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10/13/2019 0 Comments Leaning into the Back Body with Yoga Growing up my Mom drove a big station wagon that had simulated wood paneling and seats that faced out the back window. Anytime my brother and I started to get into it, in an attempt to silence the argument, her hand would reach back and start aimlessly waving hoping to gently strike one of us. As much as we tried to suck our bodies to one side or the other, she always seemed to make contact with one of us, while still driving perfectly fine! How many of us could say that we are fully aware of the space that is behind us? Because our eyes face forward, we see straight ahead along with an ability to view things in the peripheral. For me, the only time I’m aware of what’s behind me is when I’m trying on clothing at the store and needing to catch a peek at my backside in a 3-sided mirror or perhaps when I’m walking down a dark alley at night. It’s rare that we contemplate that which is behind us. The space that is behind us is our “back body”. To bring intelligence and presence to this side of the body that we don’t see, is a skill to be learned in our yoga practice. Whether we are working over a computer screen, cradling a baby, or striving in the pursuit of our dreams, it’s easy to see how quickly we can get off balance with forward momentum. When we are leaning forward, gravity drags us down and over time accumulates tension and strain of our muscles and skeletal structure. On the yoga mat we use physical postures, breath and a mindful focus on God’s word to offset our worldly stress and to positively support body structure. It’s here that we find the ability to counter lean into this unseen area of the back body with confidence and an upright stance. As far as I know, there’s only 3 people with an innate ability to perceive that which goes on behind us, our mothers, best friends and God. My mom obviously had eyes on the back of her head while my best friends have my back, but they are not always around when I need them most. Thankfully God’s my rear Guard (Isaiah 52:12) and He gives me all around support, all the time. Join us this Wednesday at noon as we learn what it means to bring our awareness to the back body and how God’s got your back!
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10/6/2019 0 Comments Your Eyes Stay Focused in Yoga
9/21/2019 0 Comments Change Happens in Life and YogaI was packing for my recent trip and developing quite a mound of personal items. It became rather apparent that flying standby would require taking a lot less items! I wasn’t going to be able to handle those extra tops, dresses and toiletries and it was forcing me to pair-down to the “must have only’s” in order to achieve carry on. I sat on the edges of the tiny suitcase, managed to barely zip it up, and I was free to take off and enjoy!
Life can be the same. What items are you carrying around with you that might be too hard to handle? God has equipped us to carry things in our own backpack of life and things of which we either need to release control over or ask for the help of others to pack for us! He has us covered either way. Corinthians 8:13-20 The Message (MSG)“So here’s what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart’s been in the right place all along. You’ve got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can’t. The heart regulates the hands. This isn’t so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you’re shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end you come out even…” In that same vein, I have done some soul searching and determined that offering 3 classes a week is more than I can handle. Starting this week we will be moving to one class offering a week: Wednesday at noon. I know this won’t work for everyone’s schedule, and I’m sorry for this. But, I pray that God will work out details in your work and life activities such that you can continue to come to class and enjoy retreats and workshops. More to come on that later. For now, I’m packing my bags on Monday at 8am and Thursday evenings at 7m. Join us this week for our first week of one class a week: Wednesday at 12pm! 9/11/2019 0 Comments Is Sleeping in Corpse Pose Ok? When is it appropriate to fall into deep sleep? Have you seen the movie “Overcomer” yet? Without giving it away, it’s a beautiful story about the power of God’s redemption and relational reconciliation. I very much enjoy financially supporting faith-based movies and wish I didn’t agree with the rotten tomatoes 4/5 critics giving it a green splat. When the guy next to us snored LOUDLY through much of the movie, I couldn’t blame him. My friend and I both agreed that it certainly made sense as to why his counterpart was seated a few rows back.
