Week 9/52 week Challenge....Thank you for your support!!!!

MEDITATION/MESSAGE

Fear is a natural and necessary part of staying alive. However, moments arise when we lose ourselves in a “trance of fear” and anxious thoughts and emotions take over, confusing the larger truths God has for our lives. We forget the love between us and loved ones; we forget the beauty of God on Earth. We forget God’s promises of goodness and wholeness. We may become so caught up in the fear, expecting troubles to arise becoming unable to just live in the present moment where we are able to connect with our Heavenly father. When we bring the Lord’s presence to the “trance of fear”, we create the chance to become closer to Him, and for the healing of our wounds and fears to begin. In our walk with God, as we learn to face our fears with Him, we discover the love He has for each of us. God created ALL of us with this need to feel loved and understood. Trusting and knowing God has this unconditional presence with each and every one of us, is a true place of restoration that can settle our fears.

Yoga encourages us to push personal limits we may put on ourselves because of fear or many other reasons. As we progress with yoga we will try new poses, some may be very challenging, and will require moving out of our mental and physical comfort zones. This is great practice for us, as we can apply the same stretching of boundaries to our daily life. When we push our own emotional boundaries, fear may become less of an issue for us.

Isaiah 54:4 "Don't be afraid - you're not going to be embarrassed. Don't hold back - you're not going to come up short. You'll forget all about the humiliations of your youth, and the indignities of being a widow will fade from memory."


Matthew 10:28 "Don't be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life - body and soul - in his hands."

STANDING FORWARD BEND POSE DESCRIPTION
Evidence has shown there are a few poses we can embrace in our yoga practice that may help when we’re experiencing fear, one is a standing forward bend.
1. Start standing with the legs together, centering the weight of the body on the balls of the feet
2. Inhale, as you stretch the arms straight up alongside ears, feeling like the entire body is extending upward
3. Exhale, slowly stretching down toward the floor
4. If possible, with knees straight, bring the palms or finger tips to the floor slightly in front of the feet, or bring your palms to the backs of the ankles
~If this isn’t comfortable, cross your forearms and hold the elbows
5.Press the heels firmly into the floor and lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling
6. Breathing gently as you feel the hips stretch upward
~ With each inhalation in the pose, lift and lengthen the front torso just slightly
~ With each exhalation release a little more into the forward bend
~The head and shoulders, hips and legs should stay relaxed, you want to be comfortable, allowing the face, neck and back to relax
~ Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute

~When ready, slowly roll back up, being sure not to move too quickly, you may feel a touch lightheaded

                                              MEDITATION/MESSAGE

You are unique, you are created beautifully, you are His.....Herons are quite the design. They are unique, beautiful birds often captured in photography amongst the stillness of nature. With many different shapes and sizes they implore the creativity of God. Much like we do, as human beings. We are His creation and therefore His Masterpiece and Delight. He loves to gaze lavishly upon us in His stillness and breath deeply of His design. But often the world tells us the opposite; that perhaps we are ugly ducklings instead of remarkable creatures. So today's pose is about you finding stillness to recognize Who's you are, and then celebrating with Him the beauty you possess; for it is His offering of Love. Not the beauty you see, but what He sees. That you will look through His Loving eyes and find yourself captivating. Recognizing His creative design woven into the very fibers of who you are, and with excitement and pleasure you rejoice. Allowing all of the negative beliefs to fall away and embracing the deepest Truth.....You are precious, you are beautiful, you are "the Crescendo of His creation", you are His Masterpiece. But above all else you are His and He does not create with error.....So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them....as we cling to Him, He restores us back to the original beauty He intended to shine in each of us. He draws us into awareness, and as we know Him, we begin to recognize His beauty in ourselves and in others around us. We stop seeing as the world has tried to lead us to see and we begin to see the Light, the glorious, breathtakingly beautiful Light that shines uniquely from the depths of our souls. May the revelation of the Heron rescue you from what you may have been told, and usher you before the Creator to hear the Truth! Take a breath and a moment to listen; He has much to reveal to you today!

HERON POSE DESCRIPTION
~This one requires some warming up. Much like our thoughts must be trained and prepared to believe, so must our bodies be trained and prepared to practice. I recommend standing at the front of your mat and flowing through a "Son" salutation. Orienting yourself to the Creator and His presence. saluting the Son. Flow through this series 5-7 times. Do not worry about having it all correct or memorized, just let your body move and flow through what you do recall. Leave performance at the door and truly enjoy your practice today. Create from the space in which you have been created. Only He can see you and He is delighted, be free and flow.
~Once your muscles are nice and warm, make your way to the floor
~ You can either bend your right knee towards your midline or away from it, whatever feels right to you.
~Right knee bent towards or away, leg is resting on the floor. Left knee bent and drawn in towards the heart, foot firm on the floor. Wrapping your hands around the knee.
~Rising through the crown of the head. Come into awareness of how you are feeling here and embrace the simplicity and beauty of this pose if this is your offering today. Celebrate and breath.
~ If you would like to go further, begin by extending the left leg slightly, taking the foot off of the floor and interlacing the fingers around the soul of the foot. Drawing the knee towards the heart and rising through the crown of the head. Again see the beauty, find His gaze upon you and celebrate with Him.
~ If you like you may deepen your expression by straightening the leg away from you and holding around the thigh, calf, ankle or soul of the foot. Knowing now how beautiful He designed you and embracing it.
~ As you grow in this awareness draw the leg closer and closer towards your heart, until the Truth can no longer be exchanged for the lies. You are His!!!!
~ Repeat other side!

SONG SUGGESTIONS

Remind Me Who I am by Jason Gray

You Saved My Soul by Bryan and Katie Torwalt

Beautiful Things by Gungor

Beloved by Tenth Avenue North