PODCAST · religion
The Yoga Church Sunday Sermons
by Summer Cushman
Through the Yoga Church we’re working to connect more deeply with the Mystery we call God. And through this connection we’re learning to love ourselves, each other, and the world better.
Episodes
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What Do You Want To Remember?
This week's sermon dives into a foundational teaching (maybe THE foundational teaching). It asks one of our ongoing questions. And it highlights the wisdom of my teacher's teacher, TKV Desikachar. For the full sermon transcript and reflection questions, please visit:...
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Quieting the Restless Mind
In response to the scripture we've been studying in the Bhagavad Gita, a Yoga Church member shared that it's her intention to cultivate a disciplined mind. I applaud her intention; it's a main goal of yoga practice. But in some ways, it's too abstract. It's too big. While it's good to have big...
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The Inner Battle - Reflections on the Bhagavad Gita
I've been returning to some foundational teachings and I'm really excited to share this week's sermon with you. It looks deeply at the inner battle that happens within us all and explores some important questions: Who do I take myself to be? How do I deal with anxiety and grief? How do I get out…
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The Five Great Elements - Earth
We're journeying through the five great elements and today, we're exploring the EARTH element. For reflection questions and the sermon transcript, please visit: https://www.summercushman.com/the-five-great-elements-earth/
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The Five Great Elements - Water
We're journeying through the five great elements and today, we're exploring the WATER element. For reflection questions and the sermon transcript, please visit: https://www.summercushman.com/the-five-great-elements-water/
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The Five Great Elements - Fire
I'm happy to share the third sermon in our new sermon series with you. We're journeying through the five great elements and today, we're exploring the fire element. https://www.summercushman.com/the-five-great-elements-fire/
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The Five Great Elements - Air
I'm happy to share the second sermon in our new sermon series with you. We're journeying through the five great elements and today, we're exploring the air element. https://www.summercushman.com/the-five-great-elements-air/
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The Five Great Elements - Space
Today I'm happy to share the first sermon of a new sermon series with you. I invite you on a journey through the five great elements. If you feel any sense of constriction in your life right now, I offer you this sermon on the element of space. May it help you remember the inherent spaciousness...
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What do you want to focus on? - Yoga Sutra 1.39
In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutra, we’re given a list of nine obstacles that get in our way. These obstacles are the inner blocks that keep us from moving in the direction of inner freedom. We all experience them. But we don’t have to be stuck in them. In order to work through the obstacles,...
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The Wisdom of Dreams and Dreamless Sleep - Yoga Sutra 1.38
In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutra, we’re given a list of nine obstacles that get in our way. These obstacles are the inner blocks that keep us from moving in the direction of inner freedom. We all experience them. But we don’t have to be stuck in them. In order to work through the obstacles,...
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A Mind Without Attachment - Yoga Sutra 1.37
This week's sermon is an invitation into inspiration. The practice we're exploring invites us to turn our attention toward the people who can inspire our journey. This isn't a practice I've worked with a lot, but it's one I'm super excited about. It's been a joy to explore it more deeply this…
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The Radiant Light Within - Yoga Sutra 1.36
In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutra, we’re given a list of nine obstacles that get in our way. These obstacles are the inner blocks that keep us from moving in the direction of inner freedom. We all experience them. But we don’t have to be stuck in them. In order to work through the obstacles,...
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The Powerful Senses - Yoga Sutra 1.35
Our senses are a gift (we couldn’t know or experience anything without them). But, in our overly stimulating modern world, our senses can also be the source of great distraction and craving. If you’re ever frustrated by how hard it is to stay focused on one thing at a time, this sermon will offer...
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The Stillness Between Breaths - Yoga Sutra 1.34
In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutra, we’re given a list of nine obstacles that get in our way. These obstacles are the inner blocks that keep us from moving in the direction of inner freedom. We all experience them. But we don’t have to be stuck in them. In order to work through the obstacles,...
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Four Qualities of the Heart - Yoga Sutra 1.33
Yoga Sutra 1.33 is about our inner life. This teaching is about our automatic patterns of reaction. It's about cultivating inner attitudes of goodwill, compassion, joy, and equanimity. It’s about cultivating the qualities of the heart that lead us in the direction of inner freedom....
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What Stands In The Way Of Your Inner Freedom? Yoga Sutra 1.30
In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutra, we’re given a list of nine obstacles that get in our way. These obstacles are the inner blocks that keep us from moving in the direction of inner freedom. We all experience them. But we don't have to be stuck in them....