I’ve heard people say that they love the final pose of a yoga class, the corpse pose, because they can fall asleep. In Frogpose yoga class this pose signals our practice has come to an end, but it’s not an invitation to go to sleep. On the contrary, corpse pose is an active pose. It’s at this critical time where we can apply all that we’ve learned about God’s word and truth in class, and let it quietly and gently saturate our minds. It’s a literal dying to self and awakening of the mind to further meditate on how God wants to use this new information in our bodies. This deep rest of our face, torso, arms and legs, hands and feet, allows our brainwaves to move into the state of creativity, spiritual awakening and peak performance. Ephesians 4:22-24: that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Try a FROGpose class on Facebook Live or better yet, come to the studio, and learn what a dying to self looks like for you. We focus on bible verses, listen to Christian music and pray in community as we move through physical postures into corpse pose.  We were out for breakfast and my friend began to shed gentle tears as she confided that her mom was undergoing breast cancer treatment. In the next quiet moment, she apologized for crying. If you had been there with us, I’m sure you would have had a similar feeling and response to say, “don’t be sorry -we understand”. Jesus wept (John 11:35) and wasn’t embarrassed. So why do we jump into feeling ashamed when we are overwhelmed with emotions that bring us to tears?
Holding back by denying the shedding tears can be painful to my body. I tend to bottle it up as I allow my fear of what other people may think to outweigh what I know to be true: that God does the bottling of tears, if I only let Him (Psalm 58:6). The last time I went to a movie that conjured up deep emotion, I held back my tears for the entire 2 hours and left the theater with an adult-sized-baneroo-of-a-headache and promised that I’d never do that again! I didn’t want to embarrass myself by making too much noise. At Frogpose Yoga we celebrate tears! We flow through postures that bring up emotion as well as offer the safe space for you to leave your emotions at the feet of Jesus. It’s a place where your tears can flow freely. There’s dignity in crying as God designed humans as the only animals who do this! There are different types of tears and studies to show that tears are beneficial. There is no judgement for showing emotion in f.r.o.g.pose classes because we know that when God integrates our mind, body and soul there’s going to be an overflow of either crying (a tapping into your emotions) or yawning (an indication your body is healing). And this is very good. The next time you’re at church and the Spirit moves you to tears, let it OUT! And if you’re at a sappy movie and you hear the woman in the back letting it out with big boohoos, assuredly it will be me. I’m ok and I won’t need an Excedrin… but I would take a tissue! 7/3/2019 0 Comments Yoga and Gut Health
 Have you ever walked into a free Christian yoga class? If you have, then you know: you don't know what you're going to get.
One of my students who stumbled onto our ministry told me that she was skeptical for 3 entire Frog Pose Christian yoga classes before she knew we were true to our mission. She said that because the classes were being held in Boulder she was certain that, at any moment, we would throw in some other form of new age theories or spirituality. To her surprise she was relieved that FROG Pose Christian yoga references ONLY Biblical truths. Rest assured that when you walk into a FROG Pose yoga class you will not only come away with a heightened sense of physical well being but the confidence that you haven't compromised your Christian faith. We are prayerful that each class will offer an insight towards healthier living and that a healing within your body happens in each 60 minutes class. We thank you for your financial support as we continue offering free yoga classes in hopes of reaching more of our local community's craving for something more than just a free yoga class. At FROG Pose, no one is turned away due to financial restraints or differences in spiritual thought. All are welcome! We hold out hope that Christians and non believers alike will strut into a class and feel that they have found their tribe. To call frog pose yoga home and a regular place to practice yoga is the goal. This week we focus on our walk with God and how God guides our coming and going. Step into a donation-based Christian yoga class Monday at 8am, Wednesday at noon and Thursday at 7pm! Psalm 56:13: For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?  FROG Pose Yoga is hosting the Sole to Soul Women’s Weekend, a women’s yoga retreat hosted in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. This three-day yoga retreat connects women back to nature and to other Christian women who like to be active and enjoy the outdoors. Whether you’ve been doing yoga for a long time, you’re new to the practice, or you just want a weekend getaway, Sole to Soul women’s yoga retreat is the perfect excuse to get outside and visit the mountains this spring.
