Bhakti Yoga and the Inexpressible Delights of Love
with Melinda Thomas
Friday, February 14, 2025
4-6pm Ireland
11am-1pm Eastern
8-10am Pacific
Program Description
“But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love.” (Rule of St. Benedict Prologue 49)
“The Love that stands within all existence is the ultimate source of our own human sentiments of love in all its forms.” ~ William K. Mahony
“In this little thing I saw three characteristics: the first is that God made it, the second is that God loves it, the third, that God keeps it.” ~ Julian of Norwich
Bhakti yoga is a path of devotion to the divine and spiritual love. As such it is an approach to practices that center the intention of connecting with the nature of love in one’s own heart out of which arises the capacity to love and see the divine in all beings. Mystics from the world’s wisdom traditions point to love as the very nature of God and existence.
Drawing on the wisdom of yoga and the Christian mystical tradition, we will cultivate our capacity for devotion through gentle yoga postures, creative writing exercises, and contemplative practice.
No yoga experience required. All bodies are welcome.
We will turn on closed captioning during the live Zoom session (which you are able to turn off in your settings if you find distracting) as well as provide a video recording with closed captioning available and a text transcript of the session.
The program will be recorded for those who pre-register but are unable to attend at the scheduled time or who want to view again. You will be sent a notification when this is ready to view.
You have lifetime access to all online programs.
Your Guide for the Journey
Melinda Thomas
Melinda Thomas, E-RYT 500 is the Program Coordinator for Abbey of the Arts providing program and logistical support, forum facilitation, and yoga. She also offer prayers and other content contributions to the Prayer Cycles and retreats. Melinda is an experienced yoga teacher and has been studying and practicing yoga for more than twenty-five years. In each of her classes and workshops Melinda weaves spiritual and contemplative themes into accessible, alignment based movement practice. Her aim is to honor the spiritual foundation of yoga in conversation with monastic and contemplative wisdom that offers participants a safe, inclusive, and integrated experience. Melinda is a writer and the author of Sacred Balance: Aligning Body and Spirit Through Yoga and the Benedictine Way. She lives in North Carolina with her son and their cat. She writes The Journal of Elements and Seasons on Substack. Visit her website >>
Registration
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$30
reduced fee
- Includes partial scholarship
- Select this only if you require financial assistance
If you are in need of additional financial assistance please fill out our Scholarship Request form.
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