Most of my younger years I could never sit still. I had an irritating energy of restlessness within me which always kept me super busy. I constantly rushed around doing things, sometimes a few things at once; and there was an underlying tension and stress that I was living with daily. I would continually fidget or scratch and I could never really get a feeling of stillness within my own body. My mind and body invariably felt quite racy. Starting a few things at once and not finishing anything left my body, my house, and my life in disharmony.
With this momentum of feeling busy and stressed, I found it hard to wind down and sleep, and for years I took medication to numb my body so I could just go to sleep and rest.
It wasn’t until I discovered Esoteric Yoga that I was able to feel the space to truly stop and to choose the quality of my movements. Then I was able to feel how exhausted and drained I was.
Esoteric Yoga has been an evolving practice where I have been able to feel my relationship with my body and choose movements that are more gentle and tender and to feel how this choice can affect my body. It has allowed me to return to a quality of stillness as opposed to feeling anxious or racy. What I have discovered is that this stillness is always there within me, and that through the stresses, tensions and emotional reactions in life, I can choose to lessen this quality within – or even choose to disconnect from it.
It is in this deep stillness that I re-connect to what is within me. The spaciousness, the warmth and harmony that I connect to are reflected to me in nature and within the universe and stars. There is nothing in this world that I would rather be than the beauty of stillness within me.
In no way is there perfection, but returning to this quality of stillness in my body has helped me to deal with life and everything around me. Living from this quality, from the inside, is now my religion and my commitment to looking after myself to help my body heal from the exhaustion created by the constant busy-ness and raciness.
“When you rush the body, it checks out – it is designed to move in moments. Understand this and you will heal anxiousness and exhaustion.” ~ Serge Benhayon (Esoteric Teachings and Revelations, Book 1, p. 303)
So my Everyday Religion is my connection to my body and how present I can be with my body in every movement or physical activity that I do throughout the day. Committing to choosing gentle movements with everything that I do and to remain as present with what I am doing as much as I can is a discipline for me.
- I get out of bed in the morning and make my bed; and it is the way I make my bed, the quality I am in as I make my bed – which is done religiously every day – that supports me to return to sleep.
- I start my day with a warm drink, feeling into whether it is to be a cup of warm herbs or just a cup of decaffeinated tea. This is done religiously every day and it is the quality I do this in that confirms that I am amazing. Nourishing and hydrating myself – my body loves this daily ritual.
- I shower religiously every morning, and it is the quality in which I wash my body and my hair and moisturise my body every day that supports me to look after myself and deepen self-love in my body.
- It is how I walk from room to room, tidying up and placing objects and things in a certain order that creates harmony in my life and within my body. The way I clean my house or hang up the washing, to how I cook a nourishing meal for myself or my family, are all done in a quality that returns me back to Stillness.
- It is how I organise my desk and my office at work, and the systems that I have in place, that can bring me back to myself when I lose my presence.
These are some simple examples of the various choices I make to support my body and it is with this connection to my body that I get to feel that everything is religion. That everything means everything equally. That everything I do, whether it be my work, my housework, shopping, driving or interacting with people – everything is of equal importance.
I am aware that the quality of my movements can allow others to come back to themselves. I now understand that choosing to live with Stillness, Harmony and Truth in my body is our natural way of being. Through this connection with my body, I know what is true for me or not.
“The magic of stillness is in motion – the goal is to bring stillness in motion in everything we do.” ~ Serge Benhayon. (Esoteric Teachings and Revelations, Book 1, p. 91)
Choosing to live with awareness and energetic integrity has enabled me to read and appreciate situations and people. I know I will make mistakes sometimes, but this is my daily religion, the religion of connecting to my body in a certain quality. This quality is the Stillness of God and the Stillness of God in motion.
By Leah Pash
Further Reading:
Feeling the Divinity of God through Esoteric Yoga
Esoteric Yoga – To Do or To BE?
My Relationship with Religion
The Truth about Universal Medicine 
Living the way you have shared Leah, is incredible and so simple as we can all relate to what you have shared, and thus be able to open a personal relationship with God and then work on our own movements through the journey of return that works for us.
Esoteric Yoga confirms via our body that there is a way to live life from the core of our being which is stillness, and when we move in stillness there is a grace and flow to our bodies that is naturally in harmony with the universe. Living outside of this we have the exhaustion and raciness we encounter every day. If we go to bed in nervous tension or raciness there is no regeneration of our bodies which is why we wake up as tired in the mornings as when we went to bed, because the body is still living the nervous tension of the previous day. Multiply that a few times and it is easy to see why people struggle with sleep.