We intentionally chose to host the Sole to Soul Women’s Weekend at Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge because of their message to “Relax, Escape & Enjoy.” The perfect setting for a three-day yoga retreat, Beaver Run Resort is up against the mountains to capture the spirit of Colorado in springtime. Whether you’ve never been to the Rocky Mountains or you’ve made it part of your get away routine, join us for Sole to Soul to relax, escape and enjoy this pure Breckenridge experience. What will you get out of this weekend yoga retreat? Relaxation, a clear mind, and access to a Christian yoga practice through the following schedule of events:
If you’re feeling the need to escape to the Rocky Mountains for a long weekend, our Sole to Soul women’s yoga retreat guides you towards self care and community! Join us at Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge for fellowship, fun, and physical rejuvenation with this amazing group of Christian women, May 3-5. Comment with any questions, or register now to save your space. Early Bird pricing ends March 31!  This morning I woke to the peaceful, snow covered, sun glistening, crispness of the Rocky Mountains. I wanted to take a break from yoga and escape to the mountains. I arrived to Aspen, the ski capital of the Americas. What a blessing! Half way into my drive yesterday I would be telling you a different story. I encountered evidence of the recent snow avalanches, a rock slide, a boulder in a lane, dueling snow plows over Vail pass and falling snow blindness; not to mention slick conditions. Upon arrival, I had to peel my fingers off the steering wheel in order to cut the engine. God guarded me again! He kept watch over me and my trusty AWD Ford Freestyle. As always, God does what He says he will and one of his wonderful character attributes is that He guards. Psalm 91:11 says for he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Join us in class this week as we focus on God's protection of us from harm or danger. We will focus on God's word from the Bible, breath and movement on our yoga mats . We practice on Monday 8am, Wednesday noon and Thursday 7pm. 2900 Valmont Unit F1 (in the backside of the Zarlengo Plaza). Some of you have inquired as to the frequency of how much yoga "should" be practiced. To which I would reply "should's" aren't as important as paying attention to what are your spiritual, physical and emotional needs. Knowing when you need a break is important. In an interview with Baron Baptiste, the one who wrote the book on Power Yoga, and from which a Frog Pose Power Stretching class is closely modeled after, he says " I try to do something (yoga) twice a day, sometimes it's just a little bit. The place that my life happens to be will determine its intensity—anything from restorative to high intensity vinyasa (a method of yoga in which movements form a flowing sequence in coordination with your breath). I try to be true to myself each day and see what I'm moved to do. I don't have a mold or external blueprint that I follow, but in general I'm pulled toward vinyasa, heat-based movement moving energy through my body." 1 For me, I'm going to get out and enjoy the fresh powdery white stuff and God's creation, thanking Him in advance for watching over me as I drive back down the hill tomorrow. 1-Yoga Journal 8/28/07 3/3/2019 1 Comment laughter is good medicineThere's nothing like taking time off with girlfriends to get in a good laugh or two. For me, laughing is my reset button. Lately I've found myself laughing a lot in thrift stores: we've been seen blowing a ram's horn at Arc, practicing the Shake and Weight in Goodwill and most recently beckoning Mom into a Palm Springs thrift store to rescue me out of the two sizes too small dress! Ha! Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins. These are the body's natural feel-good chemicals, which promote an overall sense of well-being and temporary pain relief. You worried about catching the flu or has pain gotcha down? There's a time for everything. In Genesis Abraham and Sarah had a good chuckle when God told them they would be having a baby at 100. In Ecclesiastes we learn there's a time to weep and a time to laugh. Maybe you don't have access to a gal pal nor a second hand store but you can try this exercise by yourself at anytime. At F.R.O.G. Pose, we use our God given breath, physical postures and focus on God's word to lift our spirits. You don't need to be in front of a mirror but it can help conjure up a good belly laugh. Set your intention on Psalm 121: 1-2 - I lift my eyes to the mountains- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Laughter is how we can see and hear happiness. Come make your joy visible and audible as we take a deeper look at God's sense of humor as noted in the bible. We will do some laughter therapy and stretching on our mats this week: Monday 8am, Wednesday at noon and Thursday at 7pm. 2900 Valmont Unit F1, Boulder. |
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