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What's the thread you don't ever let go of?
This meditative sermon is rooted in the poem "The Way It Is" by William Stafford. It takes us into the realms of mystery, memory, practice, and the silence that resides in the heart. For reflection questions and more, visit: https://www.summercushman.com/you-dont-ever-let-go-of-the-thread/
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Action & Devotion, Bhagavad Gita 3.30
This sermon is rooted in a teaching from the Bhagavad Gita. A teaching that helps keep the knots of my heart untangled. I hope it will serve your heart as well. For reflection questions and more visit: https://www.summercushman.com/bhagavad-gita-3-30/
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Opening the Heart
This week's sermon is a deeply personal reflection on the Source of Love and the intersection of vulnerability, grief, and gratitude. https://www.summercushman.com/opening-the-heart/
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Spaciousness
After a beautiful conversation about the source of love at last week's Yoga Church Gathering, I set out to write a sermon on the topic. But, as often happens in the practice of writing, I went in a completely different direction than I expected. I ended up writing a sermon that begins with a...
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The Daily Practice of Love
Life is complicated. We humans are complicated. Love is complicated. And while I can't suddenly make it simple, I can give us a straightforward place to begin practice. In this sermon we explore the teachings of Yoga Sutra 1.33, which lays out what it means to cultivate the brahmavihara (four...
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A Three Legged Stool: the Practice of Kriya Yoga
In this sermon we return to the question: What do I want to remember? But we turn our focus toward how we remember the most important things. We turn our attention toward the practice of Kriya Yoga (yoga in action). Kriya Yoga includes three aspects that need to be in balance with one another.…
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Bhāvana: to Cultivate, Bring About, and Dwell Upon
Spring is a lovely time (a potent time) to work toward goals. But in order to move toward our goals with integrity, we need clarity on where we're coming from. So today, I have a new sermon to support your efforts to articulate your sense of intention. One of my favorite Sanskrit words is…
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Coming To Practice As A Refuge
This week I sat down to write a sermon and what poured out of me was a message I needed to hear about sitting with what’s real, without getting stuck in it. If you’ve felt overwhelmed by grief (yours and that of the whole world’s) I pray that this short sermon can offer you a sense of ease and...
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Doing My Work and Minding My Business: A Recap of the Niyamas by Marci Becker
This week's sermon, written by my friend and colleague Marci Becker, brings our official study of the niyamas to a close (for now... We'll keep cycling back to them!). Marci offers deep reflection that I think you'll relate to. She bravely shares the places where she struggles in her own practice...
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Yoga Sutra 2.45 Ishvara Pranidhana (& Mystery)
Today's sermon dives into the final niyama, which asks us to explore our relationship with the Mystery we most often call God. I know this topic can be tricky. It can be difficult and loaded with painful baggage. And so I offer you this sermon, which I hope will arrive in your heart as an open...
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Yoga Sutra 2:44 Svadhyaya (& Clear Seeing)
In this week's sermon we turn our attention toward the 4th niyama (remember, the 5 niyamas form the foundation of our personal practice). The 4th niyama is svadhyaya, which means "to move toward one's self." There’s an understanding in spiritual traditions that as we move toward the Self we move...
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Yoga Sutra 2.43 Tapas (& Commitment)
Tapas is such an integral part of practice that my teacher says: “There can be no Yoga without tapas.” This sermon is about inner fire. It’s about what it takes to build, contain, harness, and direct energy. It’s about what it takes to create sustainable, transformative change in your life. It’ll...
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Yoga Sutra 2.42 Santosha (& Gratitude)
We’re currently studying the limb of yoga practice called niyama, which gives us a foundation for our daily habits. The five niyamas are active practices we observe on a daily basis in order to live in right relationship with ourselves. This sermon explores the second niyama, which is santosha…
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Yoga Sutra 2.40 - 41 Śauca (& Clarity)
We’re currently studying the limb of yoga practice called niyama, which gives us a foundation for our daily habits. The five niyamas are active practices we observe on a daily basis in order to live in right relationship with ourselves. We begin with the first niyama is śauca, which means purity…
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Niyama: Foundations of Personal Practice
Happy New Year! Let's begin 2021 with a study of NIYAMA, which are the daily rituals we enact in order to care for ourselves. This first sermon is an introduction. It helps us explore the question: Who are we becoming? https://www.summercushman.com/niyama-foundations-of-personal-practice/
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What Grounds And Guides You?
