Go Placidly Amid the Noise and Haste

Many people ask me what kind of yoga I teach. They know it’s Holy Yoga and the intention is connecting with Jesus but what about the physical part?

Isn’t that like us? I do it too…there is this, “Yah, Yah but what kind of a work out am I getting?” We are more interested in calories burned and hardened abs and HOW QUICKLY CAN I LOSE 5 POUNDS???

We are rushed in life.  Why would it be any different in our workouts?

But here’s the thing…Yoga is not just a work out.  And Holy Yoga is certainly not just a work out.

A lovely woman came to my class for the first time last week and afterward said, “That was great, I worked out and went to church.”  I feel this way too after Holy Yoga and that’s why I love it but I can’t help but wonder…Am I multitasking my faith?

Faith can’t be rushed.  It grows and builds and we mature and God does a new thing in us but it takes time. We learn patience and trust.

In Matthew 11:28 we hear this from Jesus, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  Doesn’t that sound lovely?

God is not in a hurry.  But He is always right on time.

I remember reading the book, “The Hurried Child” when my kids were young and making a conscious effort to not hurry my kids, to not be in a hurry, to not rush around and panic.  Truth is, I failed miserably at times.  But there has always been an awareness in me, a longing for peace and calm.  I realized that I couldn’t get that on my own since the world was shouting, “HURRY UP YOU ARE LATE!” but I could get that peace and calm through my walk with Jesus.

When I feel anxious, I can physically feel panic and hurry in my heart and in my body and my mind now.  I recognize the signs. I feel overwhelmed and that is my cue to get with Jesus. Breathe. Move.  I can do all three of those things right here in my office or on a walk or in my living room.  My favorite way to get those three things together is to do Holy Yoga.

Not to push or force myself into a handstand or do something fancy that will look amazing on Instagram, but to get quiet and be with the Lord who is gentle and takes things slow.  The hardest part about surrendering to this gentleness is the way we treat ourselves.  We rush ourselves, pushing change and believing that transformation can and must happen overnight. We are not gentle with ourselves.  It all begins there really.

So when people ask me about the physical part of my Holy Yoga classes, I recognize they really want to know, I can’t dismiss it and say, “It’s not about that” even though it’s not.  I let them know that it’s not about performance, it’s about connecting with your body and your soul. It’s about appreciating the gift of your body.  It’s about opening your heart, accepting where you are and trusting.

Sounds a lot like our faith walk, huh?

I was inspired today by an article I read on Facebook.  In it, the author, J. Brown, says about Yoga, “Slower is Stronger” and “Gentle is the New Advanced”.  Here’s the link to the article if you are interested.  http://www.jbrownyoga.com/blog/2015/4/slow-yoga-revolution

I love this line:

People are discovering again that yoga is not necessarily something you do to yourself so much as something you do with yourself. -J. Brown

This whole thing…yoga…walking with Jesus…Life…it can seem overwhelming and we can feel behind and not enough.  We can feel like we need to hurry up or we will be left alone, we will be forgotten, we will be unhealthy and sick and weak.  Think about if a friend came to you and honestly poured out her heart and told you she feels all these things.  What would you do? You would encourage her and love her and tell her you are with her and she can do it.  Would you demand she throw away all the chocolate, run 5 miles today, mend all her relationships this hour and immediately confess all her sins?

No.  You would not.  You would be kind and understanding and compassionate toward her.  You would be gentle.

That’s a good place to start with yourself too.

©2015 Sue Bidstrup, Great Big Yes™, All Rights Reserved

I just found saw this and had to share. So funny. No rush. Jesus. Breathe. Move. 🙂