WEEK 3/ 52 WK CHALLENGE....WE DID IT

MEDITATION/MESSAGE

There are so very many things that can discourage our hearts. So many things that keep us from finding His voice that says "We are alright, simply because we are with Him and He is enough." This pose to me has taken years to work up to. Days of practice and stilling my mind and heart and body to hold; finding His balance and strength instead of my falter and weakness, no matter what level I was able to attain that day! It was a spiritual journey as well as a physical one for me. So today as you practice this pose, please take the time to whisper to yourself, no matter what you are able to do today....it is Enough for today! He will cover the rest. That He is still gazing upon you and taking Joy in who and what you are! That He is still there and has not left you alone in your frustrations, fears or disappointments. Simply let Him hold you here. As darkness and light collide He stands with you holding your hand and helping you find the balance and strength He longs to give you! Simply reach your hand out in this pose and know that He is reaching back. He will hold you still and He will bring you through to the other side.  So "dance" however you can today and know that He is still leading no matter what......

So often in the Word, God told His people, Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I am with you! Seriously again and again He whispers it to His children; today He wants us to know with our entire body!

The Lord himself goes before you and will lead you. He will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; Do not be discouraged. Duet 31:8

DANCER POSE DESCRIPTION

~ Starting from Mountain Pose 

~ Raise your right arm towards the sky

~Reach your left arm towards your left heal

~Slowly raise your left heal, bending the knee towards your left hand

~ Believe it or not, this is enough for beginning dancer, so you can stay here, breath and meditate on todays word and message. Or you may continue.

~ Remember do what you can today...It is enough!

~ If you have it available, grab your left ankle with the left hand and again you can stop here.

~Once you find your balance you can begin to hinge forward simultaneously beginning to pull the hand away from the foot and the foot away from the hand, creating tension like a bow would.

~Keeping the hips turned down towards the floor and reaching that right hand towards the Hand of God. Letting Him hold you hear

~ Holding whatever variation you found today for 7-10 Breaths, Inhale through the nose and exhale through the nose.

~ Repeat on other side.

~ The bind that I have shown above is also an option, but take your time getting there.

SONG SUGGESTIONS

Sweep Me Away by Charlie Hall

Healing Is In Your Hands by Christy Nockels

Every Breath You Take by Copeland

MEDITATION/MESSAGE

“I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 33:6

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28 ESV

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” Psalm 147:3 ESV

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27 ESV

Yoga is a tool that provides gradual improvements in flexibility, strength, and concentration; just as God provides healing for our heart and soul, gradually, and in HIS perfect timing! Yoga isn't about being able to shape your body into a pretzel; when practicing yoga, the main focus should be on what one learns about their selves. In life, most of the time we are judged by how quickly we can get things done; because of this, it's hard to develop the opposite mindset of slowing down, becoming centered, and relaxing. Learning to build awareness of the body and breath in order to prepare mentally, physically, and spiritually for practice is very important in gaining the full benefits of yoga. Taking small steps to slow things down in life, one day at a time will be helpful. Change can be a hard thing to accept and adapt to but we can rest knowing that the word of God tells us “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Simple Seated Pose is a great posture to practice when mediating and focusing on bringing awareness to the present moment and the physical body.

SIMPLE SEATED POSE DESCRIPTION

Sitting cross-legged is an important part of yoga practice and is commonly used for breathing and meditation practices. It requires flexibility in the back thighs, back of the pelvis, and inner thighs, as well as external rotation of the hip joints. These are all large muscles and take time to stretch; developing the flexibility to sit easily is a gradual process. Seated and meditation postures are generally calming and nurturing, although some produce significant opening of the hip and require greater effort. When practiced with proper alignment of the spine and pelvis, they promote energy, improve circulation, reduce fatigue,soothe the nervous system and center the mind.

-Starting on the floor, cross the legs, widen the knees, and slip each foot beneath the opposite knee

-Relax the feet so their outer edges rest comfortably on the floor and the inner arches settle just below the opposite shin. There should be a comfortable gap between the feet and the pelvis.

-Focusing on the alignment of the:

o   pelvis, in a relatively neutral position

o   chin,  parallel to the floor

o   head, erect

o   shoulders, straight but relaxed and away from the ears

o   tail bone, lengthening towards the floor

-The hands may sit in the lap palms up or clasped, placed on the knees palms down or held in prayer position

~You can sit in this position for any length of time, alternating the cross of the legs may be beneficial if sitting for extended periods. To relieve any tension in the knees or lower back sitting on a cushion may help.