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...
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Gratitude as a Quality of Being
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...
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Svadhyaya: Exploring the stories that shape us
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...
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Finding Refuge
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...
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The Beauty Of Feeling - Sermon 59
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)…
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Here We Are (an invitation to grieve together) - Sermon 58
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....
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Lady Gaga, Jesus, and an angel walk into a bar. A recap of the yamas - Sermon 57 (by Marci Becker)
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...
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Yoga Sutra 2.39 Aparigraha (& freedom) - Sermon 56
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....
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Yoga Sutra 2.38 Brahmacarya (& energy) - Sermon 55
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....
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Yoga Sutra 2.37 Asteya (& abundance) - Sermon 54
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…
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Yoga Sutra 2.36 Satya (& identity) - Sermon 53
What Truth do you have faith in? What does it mean to abide in Truth? To be established in Truth? To be committed to being with, facing, and dealing with what’s real rather than remaining in the status quo? Rather than remaining in our own ego based self-interest? In our own ignorance and…
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Yoga Sutra 2.35 Ahimsa (& love) - Sermon 52
Yoga practice begins with love. The first aspect of yoga practice is Ahimsā, which is most often translated as non-violence, but is so much more than the suppression of violence. Ahimsā is an inner attitude of reverence for all beings that simply doesn’t allow space for violence to arise. This...
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YAMA: The Ethical Underpinning of Yoga - Sermon 51
The 1st limb of yoga practice, called yama, is the ethical underpinning of yoga. The 5 yamas help us explore what it means to live in right relationship with the world. This sermon introduces the yamas, which are considered the great vow of the yogi and explores the importance of increasing our...
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We have to imagine the world as if it could be otherwise - Sermon 50 (by Jeremy Cushman)
Hannah Arendt's understanding of work and action is wholly different than how we've been trained to understand them. My husband shared Arendt's ideas with me in a conversation about action and equity and racism and feeling helpless in the midst of such huge problems. I found them so helpful, that…
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The Next, Right Action | Sermon 49
Do you ever look at everything happening in the world and feel overwhelmed? Me too. But we can't get lost or frozen in the feelings of overwhelm. No matter how small we feel, our actions matter. Our actions create the world. Think about that: Our actions create the world. (This is a big deal!)…
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Let's Not Go Back To Normal (coronavirus and action) | Sermon 48
When we try to solve the problems of the world, we're almost instantly paralyzed by overwhelm (or is that just me?). So what do we do? This week's sermon explores action. How do we act in response to a moment like the one we're facing? We're in a moment of pandemic and loss and grief. Everything...
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Easter Part 2 - Replay of Sermon 26 - We're Never Saved Alone
There's some serious preaching going on here! Last week I attempted to answer the question (posed by my 5-year old niece): Who's Jesus? This week, we go even deeper with an exploration of salvation. It's a tricky and complicated topic. And here's my conclusion: It's something we have to work out...
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Easter Part 1 - Replay of Sermon 25 - Who's Jesus
Easter is a holiday that helps us welcome spring and renew our sense of hope in the world. This Easter I decided to dedicate my sermon to my beloved niece Julianna. She recently asked her mama: “Who’s Jesus?” What a good question little one! But a question without a simple answer. This sermon...
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The Space Between (coronavirus and emotion) | Sermon 47
As I listen to your hearts—and my own—I feel a wave of strong emotion coming in every imaginable size and shape. We’re riding a tide of intense feeling, being rocked back and forth between emotional extremes. We can’t stop the waves. But we can find the space between them....
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Through the Yoga Church we’re working to connect more deeply with the Mystery we call God. And through this connection we’re learning to love ourselves, each other, and the world better.
HOSTED BY
Summer Cushman
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Yoga Church Sunday Sermons have?
The Yoga Church Sunday Sermons currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Yoga Church Sunday Sermons about?
Through the Yoga Church we’re working to connect more deeply with the Mystery we call God. And through this connection we’re learning to love ourselves, each other, and the world better.
How often does The Yoga Church Sunday Sermons release new episodes?
The Yoga Church Sunday Sermons has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to The Yoga Church Sunday Sermons on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Yoga Church Sunday Sermons?
The Yoga Church Sunday Sermons is created and hosted by Summer Cushman.
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