Monday, August 03, 2009

healing


namaste.


need I say more.

I am completely fascinated with yoga. I feel it will be apart of my healing.

My first class was a couple months ago. When I sat down cross legged in that first class and started to breath deep...with my palms facing upwards, I started to...are you ready for this...I started to get emotional. I felt so strongly that I was doing exactly what April needed to be doing with her body. It felt so right, like I had found another clue to my healing quest...in search of those hidden treasures I tell you. (D&C 89:19)

So, for me personally, I feel greatly inspired, with my health in mind, to venture forth on the yoga experiment. Even though I feel greatly awkward in almost every pose I do...I am still learning...still learning.

My teacher is interesting. In the beginning of class while we are engaging in deep breathing, she usually will share some Yogi Wisdom. It is fluffy and nice and yet I feel there is a lot of truth to what she is saying. Today she talked about "growth" and "the whole world suffers when you stop growing" I have a real passion for eastern religion talk...it is all about becoming one with yourself. The only major part missing is that when you truly become one with God you naturally understand your worth...and so becoming one with God allows you to become one with self. Sometimes it is easy to leave God out of the equation with eastern philosophy. But studying world religion in college really opened up my learning experience and I began to see loads of new truth- out there just waiting for me to snatch up.

Today my teacher whipped out a C.S. Lewis book. My thoughts, "ok it is sort of dark in here but I swear the book she is holding is 'Mere Christianity'" And what do you know?...my teacher starts to quote C.S. Lewis- perfect. just perfect.

The words "heal, let the body heal" come to mind when I do yoga. And then again also the words, "I am going to lose all the circulation to my brain and my legs real soon in this pose...I AM BREATHING LADY!!!! Look at the sweat pouring down my face...trust me, I'M definitely living in the NOW. NOW let's change this pose QUICK!!!"

I know, all very funky for some- but I have been on a quest to truly understand the connection between body and spirit- and so therefore yoga just makes complete sense to me...at this step in my life.

so yes to yoga.

I have changed a lot over the years. Janna do you remember when we were 18 or so and we went to a yoga class at 24 hour fitness in Liberty Lake and we laughed so hard we had to leave? We were like, "this is tooo much...I'd rather do kick boxing...did the instructor just say, "become one with the earth?""

times have changed...but I still love Billy Jean.

4 comments:

Dorene said...

April.. you have given me a new perspective on Yoga. It may not be the perspective that is traditional to Yoga but I have a hard time with that one. Too much importance on self and not enough on the more important aspect of our being, our Father in Heaven. Your perspective is one that I can embrace and could even see myself employing perhaps one day. It is important to me that I ignore the humanist element of the art of yoga and incorporate it with my Christian faith. If I could not feel comfortable in adapting it in that way I could participate. You have a healthy outlook on it and I appreciate and respect that. The Eastern philosophies in and of themselves do not appeal to my sense of spiritual faith so I have been somewhat repelled by Yoga. But you are showing me that I could have the best of BOTH worlds, the healing elements of learning to relax and breath etc. and MY faith in Christ the true healer. Thanks! Wishing you good health and deepening faith for us all. Love you!

April said...

You are so right Dorene! Christ is our true healer! And only through Him can our hearts be healed. And through faith in Him he can even heal our bodies, if it is His will, if not, then He will strengthen us through the trial.

I love you too Dorene! My favorite Aunt.

Tiffani said...

Oh, you are inspiring me to go back to yoga. Those poses are HARD but I felt so good!

Calie said...

namaste baby!
April thanks for sharing. I have not been brave enough to try yoga but I will get there one day soon. Love you April.