a disclaimer: this isn't a debate-ish post about whether or not it's ok for Christians to do yoga. You're totally welcome to your opinion, but I believe it's an exercise that can be redeemed and done without worshipping sun or the earth or whatever the poses were designed for. I believe worship is a heart issue and even though the debates about yoga make me squirmy, when I check my heart during yoga - it feels like it is pointed at the Lord.
I'm so excited to blog a little bit more about my yoga journey over the past few months. Well, maybe years? Up until last year, I'd done a little bit of yoga on and off for exercise or community - but I'd never thought much about it. Then one day a year ago, I found myself in Fort Wayne (before we moved to Charleston), dreaming and kind of speaking some best case scenario prayers out over my life. I was describing where I pictured myself ten years from now to my friend, with the full knowledge that the Lord can do whatever He wants. I pictured us in Charleston still, with a ten year old church, teenagers getting ready to go off to college, hopefully writing books and still constantly hosting people in my home. But I also pictured myself doing yoga. Waking early & grabbing my mat, getting still and moving all at once, worshipping the Lord in quiet and moving my body before all my people wake up. It might sound silly, but it was my picture.
The reason why I like to ask women what they want their lives to look like ten years from now is because that end (hopeful) picture changes how you live today. At some point you stop putting off building that picture and just pick up the yoga mat and start doing it. So that's what I've been trying to do little by little the past few months. I'm not crazy good at it. I can't do super fancy poses. I'm still learning all the names of the moves and I fall a good bit, but here are the reasons why I keep going.
1. My people do yoga.
Alllll the ladies in my city do the yoga. The people who go to church and the people who don't go to church. They even do yoga in our kid's elementary school. There is no getting away from it and I can either choose to be separate from them or be with them, with different intentions. It is one of my greatest opportunities to be in this world & not of it. I want to know the women in my city, and more specifically - I do pray that one day they would know Jesus and have a relationship with Him. And this is one of the main places I can meet them.
2. It's making me stronger.
I haven't posted much about weightloss/health journey in the past few months, but ya'll it's been a straight up hill battle. I love yoga because it's not about beating my body or hating my body or subduing it. It's about connecting with it and celebrating how God is making it stronger. When I leave barre class or spin, I can tend to feel flabby and straight up behind. When I get done with yoga or running, I might feel sore, but I don't feel like I'm beating my body up. I feel like I am stretching & strengthening it.
3. I have met some life giving ladies who do yoga.
I have run into some incredibly life giving gals who run Holy Yoga Ministries & I've been really blessed by what they do. They incorporate yoga & Christian worship in a beautiful way and when I hop on their instagram feed or use one of their DVDs, I'm ultimately super blessed. AND! I'm going to be meeting some of them at this event coming up in March. Brooke Boon (the founder of Holy Yoga) & Alisa Keeton (the founder of Revelation Wellness) are choosing Jesus at the Core, an event here in Charleston that is a two day wellness event to promote wholeness and community. Yes, I very much like both of those things.
If you're local or semi-local to Charleston, want to meet me at Jesus at the Core in March? I WON'T be the yoga/wellness expert in the front row & I will be the newbie in the back, soaking it up and tumbling a bit. ALSO! The event is FREE. I'd love to meet you there!
What about you?
What's giving you life and helping you find your people these days?
I'd love to hear!
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