Week 7/52 week challenge!!!

MEDITATION/MESSAGE

"it's alright to not be alright"

Did you know that? Did you know that not being alright is a good place to find yourself; and a great place to find Him. He made all things, and during the making of all those things He included the possibility of brokenness for each one. Now, why do you suppose He would do such a thing? Perhaps because He understands that in our brokenness we would come to know Him. He longs for you to know Him. So this pose is an acceptance for all of us who just aren't alright; for whatever reason, in whatever measure. Everything was created that it may be broken, because He longs for you to know Him; may you remember and believe these words with every breath of your existence....and be okay with not being okay!

"There is only Christ, and He is everything. " Colosians 3:11 But you only come to know this when you have found yourself smack dab in the middle of experiencing the intimacy of His love and this usually correlates to those moments when, if you are honest, you just aren't alright. That is what all of this is about, a "love affair", between you and Him; between your brokenness and His covering Love. Do you know that? This is why all the pain, and the lack of understanding is alright, because this is the space where you meet Him in Love. Not the love you have for Him, but the love He has for you. Here, you begin to personally experience intimacy that not one other person or circumstance can strip away from your soul. This is what is happening again and again in the stories of the bible and in the lives of all mankind day after day. He comes humbly and meets you where you are, in all your brokenness and He loves you there like you have never been loved. When you feel it, when you become aware of this Love it transforms you from whatever you think you are into His child. From whatever you think your life is into His story. From whatever lies you may have believed into the Truth only He can tell you. May you be vulnerable and honest in this pose. May you find Him in all the areas you are lacking; especially those in which you are not alright. And may He fill you so full of His love that it changes you forever......  

COBBLER POSE DESCRIPTION
~sitting on your mat, bring both feet together placing the soles against one another
~ placing your feet as close to your body as you can
~ allowing your knees to fall out towards the floor
* from here there are several options, check in with your soul to see which one you would like to worship from.
1. You may takes your hands and place them on their perspective ankles, rising through the crown of your head and hinging forward slightly at the hips.
2. You may bow out over your feet, letting the hands come over the head and rest on the floor in front of you (as pictured)
or
3. You can lean all the way bak, keeping the hips pressed firmly into the floor and allowing the knees to fall further towards the ground.
~ stay in this pose as long as you need....let your soul grow quiet enough to hear Him whisper, wait for His love to find you here

SONG SUGGESTIONS
I'm Not Alright (acoustic bonus digital cut) by Sanctus Real
Any Other Way by Tenth Avenue North
You Can Close Your Eyes by Brooke Fraser

MEDITATION/MESSAGE



God is speaking all the time
The Almighty God, creator of the heavens and the earth, everything that ever was, is and ever will be, has never had a point in history when He stopped speaking to His children. From scripture we learn:


"God always answers, one way or another, even when people don’t recognize his presence.” Job 33:14


God desires intimacy with those whom He calls His children, He wants us to listen to His voice; He created us for that very purpose. Learning to quiet ourselves to find calamity through Gods voice and His presence in the midst of a stressful or chaotic situation, is a great thing and is typically a learned skill. The holidays, for many of us, may be a great opportunity to practice this! Below are a few ideas to assist with hearing God’s voice when we are struggling or just needing a start IN communicating with God.
- His Word
In order to actually "hear" from God, we have to know about God's character, develop an understanding of who God is, and the way he does things. Knowing God through the Bible is a great foundation to hearing His voice; Along with offering us a solid commitment to knowing and obeying the Scriptures.
- Other People
Many times God will use other people to try to get through to us. It's possible for God to use anyone at any time.
- Our Circumstances
Sometimes the only way God can teach us something is to allow circumstances in our life to lead us to and through the very thing we need to discover.
- The Still Small Voice
Most of the time God uses a tiny voice inside us to let us know when we're not on the right path. Whenever we're contemplating something and we don't have peace about it, it's a good idea to stop and carefully look at the options. There's a reason you don't feel peace about it. Psalm 46:10 encourages us to be still, and know that He is God. If we are not still, we will sense only our own thoughts. Loving God through a quiet worship song is one very effective way to become still. To have a pure flow we must become still and carefully fix our eyes upon Jesus. As we become quiet in His presence and share what is on our heart. Spontaneous thoughts will begin to flow from the throne of God to you!
- The Actual Voice
Sometimes we're able to "hear" something in our spirit that sounds to us like an actual audible voice. Or all of a sudden, you just know you heard something. Pay attention to those occasions because it is very likely God trying to tell you something. When God lays people on our hearts, He does it through, an unprompted thought "accidentally" intersecting our minds.
- Journaling, the writing out of your prayers and God's answers
With journaling, we can receive in faith, knowing that when the flow has ended it can be tested and examined carefully, making sure that it lines up with Scripture. Sit back comfortably and turn your attention toward the Lord in praise and worship. After you write your question to Him, become still, fixing your gaze on Jesus. Don't doubt it; simply write it down.


