for us, yoga is…
a form of prayer, praise, and worship. Whether its child’s pose as a prayer of submission before the Creator, vinyasa that becomes a dance of praise, or shavasana providing the stillness and silence necessary to hear the whisper of God’s voice, yoga allows us to commit the thoughts of our mind, movement of our body, and desires of our heart to the purpose for which we were created.
breath
Breathing is essential to our existence, but not only in the way that it sustains us physically, but in the purpose it gives us as God’s creation. Many familiar with yoga will recognize and subscribe to the many added benefits of breathing including lowering heartrate, stabilizing blood pressure, providing mental clarity, and relieving stress. Interestingly enough breath also creates space, allowing us to physically extend, reach, and move into positions we couldn’t without the breath.
We draw on this concept of breath, the space that it allows us to move into, for our spiritual application. According to the psalmist we were created with breath to praise God our creator. As we consider and commit the most basic element of our being, conscious or unconscious, with or without words, back to the one who gave it to us first, we find ourselves drawing nearer to him, back into the wonderful space of his glorious presence.
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
Psalm 150:6 (NIV)
“So by all means, then, use your body to bring glory to God!”
1 Corinthians 6:20b (TPT)
movement
Our bodies were designed and created to move. In fact, sitting is a fairly new problem in human history, something we’ve made into an art form that we’re now finding is linked to chronic disease and debilitating conditions. Yoga is one way we can reverse this process as we reacquaint ourselves with movement, becoming more aware and mindful of how we move while strengthening bones and muscles, increasing flexibility and durability, and adding health benefits that extend to the brain, heart, and lungs.
Ultimately, our desire is to honor God through our movement. We are mindful and intentional, taking captive every thought as it applies to our body and position, making it obedient to Christ. Our vinyasas transform into dances of praise & worship and we take on postures of strength and stability to build up our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, poses that makes us feel vulnerable or uncomfortable serve as a reminder of the things we need to surrender as God calls us to move by faith into places of promise and healing.
mindset
Many can attest to the feeling of relaxation and calm that comes to mind and body through yoga. A calm mind can help bring awareness, focus, and clarity to our thoughts. Through meditation and mindfulness we have an opportunity to approach our thoughts with honesty, claiming truth while identifying thoughts that do not serve us and replacing them with those that do. The goal is a healthy state of mind, crucial to our daily outlook on life as it shapes perspective, perception, and ultimately our experience.
We believe that the mind and heart are inextricably linked and instead of trying to control our mind through yoga, we use this space to surrender our thoughts to the desires of a pure heart, one in which God sits on the throne. Instead of chanting and mantras we engage in prayer and meditation on Scripture paired with songs of praise to set a tone of worship. Using the gift of silence and stillness in our practice we listen for God’s voice and invite the Spirit into the sacred space of our hearts.
With hearts set on him, our minds follow with thoughts that not only serve us, but more importantly serve him. The result is a greater experience of him and his presence, a life of fullness and abundance with our outlook, perspective, and perception dominated by his truth, joy, peace, and love.
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
1 Corinthians 6:20b (TPT)
If you have any questions regarding our yoga program, practice, or beliefs please feel free to contact us at hello@wowyogaretreat.com
