Michelle Thielen with YogaFaith
Recently, I have been pursuing my training to become a yoga instructor. While the desire to train to be a yogi was birthed in me about two years ago, it was initially met with doubts about my capability and so many other potential reasons why it should not be pursued. Typical of my journey, my husband who is my number one cheerleader, prodded me to do the training! He is my encourager!
After looking around at my options, YogaFaith was an easy choice. The heart desire of YogaFaith is “to intimately connect people to Christ; mind, body, spirit and soul…. by providing a safe and nurturing environment… to grow not only in their yoga practice but spiritually and emotionally as well. Leadership and Discipleship are hallmarks woven into the fabric of every YogaFaith Training.”
What I found in my path to my R YFT-200 (Registered YogaFaith Trainer with 200 hours) surpassed my expectations. The thoughts here are a compilation of my thoughts and the highlights of what I learned from YogaFaith. Here are some of the best things I have learned so far:
- Practicing postures of prayer invite my prayer to be more “full bodied” as it includes my physical posture and my heart posture. When my body joins my heart in communicating humility, requests, gratitude, worship and love to my Father God, it is a deeper experience. Sometimes it almost feels like a dance!
- Head, Heart, Hips and Heels – Check my standing. When in a standing posture, the invitation to check the alignment of my head, my heart, my hips and my heels identifies wrong structure. When my foundation is off my balance is naturally off. This plays true in life. When my heart posture or leaning toward the Lord is off, my overall equilibrium is unstable.
- Aligning my body with physical discipline in conjunction with YogaFaith strangely creates change and improvement in all areas. The practice of yoga in this way is literally a full body experience.
- Learning about Breath Prayers, Lectio Divina and Soaking Prayers filled me with such happy anticipation about where and how I could incorporate them into the future. Tim and I have recently completed the work for certification to serve as chaplains for Samaritan’s Purse RRT(Rapid Response Team). The idea of offering a physical component such as yoga to my faith really opened my mind. The idea of increasing my physical strength while deepening my spiritual self seems to connect as if it should have always been this way. These breath and prayer practices include reading, meditation, reflection, prayer, response and contemplation. In some ways it feels like offering a blessing or guiding prayer. Some refer to these prayers as “centering prayers.” I love that idea.
- Yoked Breath – Because God formed man by breathing life into Him, we focus on our breathing the Word of God connecting with our center of thought. (So the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, breathed life into his lungs and the man became a living being.” Gen 2: 7) Breathing more purposefully and with deepness improves clarity and strength. Breathing out toxins clears room for health and healing. The illustration of decluttering the garage so that the car could be parked in it related this truth. Where will the new things that God desires to give me go if I don’t make space for Him? I must find time to declutter my inside so that I can make more space for the Holy Spirit to work in me. Ezekiel 37:3 says, “…I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.” I desire to have new life breathed into me and to live a fresh testimony.
- Mudras encourage a focus which brings a sense of calm and peace. When attempting balancing positions, it is key to success to find a point about 4-6 feet in front of you to stare out with intention. This spot must not move or else you will move or wobble. Regardless of my commitment to a mudra, my own tree posture is still a bit wobbly. Looking at a moving object will make you fall or lose your posture. The thought of focusing on Christ as my mudra to give me strength and stability is very applicable. Some of the verses that speak to this action are Psalm 63:4 I will praise you as long as I live. I will lift up my hands in prayer to your name.” Again, the alignment in the beginning a posture starts with our feet or our foundation followed by our hips or mid section. Centering our gaze as we focus our hearts and our gaze or mudra brings us to a steady, strong posture. Mudras aid in our alignment and stability.
- One of my favorite postures has always been child’s pose. This position is the most perfect for a breath prayer, for an extension of our prayer focus, for a moment of rest, for an invitation to extend our arms and back along with an appeal to humble ourselves before our Creator God. This humble posture reflects our heart posture when we come before our Creator. In the Psalms, David repeatedly lifts his hands as he encourages others to do the same. I Kings 8:22 in Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication “…Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.” My favorite verse on this idea is Psalm 143: 6 “I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.”
- I need to be filled up with Jesus to be able to pour out to others. While this is not unique to yoga, the truth of being healthy in my whole person frees me to give to others. If my focus is inward, my concentration is not outward or sensitive toward other’s needs. If my inner person is not healthy, i go out into the world needy. Working on being wholly healthy restores my body, soul and spirit. The practice of yoga through YogaFaith embodies a vigorous and hearty life.
- My inner life must be clean first if my outer life is to be clean. If my inner man is parched or broken, my outer man has no chance of health. Only the Spirt of the Living God has the power to restore and fill me with His power and grace. Balance is caring for all of me, not just my outer body that is visible. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me.” Ps 51:10
- Ikigai, a Japanese idea, coverts into a beautiful illustration. It is about discovering what truly matters to you and living a life filled with purpose and joy. The four elements are 1.) What you love (passion) – what brings you joy and enthusiasm. 2.) What you are good at (vocation) – Your skills and talents. 3.) What the world needs (mission) – Contributing to something meaningful 4.) What you can get paid for (profession) – how you make your living doing what you love
- It feels good to do what God made me to do.
My heart’s desire is to pursue the abundant life which is only available through vertical living. The veil is thin between heaven and hell. I desire to live with my eyes wide open asking God for a keen sense of awareness of His presence and working. “These are places where heaven and hell are only separated by the thinest of veils, places where God is so present, that if we pay attention to the present, we will know the depths of our being that he stands over us, below us, before us, behind us, to our left and within us….As sacred space holders, it is our priestly role to point them towards recognizing and identifying these thin places – both within and without.” – Michelle Thielen, Founder of YogaFaith
My desire is to hold sacred space for myself and others.
Once again, I aim to live with my eyes wide open, attentive and aware. I aim to be emboldened and equipped to share the good news of the gospel. I aim to inspire the listening to the still voice of God. I aim to see the fluttering movement of this thin veil. I aim to embrace abundant life as I embrace my everyday.
Obviously, I cannot clearly see the path ahead on my journey, but I am grateful for the opportunity to grow in this area of physical and spiritual strength. My heart is full of gratitude for Michelle as she has done the work in this area of Christian yoga.
To God be the glory!
(All scripture is taken from the NASV.)
Join the conversation on this topic on Embrace Your Everyday podcast.
Find out more about YogaFaith.
More on FAITH:
I Knew Jesus Before He was a Christian, and I Liked Him Better Then.
Biblical Literacy at Home: 7 Easy Ways to Grow Your Children Spiritually
Books on Amazon:
Hum of the Home: Routines and Rhythms of Homemaking
Nurturing My Nest: Intentional Home Building and Custom Built Education
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