It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Can you believe the Holidays are here again? Thanksgiving is just a week away.
When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of lots of people and chatter. I picture noise and lights, and television. I remember lots of hard-prepared foods and lots of dishes. Yet, the wonderful thing about the Holidays is that it brings people together, who you may not get to see but once or twice a year. Continue Reading…
Recently a friend of mine said after a yoga class, “I wish I could keep this calm feeling all day long.”
It’s unrealistic and to be honest would be unproductive to live in the state of yoga brain all day. A certain level of stress or urgency is good to keep us motivated and ambitious toward our goals but a regular practice of yoga does transform our minds and make us a calmer individual. Continue Reading…
I’m going to tell you something kind of embarrassing. I really battle the demon of body image. I have always been slim and never struggled with my weight but still, I have always been very critical of my body.
As embarrassing as it is to admit such a shallow obsession, I also know these thoughts and anxieties are shared with many of you. It is common for us to compare ourselves to other people and become discontent with our appearance. Continue Reading…
Prayer is powerful but prayer is oftentimes difficult. I don’t know about you but sometimes my brain is so busy, I can’t focus on what’s in my head and my heart. Verbalizing is difficult. Recently I found myself resorting to simply sitting and breathing to slow down the chatter in my head and then simply holding the image of the person’s face in my mind who I was wanting to pray for. Because God knows our thoughts and each word we speak before we speak it. (Psalm 139:4)
It makes me wonder, what is our purpose in the prayer equation? If God already knows each word before we speak it, each thought we have. And we don’t even posses the capacity for the words required for prayer. The Spirit has to intercede for us. ( Romans 8:26) Why do we pray? Continue Reading…
I am an extrovert. Which means I get energy from being around other people. Yet, I also interpreted that to mean, I never needed quiet time to myself. But I am going to share with you a little of what I have been learning about myself in hopes it may bring some of you to a realization as well.
We relate to people in different ways. But some, like me, have an above average sensitivity to others emotions and hurts. While this is a good thing that God has given me, it can take a toll on a person to feel so deeply for other people that it almost becomes your own emotions and your own pain. Continue Reading…
I’ve got to be honest with you, a lot of people are offended by the concept of Christian yoga. Some Christians are concerned because of the yoga part, while some Hindus are offended because of the Christian part. It’s not my goal to offend or alarm anyone. My goal is to help others achieve a healthy body, mind, and spirit through the techniques derived from yoga.
And even though we as Christians are practicing a posture with our bodies, for the sake of exercise, that does not originate in our faith, I believe that we can learn from other cultures to better connect with our own faith.
We all worship best in different ways, and we sometimes expect people to fit into one box but the truth be told, I think we need to understand our personalities and learn how to live out our spiritual disciplines in a way that helps us best connect with God. Yoga can be one of those ways to connect. Continue Reading…
One thing that we lack, and our souls long for in our western culture is spirituality. We are so used to the structure of religion that we forget the complexity of the spiritual being God has created us to be. We get so lost in the beautiful anonymity of the fast paced Sunday morning, that we forget to rest in His presence. I don’t know that we will ever understand the depth of the soul as God has designed it. But that is one thing I love about my Creator. He is a God of mysterious ways. He is a God whose ways transcend what we understand. And even though our human nature seeks to control and understand even the concepts of spirituality, the truth is we can only rest in the peace of faith. Continue Reading…
What is a mantra? Oftentimes in my classes it is a scripture verse or prayer. But traditionally, it can be as simple as a word or syllable that creates a therapeutic effect in the body and mind through the repetitious vibrations it makes with the voice.
Repetition is an important part of learning. Anyone who has sought to teach anything, understands that. But recently, I realize how much repetition it takes to truly hear what is being said or taught. How often do we read scripture in the Bible, slowly and truly, letting the truth of it sink into our bones? Continue Reading…
As I was driving one day, I realized something about myself. I oftentimes will turn on the news on my car radio and NOT listen to it. How many of you do that? I am sure there are many. But one thing shocked me even more.
Every year at this time, we find ourselves inspired by a new year to form good habits and disciplines that we know will benefit our lives as a physical, spiritual, and intellectual being. We get excited and then we slowly slip back into our comfortable ways.
