Part 2 of My Wholeness Journey Recap
~ Body ~
“…Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” – Matthew 11:29
By now you might be wondering about Christian Yoga – and you aren’t the only one! I was introduced to Yoga from a Christian Perspective by Dayna Gelinas (E-RYT 500) from New Day Yoga in April 2019. Prior to that, I had done yoga for about 10 years – but it was simply secular and really focused on the physical exercises. In May 2018, I went to Nepal and experienced yoga in a very spiritual way – but it certainly wasn’t Christian!
My experience in Nepal led me on a journey to find a way to tie my faith and relationship with Jesus to my physical practice of yoga. I had always used yoga as a way to quiet my mind and even pray – but I wanted to go deeper after getting back from Nepal. I wanted to connect my mind, body and soul to Christ through yoga.
After much prayer and contemplation, I decided to go through Yoga Teacher Training from a Christian Perspective through New Day Yoga. And it has changed my life. In November 2019, I will graduate from a 10 month program and become a fully certified Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance – and it will also be from a Christian perspective.
When I think about yoga, I think about rest. And that is exactly what my Wholeness Journey trip confirmed in me. We live in such a busy world, but Jesus simply wants us to rest in his presence. He doesn’t care about all the things on our to-do lists; He doesn’t even care about all the things we’ve done! HE ALREADY DID IT ALL WHEN HE DIED ON THE CROSS!
Christian Yoga is a way to come to your mat and surrender before the Lord. It’s a way to let go of everything you think you should be or could be – and simply ‘be’ as you are and as He’s made you to be. And that is enough.
During our Wholeness Journey trip, we were able to experience and lead women in Christian Yoga. Jesus came to us in a physical body, so it makes sense that we can relate to him in our own physical bodies.
Many of the women we were serving at Casa Transforma had never been led in an exercise to rest. At the end of our yoga sessions, we walked around anointing the women of Casa Transforma with essential oils as they laid on their backs, palms up, resting in ultimate surrender (Savasana) pose. It was a blessing to be the hands and feet of Jesus as we soothed the women with a gentle squeeze of the shoulders and a humble head rub.
One special evening, Vanessa (the founder of Casa Transforma) was able to join one of our Christian yoga sessions. At the end of the practice, she was crying – not because she was sad, but because she felt the love of Jesus during the practice. She felt poured into and refreshed in a way that she hadn’t felt in a long time. Even missionaries can feel burdened and weary. Often, they give out even more than they have to give to the people they care for.
In traditional Sanskrit, the term ‘yoga’ means ‘to yoke.’ I can’t think of anything or anyone that I would rather be yoked to than Jesus. He is the ultimate provider of rest – and that is exactly what I saw in Costa Rica. Jesus can bring rest in body, mind and spirit to even the most weary and burdened.
With Love,
Hannah
…stay tuned for Part 3 & 3… 🙂
