After teaching a Yoga class last week at the gym, one of the gals that comes quite regularly thanked me and we started a conversation that I thought was interesting. I said something about my Church - she proceeded to ask what Church I belonged to and how they felt about me doing "Yoga". She told me that she was also Christian, infact that her husband was a paid paster for a Protestant Church and that she really struggled with the fact that Yoga comes from an actual spiritual religion that did not coincide with her Christian beliefs. I have found a lot of people that actually think this way, not just about Yoga, but other things like going to visit another Church beside your own, or asking questions about why other cultures (or religions) do something the way they do. I feel very intune with my personal convictions and beliefs, yet I thrive on being OPEN-minded and welcoming new ideas and learning more about how others veiw things and why. These questions, experiences, and conversations FACINATE me! As far as "Yoga" goes, I love it! One lady I trained told me she just couldn 't do Yoga because she didn't worship the same God as Yogis - "I could not worship the sun or trees or the stars". I laughed when she said this. That is not what "Yoga" is. Yoga to me, only ADDS on to what I know and believe about God and the "divine" things of this world - it in NO way takes away from my beliefs or changes what I know to be True. Just like I believe that many religions besides my own have peices of goodness and truth to them - that's what I take from all of this. To me, Yoga is about the divine, and the divine is God. There is divine in me cause I am a child of God. Yoga is about celebrating the divine in oneself and in all other things of this world. That is all of God. Chenae and I were talking one day about this and she said something about Yoga means being passionate, aware, and present in whatever you are doing. Like if you are cooking...celebrate it and do it with zeal. Be present - neither looking forward or looking back. Through good times and bad times, breathe, be calm, be still, be aware...Like God says in the scriptures, "Be still and know that I am". I've babbled, but I know what I know and I like this subject about being OPEN and willing to learn and ADD on to what I already know.
3 comments:
Three posts in one day! You're really outdoing yourself chelise! I'm adding a hearty amen to your yoga post...I know we've discussed this before but I believe that learning more just reaffirms my belief in a loving Heavenly Father.
I totally agree. I love yoga! I did a free prenatal yoga class at Destination Maternity store and felt so good because of it. I felt so much more calm and put together afterwards. I really needed that with my third pregnancy and moving soon after!! I miss it.
wow! i got in your blog! in most ways, yoga is more of an exercise experience for me. i feel like its the best cross trainer to add to every persons fitness goals.
its fun to read your babbling.
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