I admit. The Bible is not much help when it comes to understanding the nature of God. Between the Old Testament and the New Testament, He seems a little bipolar. Is He terrible? Or is He lovely? Does He command His people to kill women and smash babies? Or does He say, “Let the little children come to me”? God is so hard to understand sometimes, and it is hard to grow a relationship with what you can’t understand.  Continue Reading…

“My name is Bethany. I will be guiding you through your practice.” I reflect on these words and a small smile appears on my face. This smile, with lips pursed, hides a gentle laugh, and gives me away. The memories are flooding my mind. At 25, I’ve worn many hats to finally find one that fits. Continue Reading…

From the time I was a young girl, trying to cultivate a relationship with God, I found it difficult to stop life in order to get my head into prayer or scripture. It took some time and learning about myself but I found that singing was the perfect transition into a clear mind focused on God. “Blow Wind Blow” brought me into the presence of God day after day for years. I would go off alone, close my eyes tight and sing at the top of my lungs. By the end of the song the words had become my own. I was exhausted with emotion, broken, and ready. The worship had begun. And I was ready to talk to God like He was sitting beside me in the room. Continue Reading…

One of the most addictive things to me in my yoga practice is that exuberant feeling of joy and accomplishment when my body bends, balances, or aligns in a way I didn’t think was possible. You work and work into a pose and then one day it happens. One day you just relax into it; you forget your fear of falling or breaking. You just glide into something beautiful.  When I am doing well and I am standing shoulder to shoulder with other yoga practitioners, all moving in synch with each other, I feel like a part of a grand dance. Continue Reading…

When Seth and I were a little younger, we used our words to tear down and criticize the things that offended us about Christian culture. It’s hard to wear the name “Christian” with such a diversity of representation. The connotations connected to the terms are based on the personal encounters a person has had to someone who wore the label. That’s just how we are. Continue Reading…

Do you ever feel like life is just a process of survival? Aging is just a means of gaining the skills to breathe a little deeper each day. If there is anything I have learned in my process of becoming a yoga teacher, it is that I never again want to be so busy that I can’t enjoy life. Continue Reading…

At this moment I am devouring an entire bag of popcorn because it’s the end of the day. Never mind it is 5 o’clock in the evening and I’ll be eating a meal in another hour and a half. It’s the end of the day. I’ve worked hard through the week and I deserve it. Don’t I? Continue Reading…

I’ve told you before, that discipline does not come easy to me. Looking deeper into myself, I have discovered why. I am easily bored with routine, and I am addicted to change. In order to keep me interested in doing the same thing again and again, I have to change it up. I can’t stay stagnant in my practice. I have to move deeper. I have to keep the fire burning. Continue Reading…

In many Christian circles the word  “acceptance” makes parishioners squirm in their pews. It’s that dirty word that is up there with “tolerance.”  Yet recently I have had a bit of an epiphany as I was listening to the words of a local yoga guru. Continue Reading…

Turn your palms over. Face up. Is this an easy posture for you or does it cause a sense of unease and awkwardness? I observed a lot about this simple posture during my yoga practice one evening. It is so unnatural for me at the beginning of my routine to let my palms relax in a position that points them toward the heavens. Continue Reading…