Ash Wednesday-Lenten Journey

For many of us Christians, this first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday, represents a time of limitations. Limitations of overindulgence with food, sleep, pleasure, and work. These "external" limitations may seem dreary or burdensome since there are more church masses to attend, less time to go out and do what we'd like, less food consumption, and even refraining from meat-just to name a few. In the Eight Limbs of Classical Yoga these limitations are also shed to light, not only during the Lent season, but every day of the year.

On the flip side, these external limitations provide us with "internal time" to get closer to God in the silence of our hearts. Internal time for self-reflection, prayer, meditation, gratitude, appreciation, wisdom, etc.   

So, if we have found ourselves side tracked, forgotten who we are, have a poor attitude, poor thoughts, and poor actions, we can start again by using this sacred time of Ash Wednesday and Lent to pay attention to the transformation God wishes for our mind, body, and spirit. A positive change that should not only take place during these next fifty days, but for the remainder of this year, and the next year, and so on. 

How can we go about this transformative journey? By spending quiet time with our Lord: retreating to a quiet place, reading sacred texts, incorporating pranayama exercises, praying, and meditating. 

"But Jesus withdrew himself often to lonely places and prayed." (Luke 5:16)

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Are you ready to be the person God has called you to be?