Product Description

As many as half of Americas estimated 15 million yoga practitioners come from a Christian background. On Yoga Prayer: An Embodied Christian Spiritual Practice, Catholic priest and yoga instructor Thomas Ryan shows viewers that Christians can use yoga to experience their own faith more deeply and express it holistically. Ryan seamlessly harmonizes prayers like Psalm 84, the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis, and the Beatitudes with vitalizing yoga postures to create a uniquely powerful spiritual practice. If you have never experienced the physicality of prayer, Ryan promises, a fresh experience awaits you. Produced by Paulist Productions.

DVD, 91 minutes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21775 in DVD
• Brand: Sounds True
• Released on: 2005-05-10
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC, Import
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 91 minutes

About the Actor
Fr. Thomas Ryan, CSP, a catholic priest and certified Kripalu yoga teacher, coordinates ecumenical and inter-religious relations for the paulist community in the U.S. and Canada. His nine books include Reclaiming the Body in Christian Spirituality; The Sacred Art of Fasting; Four Steps to Spiritual Freedom; Prayer of Heart and Body; Meditation and Yoga as Christian Spiritual Practice; and Disciplines for Christian Living: Interfaith Perspectives.

Customer Reviews

Choreography is anointed!
This DVD is one of my favorite yoga workouts! It's a quick (32 minute, I think) workout that incorporates all the movements of the spine. The music is indeed "soul-stirring"! I usually do this workout in the mornings or when I want a shorter practice. It gets my body limber and ready for the day, and gets my heart in the right place, too--aware of God and His great goodness to me. I love the way Father Ryan has choreographed the poses to flow with the words and feel of the music. This meaningful and well-timed choreography makes the sequences easy to learn so that you don't have to keep eyeing the TV. (I've even bought all the songs and put a playlist on my ipod so that I can do this workout while traveling or away from the TV.) I love doing the warrior poses to the song, "The Peace Prayer," and kneeling poses to "Blest Are They,"--a song about the Beatitudes. The workout on this DVD offers a beautiful and holistic experience for a Christian practicing yoga. It also includes an excellent teaching from Father Ryan on why a Christ-centered yoga practice is a "good fit" for Christians.

Such a lift!
I still haven't done this whole DVD, because I just recently received it. But, I tell you, this is a beautiful and uplifting experience.

I love that Fr. Thomas Ryan is visible in the Catholic community, showing us that it is right and good to care for and pray with our bodies, so that we may be whole beings in communion with our Lord.

I also strongly recommend the book, Reclaiming the Body in Christian Spirituality.

I can't wait to read his other work and, hopefully, make it to a Paulist retreat!

Great concept; advanced choreography
I am an experienced yoga practitioner. As a Catholic myself, I thoroughly enjoyed Fr. Ryan's introduction and the pairing of his vinyasas with the wonderful liturgical music of my youth (i.e. St. Louis Jesuits from 1970's). The settings for each Yoga Prayer are quite serene, if not at times austere.

However, I honestly feel that music with lyrics can be distracting when I try to practice, plus his choreography is not for beginners as it moves rather quickly.

The intrinsic value in this dvd is to allow Christians (and other people of faith) to open their minds and hearts to the notion of using their bodies to glorify God each day through both fitness and relaxation. It is a beautiful, healthful, peaceful concept that I hope more people will come to experience in some way.