Yoga and the Christmas Spirit: Wonder

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed

As I was watching a documentary about the Christmas Star last night, I began to contemplate the Christmas virtue of wonder. While I was viewing the film, it struck me how great the wonder must have been that filled the hearts of the three wise men as they witnessed such an immeasurably profound celestial event, known as the Christmas Star. According to some scientists, the Christmas Star may have been comprised of a comet. Other astronomers believe that the Christmas Star was actually a triple conjunction of three planets, which is a very rare occurrence. According to many people's beliefs, such awe-inspiring celestial events usually indicate the birth or the passing of a great ruler or king. 

Although the exact date of the celestial event marking the birth of Jesus of Nazareth is still of some debate, the fact that an such a incredible astronomical event occurred within a handful of years of the generally accepted birth date of Jesus, is without question. The sense of wonder that such an event must have generated in the hearts of those witnessing it is quite profound. Some astronomers postulate that the comet or conjunction was so illuminating that it filled up half of the night sky for several days. The appearance of the Christmas Star was documented by several different cultures, including ancient Chinese astrologers who kept meticulous records of such heavenly events. 

In terms of practicing and teaching Yoga, nurturing the sense of wonder is an important element in keeping your relationship with Yoga fresh and inspirational. This sense of wonder is defined in the dictionary as an emotional state filled with admiration, marvel, amazement, and awe. The same sense of wonder that filled the hearts of the three wise men, which found the baby Jesus as they followed the Christmas Star across the desert, can also fill your body and mind with the inherent wisdom of how to construct an optimal Yoga practice for you and for your Yoga students. The practice of Yoga includes many different tools and techniques for facilitating health, wisdom and well being. 

For those of us who practice or teach Yoga regularly, the sequence of postures and the way that we approach the practice itself may have become quite staid over time. For instance, you may find that you are falling into a predictable routine in the way that you sequence your Yoga classes, or in the array of postures that you offer to your Yoga students. By reconnecting with the inherent wisdom of your own body and mind through an intuitively-based practice of Yoga, you will be more able to address your own individual needs through your Yoga practice and to tailor your Yoga classes to the needs of each unique group of students. In doing so, you will be honoring one of the quintessential virtues of the Christmas spirit, wonder. 

One of the key elements to engaging in an intuitive, free form Yoga practice is to allow an open sense of wonder to arise from within your own heart. This is very similar to the Buddhist notion of the beginner’s’ mind. It is not uncommon for many of us, who have been practicing Yoga for some time, to repeat the same sequence of postures and pranayama exercises over and over again. The same may also be true for you in your own personal practice, or on a professional level, if you are working as a Yoga teacher. 

By occasionally spending an unstructured hour on your Yoga mat following the intimations of your own breath and body, you will be able to connect with the deeper intuition of what your body and mind truly need today in terms of your personal practice. In the same way, if you are teaching a Yoga class, allowing yourself the flexibility to modify the sequence of poses you have chosen, according to the needs of your students on any particular day, is one of the most important aspects of teaching a safe, challenging and inspiring Yoga class. 

Virginia Iversen, M.Ed, has been practicing and studying the art of Yoga for over twenty years. She lives in Woodstock, New York, where she works as a writer and an academic support specialist. She is currently accepting Yoga and health-related writing assignments and may be contacted at:enchantress108@gmail.com.