Esoteric Yoga is very supportive in helping us to connect with our bodies, and so be more aware of what we are feeling, ‘ Esoteric Yoga has been an evolving practice where I have been able to feel my relationship with my body and choose movements that are more gentle and tender and to feel how this choice can affect my body.’
I love hearing what religion is to you and how this looks practically on a day to day level. I love how it is deep stillness that you re-connect to within yourself. I can relate to this also, as in some of the ways what religion means to me.
I love stillness, a most exquisite quality, ‘It is in this deep stillness that I re-connect to what is within me. The spaciousness, the warmth and harmony that I connect to are reflected to me in nature and within the universe and stars. There is nothing in this world that I would rather be than the beauty of stillness within me.’
Leah wow this is great, I love it, you have simple nailed what true religion is.
A beautiful reminder; ‘The spaciousness, the warmth and harmony that I connect to are reflected to me in nature and within the universe and stars.’
Your blog Leah makes religion an everyday movement and not something we do on Sundays or on special occasions
Religion is what we do in every minute of every day, not confined to a Sunday, ”That everything I do, whether it be my work, my housework, shopping, driving or interacting with people – everything is of equal importance.’
Our rituals that take care of our bodies provide a supportive rhythm that can lift the quality of all that we do.
To heal the busyness and raciness running through my body is to allow myself to feel and sense it and the impact it has on my body. I cannot heal this momentum unless I am absolutely honest and recognise in full the abuse I am creating towards my body by living in this way.
This was pretty cool to read “When you rush the body, it checks out – it is designed to move in moments. Understand this and you will heal anxiousness and exhaustion.” ~ Serge Benhayon (Esoteric Teachings and Revelations, Book 1, p. 303)’ it makes sense too.
Religion is more than it appears to our naked eye, it is in everything we do or be. Who would have thought that religion, or being religious was to do with how you rise in the morning, to the drink we drink to the food we prepare and eat, the list is endless.
For me the thing that stands out the most is that in everything there is a level of responsibility, and within this, the integrity that goes hand in hand with it. Religion is never ending, and in this we will see the divinity of all.
There is a responsibility in everything we do, how we are, how we move, and how we live affects all, ‘I am aware that the quality of my movements can allow others to come back to themselves.’
“When you rush the body, it checks out – it is designed to move in moments” – this is so profound.
Leah how great to see the power of true religion and appreciate just how this is your every day and can be everyone everyday but often not in the way we think of it. I note that around the world different people have different views of religion but it is core to so much of society. The question we have to ask is how great is society doing in each place and therefore what is the full and complete quality of the religion that we choose.
Wow, Leah, I get a clear sense that it is so important to move our body in connection and in a quality of stillness. This is what will truly support us in our day to day life.
Staying in connection with our bodies in each and every moment is super important, ‘my Everyday Religion is my connection to my body and how present I can be with my body in every movement or physical activity that I do throughout the day.’
“When you rush the body, it checks out – it is designed to move in moments. Understand this and you will heal anxiousness and exhaustion.” These words are so profound. Instead of chasing after coffee or energy drinks to pep us up we can begin to savour every moment of our waking day really fully embracing it and appreciating it and whats more appreciating what we bring to it.
I love that, by doing everything that you do, you get to feel that everything is religion and I will now approach the day I am about to start in a different way. What a beautiful imprint you must leave wherever you go!
Really gorgeous reading this Leah, it must have been quite a leap going from being fidgeting to stillness, worth the shift though!
I love the way this brings being religious into the everyday, using these points and tasks in the day to focus or refocus on your connection to yourself.
Yes so do I, those everyday activities are what really can transform our lives, moving with a real loving quality can change everything.
The simplicity of what religion truly is, from the movements we make each day as part of the day shows how we are all deeply religious in our own ways,
Such beautiful words by Serge Benhayon – that our bodies are designed to move in moments.
Just appreciating here how we can build more loving ways into our lives when we use the moments for connection and loving adjustment with the body.
Yes… movements that are aligned and in sync with the universe.
Serge Benhayon shares such profound wisdom, ‘“When you rush the body, it checks out – it is designed to move in moments. Understand this and you will heal anxiousness and exhaustion.” ~ Serge Benhayon (Esoteric Teachings and Revelations, Book 1, p. 303)’
It is lovely to read the word religion used in its practical application in life. It is about going about everyday activities but with that connection and knowing that there is more than just a physical life to live. I sometimes have people tell me how they don’t like religion, but they are talking about the religions with man-made rules. This living a religious life is not about rules, just a dedication to the stillness inside.
Getting to feel how tired and exhausted you are may not sound very appealing. But this honesty is the wakeup call that says, ‘enough’ to the constant busyness and trying. You get to feel how the way you have been living is harming your health and wellbeing and is a catalyst for change. Until you feel consequences you keep doing the same things.