HAPPY BABY POSE DESCRIPTION

In celebration of, our savior, Jesus Christ’s birth, this week’s pose is “Happy Baby”

1. Start lying on your back. Take a deep breath in and as you exhale bring your knees towards your belly.

2. Inhale and take hold of the outsides of your feet. Widen your knees to either side of your torso and guide your knees towards your armpits.


*If it is difficult to hold your feet with your hands you can use a yoga strap & wrap it around the soles of each feet, grabbing on to the straps with the hands.


3. Position your ankles above your knees so that your shins are perpendicular to the floor. Flex your toes and press your heels towards the ceiling. Press through your feet while pulling down with your arms in order to create some resistance.


4. Lengthen your spine and feel your tail bone gently pressing into the earth as you move your thighs towards the floor. You should feel a stretch in your groin and a great release in your sacrum.


5. Hold for 5 to 7 breaths (or longer if you like).


Options: Take a cue from babies and roll from side to side. Move your legs around. Find what feels good for you. And laugh!

Week 6/52wk Challenge....

Zephaniah 3:17 “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”



Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.”


MEDITATION/MESSAGE:


The majority of time we don’t have much control on the final outcome of things. However, having the awareness that struggles will continue to occur; we do have control over our thoughts, how we respond to the struggles, and our choice to continue believing……


As a simple start, we can believe in Gods promises to HIS children as laid out in the Bible. We may further begin to believe in God’s grace, love and all He has done for us; He has literally lived to die for His children! We then have the choice to go a bit deeper and find strength in the pain and to believe in Gods beauty no matter the circumstances. The beauty He has planted throughout creation; the mountains, the flowers, the ocean, a child’s smile, a man’s God given strength, or the simple beauty of a woman confident in herself and aware of her relationship with Christ. Then allowing this beauty to break our hearts, as we fall into a closer connection with the creator of all things, OUR God! We are restless until we find peace and rest in God. To be closer with God, all He asks us to do is just SIT with Him and let go of the weight of this world we try to hold onto. He hears us; we don’t have to do a thing except stay with Him, in His presence. He loves to be with His children and He is in love with us.


The same goes for yoga. We have the choice on how to approach our practice of yoga. The choice to make the practice more personal for ourselves and allowing the different postures to open our minds and bodies into unfamiliar areas; which in turn, will help us to become more aware and open to God’s presence. Having a mindful yoga practice and incorporating it into our everyday lives will help us to notice the things in the world that are unfair or difficult. Through Christ, not become wrapped up in the feelings of hopelessness. Even in the midst of crisis, we can still feel connected and comforted through the Holy Spirit which can empower, inspire, and strengthen us.




GATE POSE DESCRIPTION:


The pose for this week, is Gate pose. Gate pose stretches the hamstrings, adductor muscles, calf muscles, and the torso muscles. Also, opens the chest and shoulders.
1. Start in a kneeling position, with shins stretched out behind
   a. toes may be curled under for more stability or place the tops of the feet flat on mat
2. Fully extend the right leg, towards the right
   a. bring the toes the floor, facing forward
   b. Keep the left thigh vertical, knee directly below the left hip and hip pointing forward
   c. outwardly rotating at the hip of the extended leg to face the knee cap toward the sky
3. As you inhale, bring your arms out to the sides at shoulder height, palms down
4. Exhale, bending to the right over the right leg and lay the right hand down on the shin, ankle, or the floor outside the right leg.
5. Inhale and sweep left arm next to the left ear.
   a. Turn the upper torso away from the floor
   b. Turn and gaze up towards the sky, keeping the back of the neck long
6. Hold the pose, breathing comfortably for 30 seconds to a minute
7. Coming up with an inhale, dram the torso vertical and bring the knees together
8. Repeat with legs reversed


Matthew 7:13-14 ESV “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few”


Songs:
Hillsong United, You
Audrey Assad, Restless
Brian & Jenn Johnson, A Little Longer

MEDITATION/MESSAGE:

Song of Songs....
Place Me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; For this love is as strong as death, it's jealousy unyeilding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench this love: rivers cannot sweep it away....

