This week, Kriyabans from the Assisi Institute will share their spiritual journey as Isha Das turns to other work on our behalf. Today’s reflection comes from Steph Kelly.
“God the Beautiful is manifest in the synchronized scenery of nature.” Yogananda
The word “kriya” is translated as “action.” Yogananda tells us that the most important kriya, or action, that we can practice is meditation. However, there are other actions we can consciously take to increase our awareness of our union with God. Opportunities for kriyas can and do show up! In June of 2020 I had surgery on my legs because over the previous six months I had developed a disease that left me nearly unable to walk. As a runner and full-time worker, this illness devastated me. I decided to rehab by walking around my neighborhood in baby steps, starting with just a block or two. Trying to venture out just a little further with each walk, I was eventually able to walk along the canal path for three hours every Saturday and Sunday. Spiritual magic happened along the way. What started out as an action I took intending to bring my legs back to physical health and keep me out of a wheelchair became a kriya, a conscious action reminding me of my union with God. All of God’s creation showed up each week to greet me as I walked: in sun, rain, and even snow, I saw trees, birds, squirrels, grasshoppers, ducks, geese, and humans with dogs. Each week I grew more aware of the Christ Consciousness permeating every atom of everything and everyone I passed, spoke to, and even petted. Now I find myself yearning for my weekend walks just as I yearn for my meditation time. If I have to miss walking, it is like missing my daily meditation; life seems harder, and I feel emptier and further away from God. Yogananda says, “God the Beautiful is manifest in the synchronized scenery of nature.” God turned my illness into an opportunity for me to consciously choose another kriya practice that helps me to understand these words ever-so-deeply.
Guruji,
You teach me:
Opportunities for kriyas
Are all around me.