*If you’ve experienced any knee injuries please take caution when attempting this pose.

Week Two of 52 Week Challenge

MEDITATION/MESSAGE

As the time between our experiences of God grow, we seem to get amnesia! We seem to forget where God was, who He was and what we’ve seen and felt Him do in our hearts and our lives! In the bible time and again when man would have a miraculous encounter with God they would stop and build an alter, not just to honor Him; but to remember. Because as humans we do forget quickly, especially as we face new challenges and obstacles within every moment of this live. And it also seems that the less we look back and remember, the harder our hearts get to His miraculous abilities in our modern world! We forget, and so when our eyes fall on the sheer beauty of His creation it no longer draws us into His presence but instead we just partake of its splendor without ever visiting His Majesty! We all have these alters in our lives and if we can simply close our eyes and invite Him into the moment, lending Him our hands, our thoughts and then ask Him to revisit those places in our stories where He was most assuredly moving and working! Where we knew in that moment there was no other explanation but GOD! When no one could convince us otherwise. When every fiber in our bodies was basking in awareness of who He is and what He thinks of us! Before logic or common sense came to negate the miraculous, before the world told us it was impossible. Before the simple embodiment of time allowed our hearts wonder away from the parted sea and get lost deep into the desert. So as we bow down in this humbling pose we ask our Father to break off the hardened parts of our hearts, to remove the scales from our eyes and to show us once more...who He is, what He’s done, where He has been, How He has saved and healed us and why He does it all again and again! May our hearts be broken and may we believe in a God of miracles right now, right here! May we remember.....

Jesus said all this, and then went into hiding. All these God-signs he had given them and they still didn't get it, still wouldn't trust him. This proved that the prophet Isaiah was right: God, who believed what we preached? Who recognized God's arm, outstretched and ready to act? First they wouldn't believe, then they couldn't—again, just as Isaiah said: Their eyes are blinded, their hearts are hardened, So that they wouldn't see with their eyes and perceive with their hearts, And turn to me, God, so I could heal them. John 12:36

Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.  Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. Duet 8:2-5

HUMBLE WARRIOR DESCRIPTION

~ Starting from Mountain, step your right foot back about 3-4 feet. Lining the heals up with one another and allowing the right toes to turn slightly away from the midline of the body.

~ Bending your left knee and allowing the knee to guide out towards the pinky toe of the left foot.

~Turning your hips to smile at your left knee. Closing the hips off towards the front of your body.

~Engaging your abdominals, keeping your stomach tight.

~Gently send your hands behind your back. Interlacing your finger tips as if you are holding an imaginary gun. ***if you cannot interlace your fingers or reach your hands to one another, simply squeeze your shoulders together and elbows towards one another.

~ then leading with your forehead bow your torso down over the thigh towards the left foot.

~Keep the knee bent as deeply as you can and take deep, long breaths, with the inhales allowing God to remind you of all He has done in your life and exhaling the doubts, fears, blindness and the hardness that have kept you from seeing Him in all things! Humbling yourself before His Majesty and awaiting what He wants to reveal to you in this moment.

~ Holding here for 10 deep, long breaths, or as long as you feel led! ***Repeat on the opposite side

My prayer is also for those of you that simply cannot recall an experience such as this, that Our Heavenly Father would see fit to move and reveal Himself to you today in a miraculous way! And that all of the alters along the way will give you faith, hope and courage to face whatever is standing between you and the next miracle He will perform in your story! Rest In Him sweet friends....

SONG RECOMMENDATIONS

Desert Song by Hillsong United

How He Loves by David Crowder Band

Everything by LifeHouse

MEDITATION/MESSAGE

Definition of Balance- Opposition of equal forces, having harmony

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 “The Message Bible”

1 There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

2 A right time for birth and another for death,

A right time to plant and another to reap,

3 A right time to kill and another to heal,

A right time to destroy and another to construct,

4 A right time to cry and another to laugh,

A right time to lament and another to cheer,

5 A right time to make love and another to abstain,

A right time to embrace and another to part,

6 A right time to search and another to count your losses,

A right time to hold on and another to let go,

7 A right time to rip out and another to mend,

A right time to shut up and another to speak up,

8 A right time to love and another to hate,

A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

Ecclesiastes 7:14 & 18

14 On a good day, enjoy yourself;

On a bad day, examine your conscience.