He won't relent until He has all of your heart! He places an ember deep inside of your soul and again and again throughout your journey He will set it ablaze. Each breath you take like a fan to its flame. Each breath a joyful adoration of "Yeh Weh". He gave us breath and fire to show His uncomparable LOVE. He set fire to your soul before you were even known to man. He placed a piece of His love so deep that nothing could ever remove it, not your indifference, not your doubt, and not even your shame can seperate you from the flame of His love. For it is inside of your chest, within the depths of your heart and every breath, whether aware of it or not you keep that fire burning. And if only you added some awareness to this ember of love it would ingite into a blazing, consuming fire. An unstoppable Fire; an unstoppable Love. A Love like no other, an everlasting, undestructable Love. This Love would fill you so completely that you never had a need outside of the Flame. The Flame would be enough, His Love would be your everything. So may each of us draw near to the Ember and Breath so that Love will spread like Wild Fire.... He won't relent; His Love won't allow Him to ever stop trying to get your whole heart! As you breath and practice the Cresent Lunge, Breath into the Fire and let it consume all of your heart! This poses exposes your heart and opens your soul up for God to kindle His loving Flame and reveal Who's you are.....Breath and let the Heat comfort you!

CRESENT LUNGE POSE DESCRIPTION:
~ Start from Mountain Pose
~ Lunge your right foot, right foot only, back. Staying on the ball of the foot.
~ Bending the left knee, but keeping it from extending out over the toes.
~ If this is too much, lower your right knee and flatten your foot
~ Next take both hands to prayer
~ Slowly reaching your hands towards the sky
~ Then if you have it available reach your hands back, slightly arching the spine
~ Continue to lengthen through the crown of the head and honor your low back
~ Again the right knee can be lowered and foot flattened
~ Breath deeply and feel the heat rising from within, relate this to His Love overtaking every cell of your body and until your heart is full. Hold here for 10-15 breaths
~ Repeat other side

SONG SUGGESTIONS:
White As Snow by Jon Foreman
Mystery by Phil Wickham
Love That Will Not Let Me Go by Ascend the Hill

mERRY ChRISTmAS....We lOvE yOu!!!

Week 5/52 week challenge!!!!

MEDITATION/MESSAGE


This pose is called the windmill pose. A windmill is a device that harnesses a natural source of energy; the wind. God is in the wind; the wind is the Breath of Heaven. Our device to draw close and harness the Ultimate Power has always been a quiet contraption that lies deep between our hearts and lungs. It is there that the Breath of Heaven gets caught in the blades of our soul and is transformed into His perfect energy source. This pose is about His transforming Power and His Promise to always be at work within us; drawing us nearer to Himself. Finishing the work He began....Capturing us and releasing us as He infuses His breath, His strength and His steadfast Love, again and again! The verse for this pose is from Psalms the book we can all find ourselves in; our delights and our doubts, our triumphs and our struggles, our praises and our cries. The one that fits this pose best seems to be Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

I do not know if you are in the valley at the moment or at the top of the hill but either way we need the Power source. However, we often only tend to recognize we need it in the valley; perhaps this is why God invites us into the valley to begin with... He calls us there to connect back to the Power source. He wants our attention and affection and He invites us there out of His own steadfast Love for each of us. If you have ever seen a field of windmills you will recognize that whether they are at the top of the hill or deep in the valley they are still turning, still capturing whatever wind they find there. May you find God in every breath and ask Him to be your power source whether in the valley or on the peak. May you sing praises as you turn, twist and twirl in His Wind; as you delight in the Breath of Heaven. May your soul find the promise of a pure heart and the energy of a steadfast spirit renewed by the Wind...


