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/Sophia_Rising_Yoga/Readers_Guide.html), and explore. ( )