God arranges for both kinds of days So that we won't take anything for granted.

Stay in Touch with Both Sides

18 It's best to stay in touch with both sides of an issue. A person who fears God deals responsibly with all of reality, not just a piece of it.

Proverbs 11:1 “King James Bible”

“A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.”

As God calls us to have a balance in life, enjoying and making the most of the good and the bad; practicing yoga postures will assist in achieving and maintaining the balance Gods calls us to have. One of Yoga’s major benefits is improvement in balance. Improved balance not only in physical coordination but also balance between the left and right, front and back and high and low features of one's body. As far as balance of the body is concerned, we may be stronger on one side, or turning or twisting the head and body is unevenly balanced. Also, bending into a forward fold may be done with ease, but bending backwards is more challenging. Yoga is referred to as a "practice"; it’s an opportunity to practice whatever qualities we want to see more of in our lives. Developing a personal yoga practice allows us to develop a specific program to give ourselves what we really need at any given time, resulting in a better balance! A proper Yoga practice ensures not only physical balance, but also emotional and spiritual balance. Irregularity and imbalance can create a lot of stress and strain in the body, which gives us another reason God says proper balance is important. Yoga creates symmetry throughout the body, helping to bring balance through strength and flexibility.

TREE POSE DESCRIPTION

There are a number of postures that aim at achieving balance in the body. One of them is “Tree pose”, it allows us to take notice which side of your body is more powerful and where we tend to concentrate our weight on. Tree pose strengthens the leg and calf muscles, making it easier to balance the body.

1.   Standing in Mountain pose (see week 1, below) begin to shift your weight to the right leg

2.   Raise the left foot off the ground, bending the knee and placing the sole of the left foot to the right inner thigh with toes facing towards the floor

3.   Pressing the muscles of the straightened right leg against the left foot for support

4.   The center of the pelvis should be directly over the straightened leg

5.   The tailbone should be tucked and lengthened towards the floor

6.   Bring the palms together in front of the chest, in Pray pose

7.   To help balance, pick an immobile spot in the room to concentrate on, keeping the breathe smooth and steady

8.   Hold for about 8 breathes, ***Repeat on the opposite side

MODIFICATIONS/VARIATIONS

-Place the sole of the left foot on the ankle or shin of the right leg

-Stand with the back against the wall

-Use a chair for added support, with the back facing towards you

-For an increased hip stretch bend the left leg and place the left ankle on the top of the right thigh. Hold the left foot and rotate the knee toward the floor.

Benefits of Tree Pose

·         Improves sense of balance

·         Strengthens thighs, calves, ankles, and spine

·         Stretches the groins and inner thighs, chest and shoulders

Just Checking in!!!

Hello everyone
How is it going? Have you had the chance to practice? What do you think? Do you have any stories to share? You can post them on the facebook page or right below this post! If you make a quick profile, you can follow us and you will receive an update when we post new things! Monday morning will bring in week 2 poses and meditations! Looking forward to more! Praying each of you is finding Jesus on your mat waiting for you and loving you..... Rest In Him

Welcome to Week 1 of our 52Week Challenge

Our Hope is that you will find a quiet place upon your mats and will invite the Holy Spirit to come and move in you as you practice each pose for at least 5-10 minutes. Even when you cannot practice the pose for whatever reason, please still come to the mat and meditate with us! If everyday you find some space for Him in this practice, you will begin to see so very much and He will begin to bind your brokenness and heal your hearts! Enjoy! Rest In Him~

Nicole

MEDITATION/ MESSAGE

Within the dark valleys of life there also stands God as our “light” and mountain, to guide us through the darkness. As we practice this posture we can imagine God standing with us, guiding us through “Mountain Pose”. While in Mountain we can imagine “inhaling” as God approaches your heart. Gently holding the “inhalation”, becoming aware that God remains with you. Upon the “Exhale” imagining yourself in His perfect strength; breathing out the “exhalation” as you surrender to God.


Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me Psalms 23:4

MOUNTAIN POSE DESCRIPTION

~Standing with feet about hips distance apart, rooting into the ground using the four outer edges of the foot to create a strong solid base & making sure not to place weight into the toes

~Tightening the thigh muscles & lifting the knee caps. Turn the upper thighs slightly inward. Tuck the tailbone towards the floor, while tilting the pelvis towards the navel. At the same time rising up long & tall, creating length in the abdomen

~Lift the shoulders slightly, so they line up with the base of your neck. All together, draw the shoulder bone heads back behind you. Keeping the natural curve in the back of the neck, draw the shoulder blades down towards your waist. The shoulder blades should lie flat on your back, instead of winging out. Feeling the chest rise, resisting the urge to pinch the shoulder blades together

~Keeping the head in a neutral forward gaze; the base of your chin in a straight line & the tongue flat on the floor of the mouth. Imagining a line of energy radiating up through the body & out the crown of the head

***SPECIAL NOTE ON SHOULDER DEPRESSION

One of the few times depression is a good thing, is when talking about shoulder blades. However, most people aren't in the habit of depressing their shoulders; a tendency to slouch & lift the shoulders to the ears throughout the day is more common. Prolonged improper alignment of the shoulders & shoulder blades can also increase shoulder injury risks or create tension. Shoulder rolls are a good exercise to begin to re-align & focus on lowering the shoulders.

Shoulder rolls - Roll the shoulders up, back, & down. Focus on moving the shoulders down the back    Repeat 10x

Sarah 

MEDITATION/MESSAGE

The process of releasing and receiving is an integral part of our spiritual journey! We find ourselves constantly tightening up when under stress, experiencing heartache or dealing with disappointment. We tighten as if to encourage our bodies to grasp onto these things and try to control them, but instead they tend only to end up controlling us. We must learn to release and to receive, it is a practice, it takes time. Pigeon is a pose that can help us cultivate a receptive stance; releasing the tension of our control and receiving Him into every situation. So get into the pose and take a deep breath. Release it slowly, whispering quietly to yourself: I release this thing, and I receive You, Lord to fill my need. Sometimes in this pose the release is so powerful you will find yourself overwhelmed with emotions. Don’t resist, let it flow. If tears come, follow Him where He leads you and simply release......what you will receive in it’s place is remarkable! 

Do not fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray (release)! Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life! Phil 4:6-7 

PIGEON POSE DESCRIPTION

~First off, please work from where you are today, do not do more than you need. I want you to feel this release in a way that transcends your normal yoga practice. So give yourself grace, let Him be your guide and only challenge yourself when you know that is what He is calling you into today!

~ You may start from either table top ( on your hands and knees with a flat back) or in Downward Facing Dog (click link for description) Taking 5-7 breaths, beginning to mentally prepare for release.

~ Bringing your right knee forward towards your head and then crossing your foot to the left side of your body, creating a triangle shape with your right knee

~Gently lower your hips towards the floor, sliding the left leg back as far as you are able

~ Keeping the hips turned down towards the floor; both hips smiling at the ground.

~ You can simply hold here or go into a deeper expression by lowering down onto your forearms, again remembering that breath and that whisper. Stay here for awhile breathing into the release and receiving all He has for you.

**** Or move into the other variations pictured above

~You may bend your left knee and reach back your right hand grabbing hold of the ankle, blade of the foot or the great toe. Creating a bind between your hand and foot. You may remain here the rest of the practice or go back to a less intense practice. 

~Sometimes you have to dig really really deep to help yourself release. Lets admit it, some of us are much more controlling and tense than others...so if your body is willing here is a nice deep variation. Bending your left knee, reach both hands back for your great toe, drawing the elbows together and towards the heavens, allow the shoulders the fall away from the ears and let your head rest in His loving hands......RELEASE and Breath in, RECEIVE His sweet sweet presence.

SONG RECOMMENDATIONS

Set my Spirit free by Isa

Breath you in by Thousand Foot Crutch

Restless by Audrey Assad

Excited!!!!

Getting so excited to start this adventure with all of you! Only a few more days until we begin! Lord we humbly ask that you allow us to feel Your presence and practice with You on our mats, in our minds, holding our hearts and only Your name on our lips....May each lesson be a sweet exchange with You. Amen

The Beginning

We will start posting for the 52 week challenge next week on Monday November 14th, 2011!!! Stay tuned and tell your friends~


Rest In Him