I began yoga practice in college during my junior year. I began in a very small class, led by one of my friends. I then got real excited when I found out one of my instructors taught Hot Yoga, or yoga done in a room that's kept at 90 degrees or hotter. I did that for awhile. When I moved back to Lawrence after graduating from JBU, I went to the yoga classes at KU and supplemented with some Baron Baptiste DVDs. And then when I moved to Austin, I began attending yoga classes at 24 Hour Fitness. So you could say I'm pretty experienced with yoga in general and have attended several types of classes: Hot, Hatha, Vinyasa Flow, Power, and on and on.
In preparation for a talk I'm going to give about Stress Management next month at Camp Eagle, I mentioned to the coordinator that one of the practical experiences I could do was to lead the class in some yoga moves, since yoga is a very highly recommended stress management technique. He wasn't too thrilled, and I was confused. I've had my fair share of "weird" classes, but have not bought into any of the Buddhist or New Age concepts that are often a part of a yoga "practice." In short, I've learned to remain a believing, passionate Christian while also practicing yoga. The coordinator is a good friend of mine, so I asked why he would be uncomfortable with me doing this. He explained that a lot of his professors at Denver Theological Seminary were against it, and he didn't want to step on any toes or lead anyone astray. I conceded that he was the coordinator, so I would respect his wishes.
But what's the big deal? I decided to find out.
Basically, both me and the coordinator have been searching through articles on either side of the issue, trying to not only figure out the truth but also how to present this topic to the students who will be listening. We want THEM to decide and have a good discussion. We've found everything - pros, cons, cautions. And I have to say that I don't know the answer.
I do know, however, that I am not sensing from the Holy Spirit anything negative when I practice yoga. I simply do yoga for the physical, fitness benefits. It's a GREAT workout and really helps to keep me flexible. If there is ever a moment in a class where I'm sensing something New Age-y, I just shut my mind off. I pray. I think about something else. And so far it's worked for me. I believe that you can practice yoga for the fitness and not the spiritual.
I know believers, strong believers that I deeply respect and trust, who have conflicting opinions. So I'm wondering if it's just one of those issues like drinking, baptism, or any other "non-essential" in the Christian life? As with those issues, the real matter is your heart. Where are you at? I think that, above all else, is the only thing you can have an answer to.
I would love to hear anyone's thoughts, too!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Lessons from the 33 Miners
If you were like me, you were captivated yesterday, glued to CNN, watching every moment of the miraculous rescue of the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for over 2 months.
I had to stop watching a couple times because I was actually tearing up at work! I was listening to the news anchors discuss the joy and hope that was being displayed, and just reveled at how this single event on another continent was giving me and others around me such joy. There is an element of humanity and mortality, and how we all know we will face death, but to almost face it and be rescued is glorious! We are drawn to such stories and people because we see hope, which is not very prominently spoken of today. We see that the bad can be made good, and brokenness can be restored.
How much more is our relationship with Christ? We were sinners, in the darkness, wandering around, and he came and gave us LIGHT and freedom and joy. He took us out of the pit and brought us into new life with joy and hope and restoration! What I witnessed yesterday on TV was such a beautiful real-life illustration of what God has done for us and why Christians should be joyful and hopeful. I am searching for a picture of the family reunions that can print off and hang on my wall. I want to be reminded of this joy everyday!
I had to stop watching a couple times because I was actually tearing up at work! I was listening to the news anchors discuss the joy and hope that was being displayed, and just reveled at how this single event on another continent was giving me and others around me such joy. There is an element of humanity and mortality, and how we all know we will face death, but to almost face it and be rescued is glorious! We are drawn to such stories and people because we see hope, which is not very prominently spoken of today. We see that the bad can be made good, and brokenness can be restored.
How much more is our relationship with Christ? We were sinners, in the darkness, wandering around, and he came and gave us LIGHT and freedom and joy. He took us out of the pit and brought us into new life with joy and hope and restoration! What I witnessed yesterday on TV was such a beautiful real-life illustration of what God has done for us and why Christians should be joyful and hopeful. I am searching for a picture of the family reunions that can print off and hang on my wall. I want to be reminded of this joy everyday!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Happy Fall!
First post of October! I'd like to highlight some fun new stuff that I've done in the past few weeks:
1. Last night was my first visit to a Texas high school football game. If you're not from Texas, it's ok, you may be confused as to why this is such a major event. IT'S BIG. One of my friends is a tennis coach/teacher at a local high school, so she volunteered her free passes so we could go. Another friend that went used to be in marching band like me, and we got there just in time for halftime, thus my experience started with comparing Texas high school marching band to my experience in Kansas. Some differences include the twirler chick who throws the baton (raised from infancy with private tutors), only 2 drum majors (not dependent on size of band), and most notably that the marching band attends ALL games, even away games. So at halftime, the away team goes first and then the home team. Weird. As far as the game goes, the most disturbing thing was that there was no student section! No school spirit! All the students were spread out! How silly, right?