It is so beautiful how you describe your connection to your body as your religion which really got me thinking about how many “religions” do not honour the body and in fact preach things that create separation ie the very opposite of true religion.
Agreed Nicola the power of true religion that I too have come to connect with and appreciate.
The other day I was driving home from the gym and the night sky was absolutely spectacular so I pulled over and got out in the middle of the countryside. The immense holding expansive stillness of the stars was palpable in my body and felt awesome!
That sounds like a religious experience!
I love this Andrew and know exactly what you mean. There was a full moon a few weeks ago, and I dont get to see it until late at night from my house, so I went for a drive to find a spot where I could see it in its full glory. I found a spot and got out of my car, and felt the absolute beauty of the moon’s golden reflection and its place in the universe in my whole body. It is indeed incredible to feel this stillness that we are constantly surrounded by in our own bodies, and even more incredible when we choose to stay connected to it all the time.
Thanks for sharing your experience Andrew for it has being a great reminder to me that I am not appreciating the harmony and grace of nature nearly enough.
Appreciation of self and other people is great, who knows you may even start to adore self and other people.
After being brought up Catholic and going to church on a Sunday to pray to God and then feeling like this was not a true relationship with God and then being introduced to The Way of The Livingness with the teachings of Universal Medicine, today I say I am religious. I have a direct relationship with God all of the time and I feel his quality in the way I go about life through my movements and expression. I can also feel when I choose to disconnect from this relationship and instantly that quality and connection goes. Esoteric Yoga and the Universal Medicine modalities are an enormous support and deepening this connection.
I also have a direct relationship with God in that I now have a direct relationship with myself and my body. The deeper I connect within the deeper I connect to God and everyone else.
This is beautiful to feel Nicola – your direct relationship with God within your body, thank you for sharing this and in that your connection with everyone else.
Very gorgeous Nicola, and through your connection you are sharing a reflection of God with everyone you meet.
Thank you Leah for becoming aware again of what religion truly is and how much we are part of it – consciously so or not.
Thank you for the reminder that every moment is an opportunity to move further away from that inner stillness and depth of feeling, or more deeply connect to it.
‘Religion is my Everyday’ a beautiful title. In the past I would have raised my eyebrows and try to avoid reading the rest as if it would be something to read to convince me and make me part of some faith here or there. Now I live religiously from the connection with the love that lives inside and share this love with everyone as best I can.
Beautiful Leah, so important. “I am aware that the quality of my movements can allow others to come back to themselves. I now understand that choosing to live with Stillness, Harmony and Truth in my body is our natural way of being. Through this connection with my body, I know what is true for me or not.” This is magic. Like, if this is true, that means we got a huge power in our living and are of big responsibility in living and moving on this plane; earth and how we are with eachother.
The quality of our movements can either support us, or harm us.
“When you rush the body, it checks out – it is designed to move in moments. Understand this and you will heal anxiousness and exhaustion.” ~ Serge Benhayon (Esoteric Teachings and Revelations, Book 1, p. 303)
This is just what I have needed to read. It explains so much, how mistakes and mis-communications occur.
I am no longer rushing the body like I used to do but there can be a feeling of rush in my body which gives a tension, an anxiousness that is very familiar. When I am truly honest it is an addiction I go into when I feel that there is so much to do and that I have an investment in getting everything done in time.
Great realisation you share Annelies and very honest. I am sure you are not alone in this addiction and personally I can also feel its pull.
Yes it is a gorgeous quote and the more we live what it is offering the more is unfolded to us.
A lot of young teenagers experience anxiety and what an amazing support this would be for them to understand how important it is to connect to their body and its movements. Also, to understand how important it is to reduce or eliminate the invite/addiction to checkout on technology, social media, games etc.
Most of my life I used to do things in a hurry, had to go somewhere, be somewhere, etc. Always rushing, always doing – it is a no wonder I became exhausted.
When I first participated in Esoteric Yoga I could not keep still, my body was so used to doing that it took me a while before I could partake in the Esoteric Yoga again.
Now I cannot get enough of this Esoteric Yoga, it releases so much tension my body has been carrying that there’s more to release, there is more to undo – I highly recommend it and to me this is a beautiful religion to be in, gentle and being in the flow of love and stillness.
Esoteric Yoga is a very beautiful and healing modality to bring into our lives, ‘It has allowed me to return to a quality of stillness as opposed to feeling anxious or racy.’
Say no to your true impulses and you deny your connection to God. It doesn’t matter how many oaths you take or fine words you say.
And the true impulses are felt within and with the body.
