Sophia Rising: Awakening Your Sacred Wisdom Through Yoga by Monette Chilson

Sophia Rising: Awakening Your Sacred Wisdom Through Yoga Reviews

• 
  Molly

  I read this for a class I was taking with the author and enjoyed it. Without the context from her from the perspective of ten years later, I would have objected somewhat from all of the God content—she was trying really hard to reconcile Christianity with her investigations into the divine feminine and into yoga and some of that connection felt forced, trying too hard to make one okay with the other. I felt like reassuring the Monette of ten years ago—it is okay to drop the Christian language and fully come on over to the “other side.” At the same time, I think this book is an important “bridge” between the dominant religious traditions and more alternative practices. As well, it excavates and illustrates that the Goddess *does* survive, albeit in muted terms, in Abrahamic religions and it did my heart good to know that there are ways for women to find their way to her, even under a Christian umbrella.
• 
  Pat Loughery

  Monette Chilson has written an accessible, thought-provoking and compassionate exploration of the spirituality of yoga, Christianity and the feminine aspect of God that Biblical authors named Sophia, or Wisdom.
  
  I initially heard about the book in its exploration of Christianity and yoga, two subjects about which I am passionate. Chilson's additional work reclaiming a fuller perspective of God than the one we get by using only masculine pronouns and imagery was wonderfully done and is the core of her book. Those three subjects intertwine and feed each other, creating a healthy, balanced and strong exploration of holistic spirituality that will be of great benefit to yogis and yoginis who are curious about Christianity, to Christians who don't know if they should practice yoga, and to all who pursue a God who transcends language.
  
  The strongest section of the book for me was the third chapter, in which the author explores the philosophical tradition of yoga (in Patanjali's sutras) and essentially writes a commentary on them, comparing them to the Jesus message and the message of the early Christian church, for which mysticism and experiential understanding were expected, not countercultural as they appear today.
  
  While there were a few areas in which my theology differs from Chilson's, I loved the book as a whole and have already been recommending it to friends. Grab yourself a copy, then visit the author's website to get a free reader's guide (at
  http://www.sophiarisingyoga.com/Sophi...), and explore.
• 
  Iris

  The practice of yoga unites mind, body and spirit. For me, the breath is the Holy Spirit, the giver of life. But I'd never heard others express such thoughts. While reading this book, I felt I had found a companion on the road. It has helped me to become more comfortable with yoga in the context of my own Christian beliefs. Monette even uses the biblical story of Mary and Martha to illustrate that "simply being with God can be more important than doing godly deeds"-- a concept that puzzled me for years. And she points out the parallels between the yamas and the 10 commandments. I had to grapple with the idea of Sophia - feminine divine, but the mental exercise was worthwhile. The book itself is lovely and I imagine I'll revisit it from time to time.
• 
  Meryl Landau

  Great exploration of yoga's relationship to Judeo-Christian teachings and beliefs.
• 
  R.

  I received Sophia Rising as a Goodreads giveaway. This book was slow moving for me. I did not quite understand the premise.