"The urge in every man to fill an inner emptiness is the soul's desire for God." — Paramahansa Yogananda, The Yoga of Jesus On the Saturday before Easter, many Christian churches hold a vigil. The lights are low, the body on the crucifix is covered. Worshippers may themselves feel a longing, a deep sense of grief. We don’t need explicit physical or emotional suffering to feel an inner emptiness, although for many of us that’s where the door of the tomb suddenly opens. There’s a great yearning to understand the depth of experience, its meaning. Many traditions, including Christianity, teach of the need to empty ourselves of ego’s desires so the soul’s desire can be fulfilled. Jesus’ suffering was about more than physical pain. His was a suffering for all humanity—for our sense of separateness from God and our lack of awareness of sacred union. A suffering held in the knowing that the soul’s desire can be fulfilled. What is your belief? Is suffering a doorway? Is emptiness? What does the story of today, Holy Saturday, bring up for you?

The name itself might give you pause, especially when you consider the story the day records: humiliation, torture, crucifixion, death. What kind of “good” are we talking about? In the Christian tradition, Good Friday is holy. The word “good” comes from an older use of the word, meaning holy or sacred. Some traditions hold it as “God’s Friday,” while some etymologies place it from the root word ghedh—“to unite.” Christians believe Jesus’ death ultimately brings, through sacrifice and forgiveness, the restoration of relationship with God. A union. (Remember our sutras? To yoke—to bring to union.) In Sanskrit, one of the words for good is śreyas, meaning beneficial or for the higher good. It points to what serves our deeper well-being and growth, even when that path asks more of us. It’s often placed beside preyas, which refers to what is immediately pleasing or comforting. This matters because it names a real choice: what feels good right now, and what leads somewhere truer over time. What you get from this “good” day is in your choosing—fleeting or enduring. For a moment, stay with this from a felt sense. In the midst of pain, what endures in you? Take some time to breathe with this and write from an embodied place. The word “good” in Good Friday asks for pause. What in you pauses for the sacred good?

Today is Holy Thursday in Christian tradition. I thought I'd share a few screenshots from the last day of Great Vows & The Gifts of Lent. Part of the course includes ekphrastic art prompts. And this is the one for today. There's a peak from the commentary too. What do you notice about light & shadow in the painting? What do you notice about light & shadow in your life?

It’s marked by a meal. Specific foods. Specific words. A table set in a certain way. The story is told the same way each year, not to repeat it, but to enter it again. Enter the story. Enter the ritual. In yoga and in prayer, we tune in. We bless ourselves. We chant a mantra in Kundalini—Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo. We say our prayers—Japji, the Our Father. These are access points. Portals. Not just a way to start or rush through a practice. For Passover, the preparation is slow. And our entry into practice needs to be just as mindful. Slow down. Breathe. Breathe each syllable of each word. Down into the root, the belly. Opening the chest. Moving through the throat, the jaw, the ears and eyes. The crown. Where can you slow down even more in preparation for "the meal"? What can you further open in yourself?