‘There is nothing in this world that I would rather be than the beauty of stillness within me.’ This is so beautiful and something I am relating to when years previous I didn’t. This is a very lovely development of letting go of all that got in the way that I had taken on board and identified was who I was when it wasn’t.
LIfe is very different when we appreciate just how religious everyone is, the question that I’m coming to understand is what is that religion and what we have been calling religion is very different from the truth of religion. The same goes for many things in life.
What stands out for me is that it is the constant choice in everything that we do that assures our quality of being and that we cannot expect it to just be there when we are not choosing it all the time.
We choose the quality we live in in everything we do, for example, ‘it is the quality in which I wash my body and my hair and moisturise my body every day that supports me to look after myself and deepen self-love in my body.’
Stillness and surrender feel two important qualities that connect us more deeply to God.
“There is nothing in this world that I would rather be than the beauty of stillness within me.” The glory of reconnecting to who you truly are.
I remember hating Esoteric yoga, well that’s a bit harsh, but definitely being very irritated by its slowness and simplicity. Of course that revels a lot in itself ! Now I love it, love the fact my body feels tall and can be for the times of movement and being. It’s quite remarkable the change in my relationship with it.
Beautiful to read this again, its full of so much gold, examples of practical day to day ways our life’s can be very religious.
Beautiful to read this, so many of us feel that restlessness and to know we can not only live without this but live with feelings of warmth and ease.
Such a beautiful reflection of the simplicity and accessibility of how true religion is lived. Through our connection to our body and being, we connect to our stillness and therein the quality of our Soul is known in equalness to God and His love. Our surrender to this quality and the impulse of our Soul is then what governs the quality of our movements to be of that love, in connection to our divinity, bringing to life all that we are here to reflect.
Yes I love the practicality of this blog, daily loving activity with the quality of connection is what brings about true lasting change.
A very practical blog with some great examples of how we live can and does make such a difference, ‘The way I clean my house or hang up the washing, to how I cook a nourishing meal for myself or my family, are all done in a quality that returns me back to Stillness.’
‘Living from this quality, from the inside, is now my religion and my commitment to looking after myself to help my body heal from the exhaustion created by the constant busy-ness and raciness.’ This is very inspiring as a stand-alone way of living and being. I could heed it well and heal the drive and striving I’ve been in, and simply appreciate my quality and allow myself to be.
It is the divinity we consistently express through the minutia of life that make up the grand total of who truly are.
When we stop and connect with our bodies we can become more honest about how we are feeling and not just carry on on automatic pilot.
Beautiful to read this this morning. The body responds amazingly well to gentleness. Moving in and with that quality brings us back into stillness and back into being with God, i.e. more deeply connected with ourselves and the universe.
I really need to bring this depth to my movement.
The quality we live with can support us to be still, to surrender, and more, ‘Choosing to live with awareness and energetic integrity has enabled me to read and appreciate situations and people.’
Your daily rituals are coming from what you feel supports you and your connection, how different to the rituals that are imposed upon us by the church. What you are sharing is a religious way of living, connected to God within you.
I love how religion is part of everyone of our lives regardless of our association or hurts around the word, However very few things that are called religion are truly religious. It begs the question if religion is part of our very fabric of life how come we do everything to not honour that religion?
I love what you say here David as it a confirmation of the truth that we are all born religious. It is only our wilful resistance to our connection to who we are, our Soul and as such our inescapable union with God that we live in a way that is ignorant of our innate religiosity. However, in our willingness to return to our connection to love, to our Soul as such with God, our every move from this point in a religious one.
The esoteric brings choice back to us. It gives us the option to choose something that is true. What we do with this is up to us.
And that is the truth most of us run a million miles away, much preferring to feign ignorance to what we hold in our bodies.
Esoteric Yoga has been the most supportive modality in my reconnection to me, to my body and to God. It offers me the space to truly feel the amazingness I am and how I also am intrinsically connected to everyone else all of the time. It is an integral part of my religious way of living, a way that I never imagined I could be living, a way that I choose to live in every moment, without perfection.
“Esoteric Yoga has been an evolving practice where I have been able to feel my relationship with my body and choose movements that are more gentle and tender and to feel how this choice can affect my body” – yes, and also, when you start to do Esoteric Yoga and get used to feeling and appreciating the inner pulse and quality of stillness, you also get to feel the pulse of other people too, an office, workplace, and the world. In stillness, everything gets confirmed, exposed and or highlighted.
When we’ve been rushing, it’s so tempting to stay in the rush and the stimulation and overdrive, so that we don’t have to feel the effects of those choices on the body. But allowing ourselves to feel it is what then creates the space for us to connect to what’s underneath the surface level turbulence: a stillness and space that is always within us, and that needs or wants nothing from the outside to confirm or sustain it.