find and all that we will confess is forgiven!
As we step onto our yoga mats together this Lenten season, let us examine our hearts and grieve our sin, letting go of ALL that would keep us from experiencing God more fully. Together, let us gaze at our sinfulness with a “bright sadness” and a growing anticipation of the One who came to release us from our sins!
This Lenten season, I pray that like Christ, we might emerge from the wildernesses spiritually. And this year when Easter Sunday arrives, may we exit the wilderness in resurrection power ready… prepared for our earthly ministries.
Interested in learning more about Yoga as a spiritual practice for Christians? Grab your FREE guide here, save your spot in my signature course Yoga for Christians, or join me for a Christ-centered yoga class in my online studio and get started learning today!