After my experience, my friend remarked to me that the game I just saw was not representative of a true game, and that I would need to visit a more rural location to get the full cultural experience. I'm looking forward to it!
2. I ate at my first food trailer in Austin. Food trailers seem to be a unique occurrence, as several of my friends have remarked they aren't that common elsewhere. Needless to say, the food was amazing and so was the experience. A lot of local Austin restaurants get their start in a trailer, so it's usually a good bet - and pretty cheap!
3. Another food one. I ate at a restaurant called Frank, which served gourmet hot dogs, anything pork, and yes, even a chocolate bacon martini. (Yuck, right? Apparently my friend who ordered it didn't think it was that bad!) The restaurant was really well decorated, with lots of "old" or unique items, like this sweet fan thing on the ceiling that was connected to one motor. Anyways, it was also in downtown Austin, which makes it that much more fun.
4. I love fall in Texas.
5. I just finished the book Atonement by Ian McEwan. Overall, I would not recommend it. All of the people on the back cover seemed to like it (but don't they always?) and even compared him to Jane Austen. Woah, buddy. I found it to be overdescriptive and had a really unnatural, odd plot. The premise of the book (from the back cover) is that little Briony, aged 12 or so, witness a flirtation between her sister and a family friend the same age. Because Briony doesn't have a grasp on adult motives and is just growing up herself, it results in a crime that spans year and years.
After reading that introduction, I started reading the book waiting for the event to happen that would supposedly change the course of everything. Well, it happened, but I didn't see any huge ramifications right away, and so was pretty disappointed. Then, another event happens that I think they actually meant to say was THE event, which in turn does effect a lot of things in the future. So I was thrown off for about half the book. In normal plot structure, you get a few pages of introducing the characters, then a problem arises. The rest of the book is full of ups and downs as the problem is worked out and finally resolved. This book did not follow that structure, so it was really hard to follow and lacked momentum. At times, the chapters were written from the point of view of the mother (who wasn't a main character) or trailed off talking about one of the main character's war experiences. And I had a lot of questions at the end. A LOT. And a lot of ways I thought it could've been a better book. Sigh.
6. Did I mention I love fall in Texas? It's 75 degrees and sunny outside right now!
1. Last night was my first visit to a Texas high school football game. If you're not from Texas, it's ok, you may be confused as to why this is such a major event. IT'S BIG. One of my friends is a tennis coach/teacher at a local high school, so she volunteered her free passes so we could go. Another friend that went used to be in marching band like me, and we got there just in time for halftime, thus my experience started with comparing Texas high school marching band to my experience in Kansas. Some differences include the twirler chick who throws the baton (raised from infancy with private tutors), only 2 drum majors (not dependent on size of band), and most notably that the marching band attends ALL games, even away games. So at halftime, the away team goes first and then the home team. Weird. As far as the game goes, the most disturbing thing was that there was no student section! No school spirit! All the students were spread out! How silly, right?
After my experience, my friend remarked to me that the game I just saw was not representative of a true game, and that I would need to visit a more rural location to get the full cultural experience. I'm looking forward to it!
2. I ate at my first food trailer in Austin. Food trailers seem to be a unique occurrence, as several of my friends have remarked they aren't that common elsewhere. Needless to say, the food was amazing and so was the experience. A lot of local Austin restaurants get their start in a trailer, so it's usually a good bet - and pretty cheap!
3. Another food one. I ate at a restaurant called Frank, which served gourmet hot dogs, anything pork, and yes, even a chocolate bacon martini. (Yuck, right? Apparently my friend who ordered it didn't think it was that bad!) The restaurant was really well decorated, with lots of "old" or unique items, like this sweet fan thing on the ceiling that was connected to one motor. Anyways, it was also in downtown Austin, which makes it that much more fun.
4. I love fall in Texas.
5. I just finished the book Atonement by Ian McEwan. Overall, I would not recommend it. All of the people on the back cover seemed to like it (but don't they always?) and even compared him to Jane Austen. Woah, buddy. I found it to be overdescriptive and had a really unnatural, odd plot. The premise of the book (from the back cover) is that little Briony, aged 12 or so, witness a flirtation between her sister and a family friend the same age. Because Briony doesn't have a grasp on adult motives and is just growing up herself, it results in a crime that spans year and years.
After reading that introduction, I started reading the book waiting for the event to happen that would supposedly change the course of everything. Well, it happened, but I didn't see any huge ramifications right away, and so was pretty disappointed. Then, another event happens that I think they actually meant to say was THE event, which in turn does effect a lot of things in the future. So I was thrown off for about half the book. In normal plot structure, you get a few pages of introducing the characters, then a problem arises. The rest of the book is full of ups and downs as the problem is worked out and finally resolved. This book did not follow that structure, so it was really hard to follow and lacked momentum. At times, the chapters were written from the point of view of the mother (who wasn't a main character) or trailed off talking about one of the main character's war experiences. And I had a lot of questions at the end. A LOT. And a lot of ways I thought it could've been a better book. Sigh.
6. Did I mention I love fall in Texas? It's 75 degrees and sunny outside right now!
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