What's Love Got to Do with Yoga?

I performed another marriage ceremony this weekend. Friends will remember that the very first ceremony I was asked to perform a number of years ago was for a student from yoginis studio.

May seem strange – a yoga instructor officiating a marriage ritual- but not really when you think about what we’re doing in a yoga community (and every class is a mini-community). It helps that my doctoral studies are in religious studies, so I understand and am fascinated with spiritual practices and rituals, especially for the important crossroads in our lives.
It’s also a good idea to have someone calm up there with you, who reminds you to keep breathing! Most likely you’ve heard this voice many times and allowed the teacher to lead you into a deeper understanding of yourself. So that hopefully during those precious moments at the altar with your beloved you can remember that most thoughtful and profound sacred space.
This weekend’s ceremony however, was not for one of my yoga students but for a couple creating their own ceremony in an attempt to blend their religious and cultural traditions. And believe it or not, it’s still difficult to find priests, ministers, rabbis or other religious authorities who are willing to work with you. And that’s when I get a call.

Perhaps because yogic practices have crystallized some recognizable truths as they’ve traveled through different lands and religions, or perhaps because no one group, time or place can proclaim themselves to be the authorities on yogic practices- it keeps moving through our daily lives and comes in handy especially during these extraordinary moments when we wish to experience connection and love.