WINDMILL POSE DESCRIPTION
~ Starting from Mountain pose, gently lift your right knee
~Hugging it with both hands and drawing it in towards your chest as you are able
~ You can stop here. You can spend time here breathing and learning to draw near the Source
~If you would like to go deeper keep your left hand on your knee, keeping the knee hugged in tight
~rotating your chest towards the right side of the body
~then extend the right arm out and away from your midline
~rise up through the crown of the head and create length and breath deeply of His Promise
~If you have it available you can begin to extend the leg, holding onto the thigh, calve, blade of the foot or wrapping two fingers around the great toe
~only extending as you are able and then connecting through breath and prayer back to the Wind
~Hold for 10-12 breaths
~Repeat on the other leg


SONG SUGGESTIONS
Breath of Heaven by Sara Groves
Spark by Andrew Ripp
Please Be My Strength by Gungor

MEDITATION/MESSAGE

BUILDING STRENGTH ~Being human, we have an inherent predisposition to sin, and living the “Christian life,” the way God calls HIS people to live, can be quite a challenge. We may find ourselves weak and lacking the strength to turn away from our natural instinct to sin. Everyday trials can be discouraging. In times such as these, we need to be reminded that our strength does not come from ourselves, but from the Lord. The Holy Spirit, who lives within every believer, supplies the power we need to overcome. As our relationship with the Lord is strengthened, we begin to experience a shift from our human nature to sin into HIS perfect way.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Throughout the Bible, there are stories of men and women who actually failed and rose back up to face their challenges by learning how to obtain strength from God. I pray that these Scriptures will strengthen and encourage you in your walk with Jesus.

this is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1

The Psalms of David are filled with references to strength. David found through life’s tribulations that God was always a present help. In fact, David is the model of someone who didn't’ always get things right the first time and would need God to come to the rescue. Even though David was imperfect, the Bible calls him a man after God’s own heart!

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

DOLPHIN POSE DESCRIPTION

Starting from hands and knees,

·         Bring the forearms to the ground

·         Elbows directly under the shoulders

·         Hands directly in front of the elbows

Once the connection between the base of the pose and the shoulders has been established,

·         Take your gaze back towards the feet

·         Tuck the toes under to lift up into Dolphin

·         Press the hips back and up as if going into Downward-Facing Dog

·         Letting the head hang freely to release tension in the neck

·         Evenly lengthen the front and back of the torso

·         Notice what the spine is doing, working to lengthen it by slightly bending the knees if necessary

·         Keep stretching down through the heels and lifting through the inner thighs. Breathe into the shoulders and melt the heart toward the shins

Hold for 10 to 15 breaths and then release your knees to the floor and sit back in Child's pose

Dolphin is a great pose for building strength in preparation for more challenging inversion poses, like, headstand and forearm stand. Developing strength in the muscles of the shoulder girdle, stabilizing the scapulae and teaching you to carry weight on the forearms, which is necessary for protecting the head and neck. Dolphin Pose also opens the chest and aligns the shoulders, and serves as a starting point for lifting the legs into the full inversion.

Week 4/52 Week Challenge

MEDITATION/MESSAGE

What is it in human nature that makes us vulnerable to temptation and open to sin?

Adam and Eve were created apart from sin, and without the need to sin, in spite of this some characteristic in their genetic makeup allowed sin to enter their lives (Gen. 3:6, 7). The scripture tells us that there are 2 characteristics that led to this:

→    For Eve, the doorway that sin entered her life was through self-deception, the choice to believe a lie (Gen 3:13).

→    For Adam it was self-will, his choice to ignore God’s voice of authority (Gen 3:17).

Sin is simply an attitude or action that opposes the character and will of God, resulting in separation between man and God. Self-deception and self-will both remain as hurdles in our own lives today, allowing sin to continue to take root and produce its toxic fruits. That is until Christ enters our lives and “bridges” the gap, breaking the bond of sin and empowering us to resist it.

“Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”(John 10:7, 9-10 NIV)

The “Bridge,” formed by Jesus Christ, can be presented in four sections:

God’s Love

• The Bible teaches that God loves us, and that He wants us to live life to the fullest.
• Man was created to spend time with God, to be His friend, and to experience His love
• Man was not created as a robot, God gave man free will

Man’s Problem

• Man often turns his back on God.
• The result of man’s sin is separation from God.
• All men start in a similarly hopeless situation.
• God’s opinion is the truth about us.

