On Sunday afternoons, there is plenty of sunlight for class that I can easily light the room with only one pillar lamp and two windows. Walking around the empty room is part of the routine before people arrive. And it amazes me every time, the difference that occurs in the room, when I adjust the blinds just slightly. The smallest adjustment fills the room with so much more visibility. Continue Reading…

On occasion in my classes, we will do an exercise where you rub your palms together and rest them on your eyes and then your ears, and then your mouth.

Taking five long breaths between each, the philosophy of the pose resonates in your mind with each resting posture. Continue Reading…

Yoga is Spiritual. From peaceful warrior to Tree pose, you can’t deny the state of mind you feel in these postures. That is why I feel it is impossible to practice yoga without connecting to God. You open your heart in camel pose and let His grace pour in. You lift your palms and feel your control escape.  Holding a pose doesn’t only give you time to build strength and find balance, it gives you time to reflect within your mind and restore within your spirit.

It’s the same connection I feel when I am sitting in prayer or standing in song; a feeling of worship. We can worship in many different ways, and everyone has a way they worship best. Yoga is worship for me.

How do you worship best? 

I love using verses in my classes that speak of the gentle yoke of Christ or the peace of God. I love to rest in the favor and love of God and find peace of mind. But faith does not survive on an easy life.

The truth of the matter is: Daily life is hard. Continue Reading…

Recently I have been enjoying a good book: Meditation For the Love of It by Sally Kempton. While teaching me much about meditation and evoking a personal thirst for the practice myself, I am also learning to compare and contrast the philosophies of Buddhism and Christianity. The philosophy, as presented in the yoga culture, sounds beautiful and is in many ways. I find myself adopting quotes from their gurus that speak truth and inspiration into life. Continue Reading…

Your throat is dry and scratchy and you think you are going hoarse. Your eyes are dry and strained, your feet are throbbing, and you can’t remember the last time you were able to stop for even the bathroom. Stress. We have all experienced the tension of life, whether it is at home or at work. And we have all battled the effects it has on our bodies and our emotions.

I admit; it is really hard to make healthy choices when stressed. Continue Reading…

What do you see when you close your eyes? What do you hear in the silence? What is revealed when your breath becomes your only awareness? Having practiced meditation some myself, I am getting gradually better at it but there are two very different interpretations of meditation in my social circles. Continue Reading…

Seated in a yoga class, we are encouraged to enter not only into exercises for physical growth but also for spiritual. And my vision for yoga is that, in the midst of creating a peaceful, tranquil mind, we also fill it with the truth of Christ. The desire of my heart is to have no other gods other than the God of Jesus Christ. Yet as I have grown, I find it harder and harder to rid my life of idolatry. Continue Reading…

“A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

This was our scripture meditation in class last week. And earlier that day when I started reciting it over and over in my head, I became unhappy with my choice. This statement seemed too simple at first but as I thought more deeply about peace and what that means for my life, it became more complex than I had ever expected.

The word “peace” is thrown around a lot. It is a very meek word. You will hear it a lot as a main theme in yoga culture and I love the idea of it myself. Peace is very biblical. We are told to be peacemakers in the world. But what does that mean to live a life of peace? At first, I thought it simply meant being slow to anger and patient with all people, loving them above yourself etc. But as I thought harder, I realized there is a flip side to being a peacemaker.

You see, I can be all kinds of patient and kind, anything passive. But when the needed attitude is making peace with your neighbor, an active approach, I shy away.

For me, it is harder to take an active approach: to admit you were wrong and apologize to someone. Or even more than that, confront someone who has hurt you and let them know the state of your heart. In light of that, peace is not such a meek word after all. It is bold and vulnerable. It stands up for love by confronting hurt.

Which side of peacemaking comes easiest for you: passive or active? Tell me about a time you put it into practice?

Yoga teaches us to live simply. To find peace with ourselves and with God. Principles of Contentment and Simplicity are key elements to surviving a financial crisis. Let me explain why.

Being content coupled with discipline helps us when we need to learn to live under our means. This will help you save money where you can. Yoga is one of the first disciplines I developed as a young adult and it became a pathway for other disciplines to fall into place in my life. Continue Reading…