God’s Remedy

• God still loves us and desires that we know Him personally
• There is nothing WE, as humans, can do to bridge the gap, it is only done through Jesus Christ, who is God and also man
• When Christ died voluntarily on the cross, he took our place. He paid the penalty for each of us and bridged the gap

Man’s Response

• Christ made it possible for us to cross over to God, but we get to chose to demonstrate that we believe Christ has done this for us
• Praying to God, we can come before God and discuss our sins, and receive Jesus to bring us back before God clean and new
• Believing in Christ also teaches us how to begin to believe, and to come to know that  what He says in Scripture is truth.(www.bible.org)

 

BRIDGE POSE DESCRIPTION

Imagine agreeing, with the “bridge” of Christ, as we enter into Bridge Pose

1.   Start lying flat on your back, with arms at your sides

2.   Bend both knees and set the feet FLAT on the floor, heels as close to the sitting bones as possible.

*the feet and legs are slightly apart but should be parallel

3.   Exhale, and press the palms and heels actively into the floor, raise your buttocks until the thighs are about parallel to the floor. Keep your knees directly over the heels, while pushing them forward, away from the hips

4.   Roll onto the shoulders if possible and lift the chest

5.   Tuck the chin in lengthening through the back of the neck

6.   If comfortable, reach with the hands and interlace the fingers

Stay in the pose anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute. Release with an exhalation, rolling the spine slowly down onto the floor

The Bridge is a very simple, but powerful pose. There are many variations you may add to the basic posture. One variation is one leg up, as shown in the picture.

-From the basic Bridge pose, lift one leg and bring the foot up toward the ceiling. This is a simple variation but as you practice, be sure not to allow the hips to drop. Lower the leg and repeat on the other side.

* If you have experienced a neck injury please take caution in this pose, it would be best practiced under the supervision of an experienced teacher.

Benefits

Stretches the chest, neck, and spine

Calms the brain and helps alleviate stress and mild depression

Stimulates abdominal organs, lungs, and thyroid

Rejuvenates tired legs

Improves digestion

Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause

MEDITATION/MESSAGE, FINAL RELATION POSE DESCRIPTION

~ Find a space on your mat and lie down on your back

~ Allowing your feet to fall out and away from you

~ Placing your hands at your sides, palms facing up

~Close your eyes

~ Find a comfortable rhythm for your breath

*Begin to let go, starting with your head.

Imagine your head growing heavy, and feeling His hands cup your head. Holding you allowing you to simply Rest In Him. As He kisses your forehead, He removes all the thoughts that are not His from your precious mind.

*Letting the relaxation move through your neck and over your shoulders. As you imagine HIs hands upon your shoulders. They are not weighted but instead just offer the warmth and presence of a light yoke that will guide and comfort you along the way. As He gentle squeezes you feel all your burdens fall to the floor. *Feeling the warmth travel down your arms finally reaching your hands. Your arms are completely relaxed and you feel Him take your hands into His own. Your eyes have no chose but to meet His and your see as He wants you to see. Your focus becomes Him and all of your worries fade into a blur. *The warmth moves back up the arms and over the shoulders, quietly exploding into your lungs. Feeling your rib and knowing it is of Him. Recognizing each breath as His breath of life and of freedom. He breathes into you each breath, giving you life again and again. You are alive and you are His. *Allowing the warmth to move through your core and arrive at your hips. Feeling the vulnerability here. Knowing that this is where He weeps with you. The place where we may burry our heads and weep. You feel Him comfort you there. Drawing you in and weeping with you! *The relaxation still traveling down through the legs and into the feet. As you look on you see Him kneel and begin to wash your feet. Perhaps you cannot recognize, but it is Him who washes your feet. Feeling the absolute gift as He washes you clean and serves you in a way like no one has ever done. You find humility and freedom with every brush of His hand. * Finally, you realize you are His and He is with you. Now simply Rest In Him.

**** P.S. if you give me 24hrs I am going to attempt to record an audio reading of this meditation so that you can simply push play and then listen to it as you practice the pose.

SONG SUGGESTIONS

All that I can say by David Crowder Band

Love Came Down(If my heart is overwhelmed) by Brian Johnson

All Around me by David Crowder